Indium Corporation announced a new technology platform using the SACM solder alloy that satisfies the continuing demand for cost-effective reliability requirements of portable electronic devices. SACM solder alloy offers drop shock performance far superior to other SAC alloys, without compromising on thermal cycling. Its low silver content makes this a cost-effective solution for portable electronics.
The platform consists of Indium8.9 Series solder pastes using Indium Corporation's patented-pending SACM solder alloy technology for board-side interconnect, and SACM solder balls (spheres) for package level interconnect.
SACM solder alloy technology addresses these challenges. "SACM's stable, micro-structural improvements to the intermetallic compound layer of the solder-to-pad interface are impressive. We see a fine grain size with a thin, stable IMC layer, even after exposure to accelerated life conditions. These micro structural improvements translate into an 8X (800%) improvement in drop-shock performance and 50% extension in thermal cycling," said Dr. Ning-Cheng Lee, Indium Corporation's Vice President of Technology.
The portable electronics industry is faced with the ongoing challenges to: improve drop-shock performance without sacrificing thermal cycling performance; reduce the need for expensive board-level underfills (and the associated material, process and re-work costs), as well as the inability to even reach some areas with underfill; and reduce costs by extending wafer-level package size to larger areas, enabling higher functionality of the low cost-per-I/O package.
Solder joint architectures that utilize both SACM solder paste and SACM solder balls can maximize reliability benefits with enhanced interfaces for both solder-to-package and solder-to-printed circuit board.
Indium Corporation is a premier materials manufacturer and supplier to the global electronics, semiconductor, solar, thin-film, and thermal management markets. Products include solders, and fluxes; brazes; sputtering targets; indium, gallium, and germanium metals and inorganic compounds; and NanoFoil. Founded in 1934, Indium has global technical support and factories located in China, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the USA.
For more information about Indium Corporation visit www.indium.com or email abrown@indium.com.
Indium's SACM increases portable electronics drop-shock performance by 800%
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