How do you know what "high-reliability" means to a customer or a supplier or a coworker? Step one is knowing there are different kinds of reliability within the PCBA industry.
Solder alloys need to work well on all sorts of surfaces. But we were really impressed with the difference Indalloy®292 made on OSP boards - even against other high-reliability alloys.
Indium Corporation's new high reliability solder alloy Indalloy® 292 is focused on exceeding the thermal cycling requirements for automotive applications.
Indium Corporation’s suite of proven, high-reliability materials, from solder paste to solder preforms, thermal interface materials, innovative solder alloys, metals, and compounds offers enhanced performance in automotive electronics assembly and packaging applications.
Reliability Challenges in the Automotive Industry
The latest trends in the automotive electronics industry have led to increasing numbers of components for automobile innovations and new features. The continuing miniaturization of electronics to accommodate all the components must be more reliable than ever before. Components need to stand up to temperature swings, mechanical shock, vibration, high-power voltage, humidity, extreme environmental conditions, and higher density circuit boards, to name a few.
The challenge facing the industry is to reduce or avoid electrical component failure, thus increasing consumer safety and reducing costs related to faulty electronics. Failures can be caused by a number of solder defects including voiding, head-in-pillow, insufficients, slump, non-wet opens, dendritic growth, cracking, and warpage.
Indium Corporation offers a suite of proven materials that are the solutions to overcoming these reliability challenges.
Indium8.9HF is a proven solder paste series that delivers no-clean, halogen-free solutions designed to produce low-voiding, enhanced electrical reliability, and improved stability during the printing process. Indium8.9HF provides a unique oxidation barrier technology that eliminates HIP defects and graping, making it perfectly suited for automotive and electronics assembly applications.
Exceeds all requirements for enhanced electrical reliability and SIR performance
Delivers excellent response-to-pause, even after being left on the stencil for 60 hours
Maintains excellent printing and reflow performance after remaining at room temperature for one month
Demonstrates consistent printing performance for up to 12 months when refrigerated
Resists premature flux spread to prevent surfaces from oxidizing
Performs with both Pb and Pb-free alloys
Meets HKMC MS184-01 testing criteria Type B—one of the automotive industry’s most stringent reliability criteria
Indium12.8HF is a no-clean, halogen-free solder paste specifically formulated to accommodate fine-feature printing. It has high slump resistance allowing for cutting edge assemblies to minimize part spacing without bridging challenges. One of our most stable pastes, Indium12.8HF offers unprecedented stencil print transfer efficiency to work in the broadest range of processes to boost SPI yields. In addition, it is one of the lowest voiding pastes with a wide variety of area array packages and bottom terminated components.
Indium12.8HF is also optimized for long-term jetting and microdispense applications. It is specifically formulated to be compatible with a wide range of microdispense and jetting systems. Although originally formulated for micro-LED applications, it has proven to be useful in applications requiring dot diameter/line width deposits down to 80μm.
Gold-tin solder paste is used in a variety of high-reliability applications, where its high melting point, non-creep, high-tensile stress, thermal and electrical conductivity, as well as proven usage life makes it a standard “known-good” material.
Indium Corporation’s PicoShot® NC-5M jetting solder paste is a no-clean, halogen-free material specifically formulated to be compatible with Mycronic jetting systems. Inherently chemically-compatible with Indium8.9HF Solder Paste, PicoShot® NC-5M is optimized for long-term jetting. PicoShot® NC-5M provides exceptional jetting performance, and its unique oxidation barrier promotes complete powder coalescence during reflow to eliminate graping and similar reflow issues.
Indium Corporation’s SiPaste® 3.2HF is a water-soluble solder paste for system-in-package (SiP) designs. It is specifically formulated to accommodate the higher processing temperatures required by SnAgCu, SnAg, SnSb, and other Pb-free alloy systems. This product formulation offers consistent, repeatable printing performance combined with a long stencil life and sufficient tack strength to handle the challenges of today’s miniaturization in SiP design.
Indalloy®292 is an alloy engineered to provide advanced reliability for high-performance applications. It has excellent thermal cycling performance at -40/150°C conditions, high shear strength, and low solder joint cracking. The elimination of pinholes improves joint appearance.
