Reflow Manual
Reflow Manual
Reflow Manual
The essence of the solder process is the In addition, the low melting temperature
ability of molten tin to dissolve nearly any means that the equipment that solders the
other metal. Copper is one of those metals, boards does not have to operate at higher
and copper is used extensively in the temperatures. Finally, a benefit most
manufacture of printed circuit boards. In the managers and accountants appreciate is the
next subsection we will discuss the role of low cost of tin/lead compared with other
compounds formed when surface copper is alloys.
dissolved by tin.
Intermetallic Compounds
Lead
Lead, when exposed to air, has a dull gray As mentioned above, molten tin dissolves
appearance. Like tin, lead is an easy metal most metals. During the solder process, the
to work with because it is both soft and primary metals in the solder form
flexible. compounds with the metals in component
leads and circuit board pads at boundaries
Lead does very little to aid the bonding of between the solder and the pad or lead.
metal to metal during soldering. However, (Figure 1-1).
when lead is combined with tin at a ratio of
63% tin to 37% lead, the melting point of
the resultant alloy becomes lower than that Sn63\Pb37 solder
of either pure tin or pure lead. The
abbreviation for tin in chemistry is Sn and
for lead is Pb, so this alloy is usually written One to two
Sn63Pb37. micron
intermetallic
This type of alloy is called a eutectic layer: Cu3Sn
and Cu6Sn5
composition. Pure tin melts at 232°C
(449°F) and pure lead melts at 327°C Copper
pad
(621°F). The melting temperature of
Sn63Pb37, however, is 183°C (361°F). At
Figure 1-1. The intermetallic layer at the
this temperature, the alloy goes from a boundary of the solder and copper surfaces.
completely solid to a completely liquid state
Figure 1-2. The effect of surface tension on RMA and RA are the most common
wetting. activator fluxes. RMA is mildly activated
rosin based flux, and is much stronger in
What Flux Cannot Do removing oxidation than water white. RA is
Even the strongest flux does not remove activated rosin based flux, and is more
thick layers of oxidation. At most, flux aggressive than RMA.
removes the oxide a few molecules thick
from a metallic surface. Flux Residue and Cleaning
Water white and RMA fluxes leave a
Flux Chemistry residue after soldering that is not corrosive
or electrically conductive at levels high
The basis of flux is usually a solid that has enough to affect the function or life of a
been dissolved by a solvent. The most circuit board. Residue from these fluxes has
commonly used solid for many years in PCB often been removed by washing, however,
assembly was rosin. Rosin is derived from for aesthetic reasons, or because it is non-
pine trees, and is an inert substance, which conductive it interferes with bed of nails
does not conduct electricity at room testing devices.
temperature. Rosin becomes liquid between
125°C and 130°C (257°F -266°F). The residue from RA fluxes can be more
corrosive, and usually needs to be cleaned
A substance known as water white flux from the board. RA fluxes require two types
(abbreviated w/w) is pure rosin dissolved in of cleaning:
isopropyl alcohol. Water white is mild and 1. A nonpolar solvent to remove the
able to remove only the thinnest layers of rosin, as well as any oils or waxes
oxide during soldering. that may have contaminated the
board during handling. Nonpolar
solvents such as chlorofluorocarbons
PCB fabrication can be a source of assembly The Dip and Look Test for Component
problems, particularly with regards to Leads
oxidation and misapplication of solder mask.
Engineers and machine operators who The dip and look test is similar in its ease
understand fabrication learn to make careful and simplicity to the pad test. It requires a
inspection of the raw board as the first step few pieces of equipment and some work
in troubleshooting SMT solderability space, but can be done quickly without
problems. interrupting production.
Several solderability test methods are If you have established that solderability of
commonly practiced. Regardless of the test the pads is good, take a board that has been
method you use, the process engineer should through the screen printer, but has no
evaluate the test”s level of complexity, the components on it, to use for this test. Heat
time required and cost compared to the the board on a hot plate, or by whatever
negative impact of the solderability problem. means are available that can be controlled.
