7. Plastic packaging challenges

7.1 Switch to lead-free process

The RoHS directive, whose main impact on electronic boards is the disappearance of SnPb solder in favor of an alloy with a higher melting point, has seriously shaken the whole edifice built on the properties of lead alloy.

The remelting profile of the new alloy (generally tin-silver-copper, SnAgCu) requires, among other things, materials that can withstand high temperatures (up to 260°C), the reclassification of housings with regard to the risk of delamination during deferral, and modified designs to take account of the deformation of large housings.

In addition, as...