Defect of the Month

Martin WickmanIs it the mask, or is it the gold-plating underneath?

Peelable masking has been used in the past to protect gold key pads during soldering or from solder spitting during reflow, which leads to solder wetting spots on some terminals. This, in turn, may be a cosmetic issue, but also may affect the operation of the contacts.

In FIGURE 1, the peelable coating reflects poor adhesion of the gold to the surface of the pads. This problem is related to the preparation of the contact pads prior to gold or nickel plating and was not related to the assembly process or mask. Testing for gold adhesion using IPC methods showed a total lack of adhesion of the plating.

Read more: Gold Peeling

Martin WickhamBrittle materials can lead to CAF failures.

Read more: PCB Laminate Cracking

Martin WickhamCorrective measures include adjusting the solder paste chemistry and reflow profile.

Voids in solder joints are not uncommon after reflow soldering and can be easily detected using x-ray. Champagne voiding is related to hundreds of very small voids seen at the solder joint-to-surface pad interface (FIGURE 1). When they occur in reflow voiding, the cause may be related to the solder paste and profile. The voids will be seen in the bulk of the solder joint or near the top of the joint at the component pad interface.

Read more: Champagne Voiding Causes and Tests

Dr. Chris Hunt

Is a change to the acceptability standard needed?

Read more: Solder Fillet Lifting or Pad Lift

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