Here are some quick and easy test
approaches that have proven useful for basic With a thermocouple attached to one of the
troubleshooting. leads, use a tweezer to place the surface
mount component on its pad. Some kapton
tape placed over the component to hold it in
A Simple and Fast Test for Determining
place helps secure the part.
Pad Solderability on Bare Boards
Heat the assembly through the thermal cycle
If solderability is in doubt, a simple test is to
(See Section 3 Reflow Profiling)
stencil solder paste on a bare board and then
appropriate for the solder paste, using the
reflow it without components. If the joints
thermocouple as a guide. Let the assembly
look good, but there is still doubt, have a
cool, remove flux residue if necessary, and
testing lab do an X-ray to determine
then inspect the lead for wetting.
Notes:
Notes:
What is a Temperature
The Typical Profile
or Thermal Profile?
The reflow profile is defined by the
High quality, low defect soldering requires relationship of temperature versus time
identifying the optimum temperature profile during heating. A typical profile consists of
for reflowing the solder paste. Achieving three heating slopes (the time vs temperature
SMT process consistency means repeating relationship or rate of temperature rise)
this profile over and over. Every solder defined by Figure 3-1. This ” three step„
joint on every board needs to be heated profiling approach has been commonly used
similarly if the desired soldering results are since the early days of SMT.
to be accomplished. From the solder“s point
of view, it does not matter what the heat Each solder paste defines the heating slopes
source to the solder joint is. and time and temperature limits within each
slope. It is best to consult your solder paste
What does matter is that the heat is applied supplier to determine the exact heating
to the solder joint in a controlled manner. condition required for the paste you are
The heating and cooling rise rates must be using. For the purpose of discussion, we
compatible with the solder paste and will use the traditional three step profile,
components. The amount of time that the which is typical of RMA pastes.
assembly is exposed to certain temperatures
must be defined and maintained. In other The three step heating profile slopes are
words, the solder reflow profile must first be called preheat, dryout, and reflow.
defined and then maintained.
Preheat
In the preheat section, the goal is to fully
225
PEAK TEMPERATURE preheat the entire SMT assembly to
200
SOLDER LIQUIDOUS temperatures between 100耐C and 150耐C.
175 183
The most critical parameter in the preheat
150 RATE WETTING
OF TIME section is to control the rate of rise to
T( oC) 125 RISE
between 1-4耐C/second.
100
75
The main concern is minimizing thermal
50
shock on the components of the assembly.
25
Preheat Dryout Reflow Cooling For example, multilayer ceramic chip
Time (Sec.)
capacitors can be vulnerable to cracking if
heated too fast. In addition, rapid heating
can cause the solder paste to spatter.
Figure 3-1. A typical
thermal profile.
Time (Sec.)
Excessively slow cooldown while the paste
is liquidous can also cause the solder joint to
Figure 3-2. A graphical representation of
consist of a larger grain structure, resulting a 25 C reflow profile process band.
in a potentially weaker solder joint.
Common cooling rates are controlled
between 1-2耐C/second. Many reflow ovens
Solder not wetting to leads Excessive drying time causing fluxes to deteriorate
Excessive reflow temperature/time causing oxidation
Solder not wet on pad Lead is heating faster than board (too much airflow)
Notes:
Mass Differential
The amount of temperature rise of a product
as it travels through an oven heating zone
depends upon a number of variables. The Figure 3-4. Comparison of high mass
temperature rise of an object subjected to versus low mass differential boards.
heat is determined by the following
equation:
The high mass area will be more difficult to
DT = Q x A x t / (M x Cp ) heat. The non-uniformity caused by thermal
mass differential may be measured by
WHERE: thermocoupling a lead on the largest and
DT = Product Temperature Rise (耐C)
Q = Heat Absorbed (W/cm2) smallest device, and running a profile. (As
A = Exposed Area (cm2) described previously.)
t = Heating Dwell Time (seconds)
M = Mass of Object (kg)
Cp = Specific Heat (W-sec/kg-耐C)
Notes:
Oven Repeatability
Repeatability refers to the oven“s capability
to repeat a given profile. Repeatability is Board Length
affected by machine loading (number of Load Factor =
Board Length + Space
boards in the oven). Figure 3-5 shows a
typical product loading condition. The
loading factor is defined in the figure.
