INDUSTRY, CA, Oct. 1 --  Following three years of intensive evaluation Motorola has qualified a lead-free solder paste from Henkel Electronics.

"I think the great advantage of this material is that it provides a very wide process window, which gives us tremendous flexibility," says Vahid Goudarzi, a distinguished member of the technical staff at Motorola. "From printing to reflow, we really stressed the material and it was able to meet our very rigorous technical requirements."

Multicore LF320 requires a minimum peak reflow of 229°C, about 11°C lower than standard lead-free pastes. (Higher Dt assembly designs can be reflowed in air at up to 260°C.) The difference provides a safety margin when reflowing temperature-sensitive components. According to Henkel, the paste prints at a speed range of 25-100 mms-1 (6"s-1), wets on a range of surface finishes, and has been formulated to provide high resistance to slump and solderballing.

LF320 is classified as a ROMO per J-STD-004 and meets or exceeds Bellcore GR-78-CORE tests for electromigration.

The material has been optimized for reflow in air on a range of PCB assembly applications and reflow profiles may be extended with nitrogen, Henkel said in a press statement.

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Good call: Henkel's Chris Korth (left) and Cary Vocelka (right) receive the good news from Vahid Goudarzi of Motorola.