When paired with Indium8.9HF solder paste, Indalloy®292 provides outstanding printability, stability, and enhanced SIR. For more information about Indalloy®292 with Indium8.9HF, please download our product data sheet.
Low-temperature drop shock solution (*Patent Pending)
Durafuse®LT is a novel solder paste mixed-alloy system for low-temperature reflow processes which require high drop shock reliability. Durafuse®LT is made-up of a low-melting indium-containing alloy and a higher-melting SAC alloy. The SnInAg alloy initiates joint fusion while the SAC alloy provides strength and durability. Durafuse®LT is ideal for high-reliability applications, which utilize thermally-sensitive components.
Indalloy®133 solder is a common lead-free solder. Antimony added to tin increases the melting temperature rather than forming a lower melting eutectic. The stability of the SnSb intermetallic compound (IMC) is an advantage in higher temperature applications where the stability of SAC alloys is marginal. The tin matrix of the SnSb alloy remains ductile while the antimony in solution provides solid solution strengthening. The grain refining effects of the IMC promotes toughness at low temperatures associated with finer grain sizes. For more information about Indalloy®133, please download our product data sheet.
Indium Corporation’s QuickSinter® silver sintering pastes are high metal-loading materials designed to fit easily into a dispense process with no change of deposition equipment. The pastes can also use fast “reflow-like” (RFL) sintering processes to form strong joints on many standard leadframe, DBC, and IPM pad finishes, and will bond strongly to die with Ag, Au, or Cu surfaces.
Ball-Attach Flux WS-829 is a halogen-free water-soluble ball-attach and LED die-attach flux designed for use in pin transfer and printing applications for ball-attachment to substrates (BGA manufacturing) and wafer/panel (WLP/PLP manufacturing). Ball-Attach Flux WS-829 is also suitable for miniLED or microLED die-attach application, printing through stencils for ultrafine apertures.
WS-446HF Flux is a robust, halogen-free, water-wash flux that was designed to provide one simple solution to complicated applications, especially those with a single cleaning step for flip-chip dipping and BGA ball-attach pin transfer/printing processes. It promotes excellent solderability and wetting on a wide range of surfaces, including the most demanding substrate metallizations. WS-446HF Flux eliminates ECM or dendrite formation caused by residue. It also minimizes die skew, non-wet opens, and missing balls, and promotes strong, low-voiding joints.
The typical water-wash cleaning process can cause solder joint damage, thus creating failure modes. Because of this issue, Indium Corporation has introduced a series of ultra-low residue (ULR) fluxes for both current and emerging applications: NC-26-A, NC-26S, and NC-699. By using ULR fluxes, the water-wash cleaning process can be eliminated and, in some instances, package reliability can be improved as well. This simplified assembly process will also help reduce total packaging costs.
ULR flip-chip fluxes NC-26-A, NC-26S, and NC-699 are halogen-free, no-clean flip-chip dipping fluxes which are designed to leave completely benign, solid, clear residues after reflow. The reduction in residue optimizes underfill adhesion and decreases possible outgassing during underfill cure.
TACFlux®020B-RC is a no-clean flux formulated for both SnPb and Pb-free soldering. TACFlux®020B-RC is halogen-free and passes SIR in the unreflowed state, which is ideal for rework applications where the flux many not be heated properly.
TACFlux®089HF is a no-clean flux formulated for SnAgCu and SnAg solders (also compatible with SnPb solder). TACFlux®089HF provides excellent wetting in air or nitrogen atmospheres. The flux and flux residue are halogen-free.
Indium Corporation’s Core 230-RC is a formula developed to meet the demanding requirements of robotic and laser soldering. It incorporates a highly effective activator package with new “no-spatter” technology in a high-reliability flux media.
CW-807 is Indium Corporation’s best-selling flux-cored wire, primarily because it is compatible with all Indium Corporation no-clean solder pastes, wave fluxes, and all common soft solder alloys. CW-807 yields superior results in automated operations, including laser soldering.
CW-219 Flux-Cored Wire has a highly-activated rosin flux designed for soldering to very oxidized copper, nickel, brass, bronze, zinc coatings, tin-plated steel, and similar surfaces.
