Measuring BGA joints can reveal process problems.

This month we show variation in the size of the solder joints on a section of a BGA. Measuring variation on solder ball size after reflow is useful. Even better is when measurements are taken automatically with an x-ray system, as this provides a good comparison tool between NPI and production builds.

Measuring NPI build, and saving the measurement data, provides a good point of reference when problems are seen on a build. It is also useful when moving between contractors or in the event of changes due to other process modifications.

While coatings are typically used on boards, some choose to coat components as well.

This month we show manual conformal coating on one component. One optical example is shown under normal lighting and then under UV light, to show the tracer added in coatings to allow easy manual or automatic inspection. This is not a defect. I asked if this was intended, however, as it was unusual.

Traditionally, coatings are used to protect circuit boards in humid environments and more so in condensing conditions to prevent corrosion. On some occasions design engineers also use coatings to provide that little stability.

Flux becomes increasingly tenacious the longer it sits on the board.

This month our topic is not so much a defect as something to consider when running environmental tests before any destructive analysis on solder joints. The through-hole joints shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 were soldered with a high-temperature alloy as part of our trials on robotic laser and single point soldering. The amount of flux in high-temperature cored wire tends to be higher, hence more residues after soldering. If sample boards will be exposed to high-temperature storage, in this case 200°C for 1,000 hr., or temperature cycling, clean the residues first. It is much more difficult to clean after this level of aging, and mounting samples in epoxy for microsections is much more difficult.

Inappropriately sized pads can result in excessive solder and, eventually, defects.

This month we show soldering of 01005 chip resistors from an early project with lead-free assembly. The microsection image in FIGURE 1 shows a few issues, but it’s the circles in both joints that caught my eye. Yes, they are voids before they are unmasked. During sectioning we stopped just before entering the void. Most would have continued a few more micros to remove the thin sliver of solder, which was the wall of the void, to show the void. But everyone has seen voids before!