High-Reliability RoHS Task Force

Projects

Co-chairs: Mike Davisson (Agilent Technologies), Thilo Sack (Celestica), Joe Smetana (Alcatel-Lucent)

Under RoHS, many manufacturers of high-reliability products will be granted exemptions for continued use of tin-lead in their products. However, the rapid transition of the supply chain to meet the high-volume needs of consumer electronics is causing serious concerns about the continued availability of tin-lead "versions" of critical components. Many suppliers are converting (or have converted) all of their components to lead-free and will no longer offer the traditional lead finishes. Other parts are being targeted for end-of-life and will not be converted.

Ironically, the strategy of staying with SnPb assembly (for reliability reasons) could create new reliability issues for manufacturers that thought RoHS exemptions would insulate them from the movement to lead-free materials systems. Several compatibility issues have been identified as high-reliability OEMs and EMS providers try to "mix and match" components for use in exempted assembly processes. Some manufacturers are trying to address the problem by accelerating their transition to lead-free, but this may cause other availability issues of exempted components. In addition, industry does not have a common understanding of exemptions, and this is causing differences in approaches.

iNEMI organized the High-Reliability RoHS Task Force to work with the components supply base to ensure that high-reliability product needs are met. These OEMs and EMS providers manufacture products that are exempted under (or outside the scope of) RoHS requirements. Their products are characterized by long service life and high-reliability requirements, and they are concerned about safeguarding the dependability of their products as the supply chain converts to Pb-free components and materials.

Members of the iNEMI High-Reliability RoHS Task Force:

    Agilent Technologies, Inc.             Intel Corporation
    Alcatel-Lucent                              Jabil
    Cisco Systems, Inc.                    Plexus Corp.
    Celestica, Inc.                            Sanmina-SCI Corporation
    Delphi Electronics & Safety           Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Hewlett-Packard Company


Initial efforts focused on addressing the availability of SnPb-compatible BGAs and on communicating clear requirements for tin whisker mitigation and testing practices.The Task Force published three sets of recommendations and guidelines (listed below) to communicate the needs of the high-reliability segment to the supply chain and the relevant standards groups that must address these needs.

The Task Force also sponsored a workshop in early 2007 that brought together manufacturers producing high-reliability/long-service-life products with the BGA component supply base (integrated circuit as well as packaging firms) to explore how they might work together to support SnPb-compatible BGAs. The workshop helped device users and device makers understand each others' respective positions better. Topics discussed included: (1) user information regarding critical BGA component families, (2) total available market (TAM) for these devices in an SnPb assembly version, (3) a general business case based on TAM, and (4) collaborative brainstorming regarding alternatives to meet this critical market need.

The Task Force is now in the process of documenting and prioritizing the remaining knowledge gaps that must be closed so that mission-critical applications can convert to Pb-free assembly with manageable reliability and manufacturing risks. The Pb-Free Alloy Alternatives and Pb-Free Early Failure projects are both outcomes of this prioritization effort.

Task Force position statements

RoHS5 & RoHS6 Subassembly Modules (6/12/06) — provides guidelines for subassemblies used in high-reliability applications, addressing assembly process and reliability requirements for SnPb and Pb-free modules.

Pb-Free Manufacturing Requirements for High-Complexity, Thermally Challenging Electronic Assemblies (2/16/06) — focuses primarily on thermal requirements for components, laminate and PWB materials, and equipment.

Recommendations to Electronics Industry Component Supply Base (August 19, 2005) — calls for continued availability of SnPb-compatible components, and for a standardized strategy of mitigation and testing methods to minimize the risk of tin whiskers.

Presentations

WORKSHOP: Availability of SnPb-Compatible BGAs (March 1, 2007; Cupertino, California)

Press releases
iNEMI Workshop on Availability of SnPb-Compatible BGAs Rescheduled (12/18/06)

iNEMI Organizes Task Group to Address Availability of SnPb BGAs (11/8/06)

iNEMI High-Reliability Group Publishes Guidelines for Subassemblies in High-Reliability Applications (6/23/06)
iNEMI High-Reliability Group Makes Recommendations for Pb-Free Manufacturing Requirements (3/7/06)