The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulation (WEEE) have placed the burden on electronic industry to choose materials that comply with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances. Especially the banning of lead in solders has implication on the processing condition under which components are mounted. The printed wire board shop's need to choose materials that withstand the higher soldering temperatures of lead free alloys. Recent advances in epoxy technology have been leading to a series of new products that enable higher usage temperature. The paper will discuss how to ensure the higher thermal stability without affecting flame retardancy. The implications of the flame retardant selection on the final board processing will be demonstrated. The thermal stability data of various epoxy systems will be described and correlated to specific application needs. Other binder properties such as toughness and adhesion will be taken into account. Results are pointing towards the use of new building blocks that impart higher thermal resistance combined with excellent processing characteristics. These new building blocks are applied in printed wire board application but may also be applied in other polymer application for electronic industry that requires higher heat stability.
展开▼
