A review of halogen/halide-free test methods and classifications for soldering materials

摘要

Over the last few years, there has been an increase in the evaluation and use of halogen-free soldering materials. In addition, there has been increased scrutiny into the level of halogens and refinement of the definition and testing of halogen-free soldering materials. The challenge has been that there has been no common standard across the industry in terms of halogen-free definitions and the corresponding test methods to determine these. This has created confusion in the industry as to what end users want and what soldering materials suppliers can actually provide. This paper reviews the status of halogen-free and halide-free in terms of definitions, test methods and the limitations and accuracy of test methods used to determine if a soldering material is halogen/halide-free or not. The different industry standards, both currently available and in the process of being drafted, are also discussed.