The Lead-Free Challenge: Materials for Assembly and Packaging

摘要

Get the lead out. That was the message em-anating from Japan in the late '90s and is now echoed by the European Union (EU) through strict legislation. While the toxic impacts of lead are well known, it is still hotly debated whether lead from electronics really is a threat to humans or the environment. There is concern about the leaching of lead from discarded electronic devices in landfills, as well as lead mining and processing. Toxic emissions during the recycling of lead-containing devices is also a concern. Most of the alternatives under discussion do not pose a threat with regard to toxicity, but could have other environmental impacts. For example, elevated melting points mean more energy consumption. On the other hand, advanced equipment and new re-flow profiles might, in certain cases, result in less power consumption at higher melting temperatures. An ecological drawback of silver-containing SnPb replacements is the immense energy needed to mine and process noble metal-containing ores.