A solder mask is a protective organic coating that serves a variety of functions on a finished printed circuit board. In addition to preventing the solder from wetting undesirable locations on a PCB, the solder mask promotes electrical isolation between land patterns, prevents solder bridging during assembly, and acts as an environmental barrier between various PCB features and the ambient.
In todayrsquo;s consolidated PCB manufacturing scenario, where one PCB supplier must handle a variety of end customers, the objective is to limit the variety of solder masks to as few as possible. Unfortunately, subsequent assembly steps that involve finishes, fluxes, and solder materials are often overlooked. This disregard, coupled with the complexity of solder mask processes, is giving rise to a new class of solder mask failures that is influencing the reliability of finished products. Unfortunately, these process indicators are not detectable until the end of the PCBA process, when expensive components and sub-systems are assembled on the PCB. In many cases, due to the non-repairable nature of solder masks, the PCBA, complete with components, must be scrapped.
The goal of this webinar is to present a potential research working group project focused on solder masks. One of the goals of the project will be to develop a solder mask reliability assessment method that can be implemented by OEMs and PCB houses within their supply chains. In addition, the project will be focused on standardizing methods for recreating defect scenarios and their application to various test environments in order to determine risks to PCB functionality. All interested industry participants are encouraged to attend.
About the Presenter: Bhanu Sood is the Director of the Test Services and Failure Analysis (TSFA) Laboratory at the University of Marylands Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering. He holds masterrsquo;s degrees in advance materials processing and materials science, and a bachelorrsquo;s degree in mechanical engineering.
System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windowsreg; 8, 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
Macreg;-based attendees
Required: Mac OSreg; X 10.6 or newer
Mobile attendees
Required: iPhonereg;, iPadreg;, Androidtrade; phone or Android tablet
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/419861330