Figure 3-5: Load factor calculation
The higher the value of the loading factor, combines board length and the space
between the boards.
the more difficult it is for any oven to give
Notes:
Temperature
Oxidation is directly related to temperature.
Higher temperatures mean faster rates of
oxidation. Thus, reflowing at the lowest
SMALLER PARTICLES HAVE
possible temperature reduces the amount of GREATER SURFACE AREA
PER UNIT VOLUME THAN
oxidation created during the reflow process. LARGE PARTICLES
Convection technology helps (as compared
with IR) in that heating uniformity is better Figure 4-1. Surface area of solder particles.
and thus the maximum temperature on the
product may be reduced.
With more available surface area in the
solder paste, there is a greater tendency
Surface Area towards oxidation.
More surface area means more area
available for oxidation. As the pitch Flux Content
between leads becomes finer and finer, the In the early days of reflow soldering, solder
tin/lead solder particles in the paste must paste contained aggressive enough fluxes to
become smaller to obtain good paste print easily remove oxides. Often CFC solvent
definition. cleaning was used to remove any remaining
residue from the board.
Notes:
Conduction Radiation
Conduction heat transfer occurs when two
solid masses of different temperatures are in Sun
contact with each other. A good example is
when a pan is placed on an electric burner.
Most of the heat is transferred to the pan by Radiant Energy
the contact between the pan and the burner. From The Sun
Conduction also occurs within the same Heats The Earth
mass if a temperature differential exists
within the mass.
Figure 5-2. Example of infrared
Conduction can both help and hinder the radiation.
SMT reflow process. Conduction helps in
Convection
Convection heat transfer occurs when a fluid
(such as air, nitrogen, or water) passes over Figure 5-3. Example of convection heat
an object (such as an SMT assembly). A transfer.
cool breeze on a hot sunny day provides
convective cooling. Hot air from a hair Typically, forced convection heating or
dryer provides convective heating. cooling rates are higher than natural con-
vection rates. Most reflow ovens today use
Convection heating or cooling requires forced convection as the primary heat
contact of the flow with the solid part. Only transfer mode.
the layer of the flow that is in contact with
the part is actually transferring heat.
Convection may be classified as natural or
forced.
Notes:
Conductors (such as copper) have a very The quantity of infrared energy emitted and
high thermal conductivity and permit high the wavelength of the emission are both
amounts of conductive heat transfer. Thus, dependent upon the absolute temperature of
an SMT assembly with high amounts of the object. As the source temperature
copper will heat more uniformly than one increases, the heat transfer output increases
without much copper. Conduction through exponentially to the fourth power.
the circuit board during the reflow process Increasing the source temperature results in
improves heating uniformity, as the heat shorter wavelengths. Decreasing the source
conducts from the hot spots to the cold temperature results in longer wavelengths.
spots.
In order to understand what parameters are
important in infrared heating, one can
k = Therm a l
C onductivity
consider the general equation for heat
transfer between the heat source and the
t
1
D x
Convection Oven
Technologies occurs when an independent device (such as
a fan) forces the air over the product.
While convection is a relatively simple Typically the convective coefficient is
technology, there are several technical greater with forced convection than with
aspects to consider. This section discusses natural convection, which results in
some of the key differences including: improved heating of the product. Early
infrared/convection ovens relied on natural
convection to help improve heating
· Forced convection versus natural uniformity. Forced convection ovens
convection usually have better heating uniformity than
· Turbulent flow versus laminar flow the infrared/convection ovens.
· Fresh gas input versus recirculated gas Forced convection can be either laminar or
input turbulent. Laminar flow is characterized by
· Defined convection flow path versus very stable flow patterns. Convection heat
uncontrolled flow path transfer requires contact between the air and
the object. (See Figure 6-1.)
