circuitnet
Sponsor
Zestron

Cleaning advanced packages? The stakes are rising.
Flux residues under low-standoff components risk field failures. Get IPC-validated insights on optimizing inline spray cleaning.
ZESTRON Americas
Advanced-Interconnections
Sponsor
Glenbrook-Technologies

X-ray Rentals & Rent-to-Own
Rent any of our machine models, with up to 3 months of rental costs applied toward purchasing X-ray equipment. Our flexible plan lets you test the system before committing to purchase.
Glenbrook Technologies
Ask the Experts
INDEX
ASK
PANEL
JOIN
COMMENT
SEARCH
November 26, 2012 - Updated
November 13, 2012 - Originally Posted

Solder Joint Strength



Which surface finish provides the best solder joint bond strength for a leaded assembly, HASL or ENIG? Is there enough of a difference in strength to make either a better choice for a high-vibration military application?

E.H.

Expert Panel Responses

Whensoldering to ENIG, you are bonding to a nickel surface and forming a nickel-tinintermetallic. With HASL, the intermetallic is formed to a copper surfaceresulting in a copper-tin intermetallic. The copper-tin intermetallic istypically more robust than the nickel-tin intermetallic. Therefore, froma solder bond perspective, you would expect to have a more reliable solderjoint on the HASL surface. However, there are many other things toconsider. For example, the planarity of the HASL surface is not as goodas ENIG. That can result in poorer printed paste transferefficiency. A bad print can more than offset any gain achieved by theimproved intermetallic bond.

image
Tim Jensen
Product Manager, Advanced Assembly Materials
Indium Corp.
Timothy Jensen is the Product Manager for Indium Corporation's PCB Assembly Materials and has spent over a decade troubleshooting and optimizing SMT process lines. Having worked directly on hundreds of surface mount lines, and building thousands of different products, Tim understands each customer's unique requirements, and tailors Indium's products and services to meet or exceed those needs.
Submit A Comment

Comments are reviewed prior to posting. You must include your full name to have your comments posted. We will not post your email address.

Your Name


Your Company
Your E-mail


Your Country
Your Comments



Free Newsletter Subscription
Circuitnet is built for professionals who bear the responsibility of looking ahead, imagining the future, and preparing for it.

Insert Your Email Address

Sponsor
Viscom-SE

Viscom at SMTA Michigan & Ohio
Join Viscom at SMTA Michigan (8/18/26) and Ohio (8/20/26) to discover the latest advancements in AOI and AXI inspection technology, including our powerful AI solutions.
Viscom SE
Ormet-TLPS