The first time I was taught how to solder (as a child), I was told: “All the surfaces need to be mechanically cleaned and chemically cleaned.” The person who told me this was referring to pipes, I was learning about plumbing. (I would have never thought we'd be using nanotechnology to create solder joints!) Although your application is probably far from a plumbing job, the basics of soldering remain the same. The best solder bonds are formed when oxides and contaminants are not present.
These two points are taken care of in traditional electronics soldering by using a flux. Flux can flush away light contaminants like dust, and reduce oxides on certain metal surfaces. But, in the NanoBond® process, we aren’t using flux.
Luckily, NanoFoil® can power through the soldering process as long as the proper surface finishes are used, and they are ready to be soldered to. Different surfaces are prepared in different ways. Here is a list of some common surface finishes and what preparation they require:
- Gold – Wipe with isopropyl alcohol if aged
- Silver – Wipe with isopropyl alcohol if aged
- Tin – Remove oxides with 10% HCl if aged
- Solder coating - Remove oxides with 10% HCl if aged
- Aluminum – Add solder coating
- Molybdenum – Add solder coating
- Titanium – Add solder coating
- Naval Brass – Add solder coating
And for any surface you don’t see, feel free to contact askus@indium.com so we can find a solution for you.
*This post is part of the NanoBond® Process series