· Methods of forcing convection gas flow
Thus, a stable gas jet allows more air to
Natural convection occurs when the air (or come in contact with the object. Because of
nitrogen) surrounding an object is at a this contact, laminar forced convection can
different temperature than the object. The have heating efficiencies of greater than 30
density differences between the hot and cool percent. Turbulent flow is characterized by
air causes a physical motion to occur, which vortices, eddy currents, and high heating
assists in heat transfer. Forced convection rates. Thermal efficiencies are typically
only 10 to 15 percent.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Figure 6-2. Example of a defined flow pattern process gas is recirculated to the
previous zone. Flux is removed via exhaust collectors. Fresh process gas keeps oven
clean (free of flux residue). Also see Figure 5-4.
1 2 3 4 5 6
Fresh input gas into every bottom zone insures clean process
atmosphere and versatile bottom/top temperature control.
Figure 6-4. Positive pressure in the reflow zone purges flux laden gas to the exhausts.
This design feature creates the defined flow pattern within the reflow oven.
Notes:
Entrained Exit
Air Flow
Convection fan in a preheat zone. Note that the fan motor Compressed gas flow
is outside the heater chamber for improved fan reliability. through annulus
Throughput =
Conveyor Design
One needs to define whether a mesh
conveyor or an edge-type conveyor is
required. Typically edge conveyors are used
for in-line processing or if double-sided
assembly is required.
Maintenance Downtime
Maintenance downtime is perhaps the most
overlooked aspect of equipment selection.
The key to meeting throughput requirements
is a continuously operating reflow oven.
Flux cleaning downtime and frequent
scheduled maintenance will reduce the
number of hours available to solder boards.
Compare maintenance requirements
carefully before selecting an oven.
The next 2 pages describe how for a typical high-volume SMT line:
· Advanced ovens can payback 20-25% price premiums vs basic ovens IN THE
FIRST 6 WEEKS of operation, based on reduced maintenance and downtime
(opportunity) costs, even with a 10% cost of money factored in
· Reflow oven downtime is the MOST SIGNIFICANT cost factor for high-volume
machine evaluation
Real World Case Study: Flux Cleaning Creates ” Regularly Scheduled Bottlenecks
A large contract manufacturer operates four SMT assembly lines in a plant that runs approximately 22 hours per day
except for changeover and maintenance. The maintenance technician describes the reflow oven flux cleaning
maintenance procedure:
Every three weeks, two technicians disassemble each reflow oven for flux cleaning. Reusable c ondensers collect
flux in the cooling zones, and air jets require cleaning for the flux not collected by the heat exchanger. Newly
cleaned flux condensers replace soiled units in the oven so that the latter 슏s fins can be degreased off-line. The
cleaning process requires 10 hours/month for EACH REFLOW OVEN.
Based on its cost structure, the plant s per line annual maintenance expense for reflow oven is:
Labor: 2 people @ $40/hour (burdened) * (10 hours/month oven cleaning) * (12 months/year)
= $9600/year
Flux Condenser Defluxing Cost: $100/month covering degreasing solvent, using a commercially
available degreaser (not degreased by hand scrubbing) = $1200/year
Direct Maintenance Cost per Line = $10,800 excluding the cost of repl acement flux condensers
The cost is in lost production, however, is many times greater. For continuous board production, reflow oven
maintenance creates ” regularly scheduled bottlenecks„, i.e. the capacity of the plant is equal to the capacity of the
bottlenecks wherein each hour of reflow oven flux cleaning is a production hour lost for the entire plant (Goldratt, The
Goal, p. 157).
SOURCE: Lasky, Baldwin, Throughput: The Critical Cost Variable in DCA Assembly, SMTA National
Symposium, November 1996, p. 1.
