Tin/lead conversion thwarts tin whiskers
ProductAugust 17, 2011
Alice Moss
Military Embedded Systems
Chris A. Ciufo
General Micro Systems, Inc.
Whether we're talking the International Space Station, a C-17, or a Humvee, tin whiskers can throw a monkey wrench into system functionality - and even result in loss of life.
Whether we’re talking the International Space Station, a C-17, or a Humvee, tin whiskers can throw a monkey wrench into system functionality – and even result in loss of life. However, AEM, Inc.’s tin/lead conversion process aims to stop tin whiskers in high-rel, surface-mount components originally terminated with tin-only solder. Moreover, AEM’s tin/lead conversion process leaves even the most delicate electronics intact – as opposed to using all that hot soldering, which can damage sensitive components. Meanwhile, the tin/lead conversion process offers the assurance of at least 5 percent Pb in converted component terminations, as verified via XRF and SEM/EDS inspections.
The process works most effectively on chip-scale, passive, multilayer components such as inductors, ferrite chip beads, resistor arrays, capacitors, bead arrays, and active surface mount components or molded body passive components. And that’s not all (literally): Other components outside the chip-style realm might be appropriately armed against tin whiskers with the AEM tin/lead conversion process; just ask them, and the company’s AS9100/MIL-STD-202 compliant lab can pre-evaluate any other component type you might want to run through the process.
