THE EFFECT OF REFLOW ON WETTABILITY OF Sn 96.5 Ag 3 Cu 0.5 SOLDER

Surface conditions on Printed Circuit Board (PCB) final finishes have an important impact on the wetting behavior with lead-free solder. The improvement of the wettability in liquid Sn 96.5 Ag 3 Cu 0.5 Solder alloy on PCB substrate was measured with a sessile drop method at 523 K temperature. Wetting properties were determined in normal atmospheric air and inert atmosphere. The wetting angles increasing with the number of reflows both atmosphere. The effect of the atmosphere has a huge importance of the oxidation which manifests itself of the measured wetting angles. One of the most important factors affecting the wetting properties is the amount of oxygen in the soldering atmosphere. Using the inert atmosphere is crucial in case of Pb-free solders, particularly after reflows.