CLINTON, NY – Indium Corporation R&D Manager, Alloy Group and Principal Research Metallurgist Dr. HongWen Zhang will present at the SMTA Empire Expo & Tech Forum on September 26 in Syracuse, NY. Also at the conference, Regional Sales Manager Emily Belfield will host a panel discussion, Generational Differences in Today’s Workplace.

Dr. Zhang’s presentation, titled A Bismuth-Free In-Containing Lower Temperature Lead-Free Solder Paste for Wafer-Level Package Application that Outperforms SAC305, will evaluate a novel solder powder paste technology which has been used to develop an innovate, bismuth-free, indium-containing solder paste for low-temperature soldering. The paste has been successfully used in board-stacking bonding with a 200°C peak temperature profile for 5G mobile phones due to the excellent drop shock performance. The joint of the wafer-level package experienced high stress/strain during thermal cycling, which led to the joint cracking right beneath the interface joining the wafer bonding pad and solder. Durafuse® LT was used to assemble a wafer-level package (WLP256, full-array, 0.25mm diameter SAC305 balls and 0.4mm pitch) with the 200–240°C peak temperature reflow profiles with a constant paste-to-ball ratio of 1:4. Hybrid joints were created using the minimum 200°C peak temperature, which had two distinct areas: (1) the mixing zone dominated by the In-containing paste on the PCB side, and (2) the area immediately above the mixing zone which retained the initial SAC305 morphology. Indium is present in multiple forms within the mixing zone, including In/Sn4 (γ) phase, Sn(In) solid solution, and In4/Ag9 or In4/Ag9/Ag3Sn composite precipitates. The full-mixing homogeneous joint was formed by raising the peak temperature to 210°C, yielding a similar microstructure to the traditional SAC305 joint of the networked Ag-containing precipitates embedded in the Sn matrix. The In/Sn4 phase was not observed in the full-mixing homogeneous joint while Sn(In) solid solution and In4/Ag9 or In4/Ag9/Ag3Sn composite precipitates remained. TCT (temperature cycling) was run under a -40°C/125°C temperature range and a 20-minute dwelling profile. Regardless the reflow profiles, Durafuse® LT outperformed SAC305 in TCT by 11% or greater. The 210°C peak temperature profile resulted in a more than 30% improvement compared to the SAC305 paste. The joint cracking was localized to the solder joint below the wafer-solder interface, similar to the SAC305 joint.

As manager of the alloy group in Indium Corporation’s R&D department, Dr. Zhang’s focus is on the development of Pb-free solder materials and the associated technologies for high-temperature and high-reliability applications. He was instrumental in inventing the new alloy technology to combine the merits of constituents to improve wetting, reduce processing temperatures, modify the bonding surface, and control the joint’s morphology, thus improving reliability. As principal metallurgist, he is also responsible for expanding metallurgical innovation. He and his team are responsible for using metallurgical insight to develop new products, implement improvements to existing processes and products, and measure results.

Dr. Zhang has a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical physical chemistry from Central South University of China, a master’s degree in materials and engineering from the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Science, and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and a Ph.D. in material science and engineering from the Michigan Technological University. He has a Six Sigma Green Belt from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, and is a certified IPC Specialist for IPC-A-600 and IPC-A-610, as well as a certified SMT Process Engineer. He has extensive experience in various aluminum (Al) alloys and fiber/particle reinforced Al-based composite materials, and Al-rich and ZrHf-based amorphous alloys. He has co-authored two book chapters on high-temperature lead-free bonding materials, has had a number of patents filed, and has been published in approximately 20 journals in the fields of metallurgy, materials science and engineering, physics, electronics materials, and mechanics.

As regional sales manager, Belfield is responsible for maintaining existing sales and driving new qualifications and sales through effective account management and coordination of resources in the Northeast Americas region. She joined Indium Corporation in 2020 as a Technical Support Engineer where she provided technical assistance to resolve soldering process-related issues. Belfield earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at Syracuse University. Currently VP of Membership, she has served as an officer for SMTA Empire Chapter for two years.

SINGAPORE – Dymax, a leading manufacturer of light-curing materials and equipment, is pleased to announce that their ground-breaking conformal coating, 9771, has completed the rigorous qualification testing for Military Specification MIL-I-46058C. This UL94V0 and UL746E recognized dual-cure coating has also been approved to the IPC-CC-830B standard and fully complies with RoHS2 Directives 2015/863/EU.

The MIL-I-46058C standard establishes conformal coating compliance requirements and evaluates them to an extensive list of properties, including curing time and temperature, material thickness, moisture resistance, fungus resistance, insulation resistance, flexibility, hydrolytic stability, and flame resistance. 9771 is now listed in the DOD QPL (Qualified Products Listing) database so military manufacturers know it is approved.

Along with this important recognition, 9771 coating passes NASA Low Outgassing ASTM E595 specification for cleaner PCBs during extreme conditions and meets low-ionic content compliance with Mil-Std 883 Method 5011. Additionally, 9771 is NASA MAPTIS listed and assigned material number 09841, so suppliers searching for low-outgassing coatings can easily find it in the database.

