Pb-Free Electronics Risk Mitigation

Anthony J. Rafanelli, Ph.D., P.E.
Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems
Portsmouth, RI, USA

Since 2004, the defense/aerospace industry has looked to the AIA-sponsored Pb-free Electronics in Aerospace Project (LEAP) as its premier industry working group identifying and addressing risks and other challenges associated with the integration of Pb-free electronics in high performance/high reliability equipment. The working group was very successful in providing resources such as the publication of handbooks and standards as well as templates, guidelines, and other tools to support risk mitigation.

However, the use of Pb-free materials has proliferated to the point where many components/parts are no longer available in tin-lead (either surface finishes or interconnection media).

Consequently, engineers are forced to use some Pb-free parts in their new designs or, in many cases, as part of retrofits and upgrades. Thus, the concern over performance and reliability is more widespread now than ever. With this rapidly "accelerating" effect of Pb-free, the existing LEAP structure did not provide an adequate approach to address the risks. Therefore, an ad hoc sub-committee of the LEAP team spent over a year "re-designing" or "upgrading" the present model to produce a more focused entity called the Pb-free Electronics Risk Mitigation (PERM) consortium.

This new organization provides overarching executive leadership and coordination of Pb-free electronics risk management activities for the aerospace and defense community on both the government and industry side. The focus is on those activities that provide value-added results. This paper describes the organization, content, and expectations of the PERM and its stakeholders.

With the goal of responding to the long-term challenge of Pb-free solders and finishes, the Pb-Free Electronics Risk Management (PERM) Consortium provides overarching leadership and coordination of Pb-free electronics risk management activities for the aerospace, defense and high-performance (ADHP) communities. Evolving out of previous government and industry efforts, the PERM Consortium provides a forum for leadership, communications, research coordination, standards and handbooks, training, advocacy, supply chain, and international cooperation through dedicated task teams and advisory groups. The PERM Consortium is chartered by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and includes support from DoD, DoE, FAA, NASA, industry, academia, and international members.

Combining the talents and resources of many interrelated stakeholders will result in a disciplined approach to developing strategies to mitigate the performance risks from the integration of a multitude of new and uncharacterized materials. Throughout this entire effort, the PERM consortium continues to maintain its focus on the most critical of all stakeholders, - the warfighter