WF-9940 is Indium Corporation’s most active and heat-stable low-solids rosin-containing no-clean wave solder flux. It has a wide process window for soldering larger and/or thick circuit boards. WF-9940 has been tested for compatibility with a wide range of selective soldering operations.
WF-9942 is a highly active no-clean wave solder flux designed for use with through-hole and mixed-technology assemblies. It has been effectively used in both tin-lead and lead-free soldering applications.
WF-9948 is a fourth-generation high-performance no-clean wave solder flux designed for use with through-hole and mixed-technology assemblies. While only containing about 3.3% flux solids, WF-9948 is very heat stable and well-suited for selective soldering applications.
WF-7742 is a VOC-free, no-clean flux specifically developed for Pb-free wave soldering of surface mount, mixed-technology, and through-hole electronic assemblies. A wide process window provides excellent solderability on difficult-to-solder assemblies.
Selective soldering is a method of soldering components to a printed circuit board in a way that is faster than hand soldering and consumes less solder than traditional wave soldering. It is becoming known within the industry as one of the most effective soldering methods available, and its usage continues to increase as assemblers transition away from other costlier soldering methods.
InFORMS® are reinforced solder preforms that help maintain a uniform bondline thickness. This maximizes the thermal and mechanical reliability of the solder joint, along with improving its strength. InFORMS® can be manufactured in a wide variety of shapes, including rectangles and discs, as well as custom shapes to suit specific application requirements. InFORMS® also come in the form of ribbon for automated assembly.
A Heat-Spring® is a compressible interface between a heat source and a heat-sink and prevents the power die from overheating. The patterned surface of the Heat-Spring® optimizes performance. Unique Heat-Spring® properties include no pump-out or bake-out, as with thermal greases; better contact between surfaces to eliminate air voids; no required surface preparation; and easy cleanup. Heat-Spring® is available in standard and custom shapes and thicknesses.
InFORMS® are reinforced solder preforms that help maintain a uniform bondline thickness. This maximizes the thermal and mechanical reliability of the solder joint, along with improving its strength. InFORMS® can be manufactured in a wide variety of shapes, including rectangles and discs, as well as custom shapes to suit specific application requirements. InFORMS® also come in the form of ribbon for automated assembly.
The need for high-temperature solders is growing as RF and power semiconductor devices continue to get smaller, with power density increasing both as a consequence of the shrink and as a result of increased power ratings. The traditional 88Au/12Ge alloy has poor solderability, which causes large voids in the bond and are the primary cause of premature failures. Indium Corporation has now developed a semiconductor-grade 88Au/12Ge that increases solderability and decreases voiding %. For more information about Semiconductor-Grade Preforms, please download our product data sheet.
The indium compound that is widely recognized today is indium tin oxide (ITO), a transparent conductor that is essential for building flat panel displays and touch sensors. TVs, computer monitors, tablets, and smart phones all use ITO to enable the switching of pixels and to register touch events. In fact, ITO applications dominate the use of all indium across the world today.
Gallium is a crucial material for building compound semiconductor devices. Gallium oxide is needed for sputtering targets that consist of indium, gallium, and zinc oxides. The IGZO or GIZO sputtering targets are used in next generation displays, where high currents and pixel densities make it necessary to use ever higher performing materials. The GIZO material offers the right properties to deposit high mobility active channels for the thin film transistors in the display’s active matrix backplane.
Indium Corporation has demonstrated effective implementation of a management system that satisfies the tough global auto supply chain standard recognized by automotive industry leaders worldwide. Designed to improve customer satisfaction by meeting customer requirements and needs with high-quality products, IATF 16949 provides a critical guiding framework for the industry and encourages an internal culture focused on ongoing improvement.
The IATF 16949:2016 is an international Automotive Quality Management System Standard aimed at continuous improvement, emphasizing defect prevention, and reducing variation and waste in the automotive industry supply chain.
To find out more, please select a region to view region-specific certifications.
HKMC MS184-01 (Type B) Testing Criteria
Indium Corporation’s Indium8.9HF is an ultra-reliable, void-reducing solder paste for automotive applications. It meets HKMC MS184-01 (Type B) testing criteria, which is one of the automotive industry’s most stringent reliability criteria.
Contact us to find out more about our other products that also meet HKMC MS184-01 (Type B) testing criteria.