Dymax 9771 conformal coating is 100% solids with a blue fluorescing tracer. This high-performance, dual-cure reworkable conformal coating cures with UV/Visible light and moisture in shadow areas.

REDONDO BEACH, CA ― Surfx Technologies, LLC is proud to announce the launch of its new website, designed to spotlight and prioritize the company's focus on high-volume manufacturing. The redesigned website reflects Surfx’s evolution and expansion, with a strong emphasis on showcasing its robust, high-volume manufacturing equipment, particularly in the Semiconductor and Advanced Packaging markets.

The decision to revamp the website emerged from a strategic shift in Surfx’s business landscape. While the previous website predominantly featured the Atomflo™ plasma technology, Surfx Technologies embarked on a transformative partnership with Mycronic A.B. in 2020. This strategic collaboration empowered Surfx to leverage Mycronic’s world-class automation capabilities while offering access to its leading plasma technology. The result was a fusion of expertise that enabled Surfx to introduce robust, high-volume manufacturing equipment to the Semiconductor manufacturing market.

Although the benefits of this partnership extend to various industries, including medical device, aerospace, electronics manufacturing (EMS), PCB assembly and more, Surfx Technologies is now laser- focused on the Semiconductor and Advanced Packaging markets. The redesigned website reflects this shift in focus by prominently featuring turn-key automation platforms equipped with the world’s most advanced atmospheric Argon plasma known as the Atomflo™.

The new website highlights Surfx’s ST series platforms, including STA, STL and STW, with automation taking center stage. This strategic emphasis positions Surfx as a provider of turnkey plasma platforms rather than merely offering plasma devices. The company's commitment to addressing the modern challenges of mass production is evident through their full suite traceability options including SECS/GEM, MES, FIS and other custom integrations. The ST tools feature state of the art path correction using fiducial inspection and laser height sensing. The tools also boast streamlined path development through Cloudbreak™ software, SMEMA communication, and a fully enclosed work area with safety interlocking system. These solutions ensure that Surfx’s customers in need of plasma technology don't have to contend with the complexities of a fully automated tool for mass production, differentiating Surfx from its competitors, which primarily focus on selling standalone plasma devices.

The new website is also optimized for mobile viewing, providing easy access to information on-the-go. Additionally, it introduces a dedicated Plasma Science page, aimed at educating visitors about the fundamental principles of plasma and its significance in plasma preparation processes.

“Surfx Technologies is thrilled to launch our new website, which reflects our evolution and commitment to high-volume manufacturing and automation,” said Robert Hicks, President & CEO at Surfx Technologies. “Our partnership with Mycronic A.B. has opened new horizons for us, and we are now fully equipped to serve the Semiconductor and advanced packaging markets with turnkey solutions that streamline production processes. We invite visitors to explore our website and discover how we are making a difference in the world of plasma technology and automation.”

For more information, visit www.surfxtechnologies.com

CLINTON, NY – Indium Corporation Regional Technical Manager and Technologist – Advanced Applications Andreas Karch will present at iNEMI’s upcoming seminar, Humidity Robustness and Isolation Coordination for e-Mobility. The seminar, hosted by ZESTRON Europe, will be held on September 27 in Ingolstadt, Germany.

Andreas’ presentation, No-Clean Flux Residues in Automotive Applications Must Meet Higher Requirements, will examine the influence of no-clean flux chemistries on the reliability of automotive PCB applications. In particular, the study focuses on failure caused by dendritic growth for high-power, low-standoff components for enhanced SIR conditions.

Due to increased automotive electrification (48V, HEV, EV) and the subsequent utilization of high-power components such as DPAKs and Power-QFNs in under-the-hood electronics, the SIR (Surface Insulation Resistance) specifications for evaluating the electrical reliability of no-clean solder paste flux chemistry have also become more stringent. For example, test voltage has increased from 5V to 10–50V, test time has increased from 168 to 500–1,000 hours, pitch has decreased from 0.5mm to 0.2–0.3mm, and minimum SIR threshold has increased from 100MΩ to 500MΩ.

No-clean solder pastes are normally used in automotive PCB assembly to solder low-standoff components such as DPAKs and power-QFNs (gap between the PCB pad and the component underbody is typically under 75µ).

“During reflow, volatiles in the flux chemistry such as activators and solvents boil off; however, a lower standoff reduces the opportunity for the flux volatiles to vent, resulting in ‘wet’ flux residue post-reflow,” said Andreas. “It is, therefore, critical that the no-clean flux residue does not cause ionic dendritic growth and corrosion under low-standoff power components, throughout the working life of the product.”

Andreas serves as Technologist – Advanced Applications and Technical Manager for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland for Indium Corporation. He has more than 20 years of experience in automotive electronics and power electronics, including the development of advanced customized solutions. In 2014, the Austrian Patent Office awarded him the “Inventum” award for his patent for innovate LED automotive lighting as one of the top ten applicants. He is an ECQA-certified development engineer and has earned the Six Sigma Yellow Belt.