Applying 10 maintenance hours per month imposes the following reductions in board production throughput (and
profitability) per assembly line:
(180 boards/hour) * (10 hours/month * 12 months/year) = 21,600 boards/year lost per line
Lost Line Throughput * (Board Sell Price - Board Cost [Material & Labor]) = Lost Line Profit
(21,600 boards lost/year) * ($100 - 91) = $194,400 ANNUAL LOST PROFIT PER LINE
Direct Costs
Nitrogen Gas Consumption 30 54
(cubic meters/hour)
Nitrogen Cost $0.19/cubic meter $0.19/cubic meter
Annual Nitrogen Cost $ 23,712 $ 42,682
Opportunity Costs
(See Figure 6-1 for calculations)
· Board passes through multi-zone oven to reflow · Board is stationary during reflow and cooling cycles
solder and cool board
· Convection minimizes Delta T caused by mass · Convection heat input optimized for different regions of
differences board (optional)
· Set point temperature, air flow, and belt speed are · Set point temperature and user defined time duration
typical profile variables controls profile
· User inputs zone setpoint temperatures to create · User determines time/temperature profile and oven
recipe automatically adjusts to create recipe
· Desired profile verified through trial and error · Oven adjusts heat input automatically for test board
· Underboard support runs through one plane · Stationary board allows multi-point support
· Large components on underside not possible due · Underside components do not vibrate since board is still
to conveyor vibration
· Inert atmospheres created by purging oxygen · Inert atmospheres can be created by purging oxygen OR
creating a vacuum
· Performance determined by initial capital · Buy the capabilities you need today and expand/retrofit
investment (buy large and nitrogen version) as customer“s needs change
· In-line oven operating costs incurred regardless of · Operating costs (nitrogen use and power consumption)
boards produced proportional to board production levels
Chamber 5
Board Stencil LOW VOLUME LINE
Placement Dedicated
B Printer COMBINATIONS
Chamber 4 to
Board B
Chamber 3
Most SMT components use wire leads, chip. These solder balls provide the
which extend from the edge of the package. package-to-PCB connection in a CSP.
A new generation of chips relies on solder
ball leads instead of wire leads. Common Common ball placement processing
names for these semiconductor chips are ball techniques are gravity transfer and vacuum
grid arrays (BGAs) and chip scale packages transfer. Solder ball inspection is often the
(CSPs). final step in the placement process. Most
automated ball placement machines
Reflow processes accomplish all of these steps in a single
are used to attach platform.
solder balls to
BGAs.
Semiconductor
reflow has much
the same issues as SMT reflow. The
approach for profiling, determining inert
atmosphere purity requirements, cleaning
post-reflow flux residues, etc. are essentially
common to both types of products.
Notes:
Over the years, Research has produced a All our products are supplied with the CE
variety of customized heating systems. We (Common European standard) mark for
developed furnaces for PCB fusing in the safety.
1980s, and created the most innovative line
of surface mount solder reflow ovens during
the 1990s.
A Customized Approach
to Reflow Oven Design
Research was the first major reflow oven
manufacturer certified to ISO 9001 quality Research International offers a complete line
standards. of solder reflow ovens. These ovens range
from low volume machines to vertical
reflow ovens.
We think you“ll find Research International offers the best thermal solution for any type of
circuit card or semiconductor chip component assembly. Contact one of our dedicated reflow
specialists today!
Features
· Eight vertically stacked ” miniovens„
· Stationary reflow
· Automated profiling
Benefits
· Process multiple board types simultaneously
· Rapid line changeover
· Small footprint
Features Benefits
· ConstantClean heater cavity flux · Flux cleaning maintenance eliminated
prevention
· Variable height heater cavity · Tall component reflow possible
· Automated nitrogen consumption · Lowest nitrogen use possible for large
control boards
· Advanced cooling section · Board cooling to room temperature
Features
· CoolClean heater cavity flux
prevention
· Dual processing roller chain conveyor
· Controlled atmosphere air or high
purity nitrogen operation
Benefits
· Flux cleaning maintenance eliminated
· No conveyor chain lubrication or
maintenance required
· Optimal profile control
Features
· ConstantClean heater cavity flux
prevention
· Mesh belt or dual processing
conveyor
· Optimal temperature uniformity
Benefits
· Flux cleaning maintenance
eliminated
· No conveyor chain lubrication or
maintenance required
Features
· Space saving 72-inch linear footprint
· No-clean heater cavity flux prevention
· Mesh belt or tape drive conveyor
· Low velocity nitrogen convection keeps
solder on the ship
Benefits
· Designed for clean room production
· Flux cleaning maintenance eliminated
· Nitrogen purity with low gas
consumption
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