Electronics
High-precision measuring solutions for electronics components.
Electronics and semiconductor manufacturing is facing an increasing number of challenges. Increasingly fine structures, miniaturized components and ultra-thin coatings place the highest demands on measuring devices for quality assurance. These must be able to deliver high-precision measurement results down to the nanometer range. Why should you not make any compromises here? The exact layer thicknesses and material properties of coated electronics components play a decisive role in their functionality and performance.
At Fischer, we deal with these challenges and have developed solutions that are specifically tailored to the needs and requirements of the electronics industry. Whether it's PCBs, ENIG/ENEPIG coatings, quality control of SMD components, connectors, lead frames, BGAs, thin wires or pollutant analyses in accordance with RoHS, WEEE, ELV or CPSIA – our measuring devices are known for the highest repeatability and guarantee you optimum support for all challenges!
Application examples
As carriers for electronics components, PCBs have numerous contact points for electrical connections, all of which are metallically coated. The coating thickness and material composition of the solder tracks determine their conductivity and durability. Our measurement technology specializes in testing the coating quality of both assembled and unassembled PCBs, such as multilayer circuit boards and flex PCBs. Our Application Notes give you detailed insight into some fields of application. Take a look inside!
Do you have other applications? Then please contact us!
Application Notes
IPC, the global electronics manufacturing association, published the latest version of the IPC-4552 (ENIG / PCB) standard in 2021. The IPC-4552 standard specifies the requirements for the layer thickness of ENIG (Electroless Nickel / Immersion Gold) on PCBs. The wafer-thin gold coating as the final surface is crucial for protecting and maintaining the solderability, wire bondability and conductivity of PCBs during extended storage periods.
In order to ensure compliance with the approval criteria for performance standards according to the IPC-6010 family of guidelines, including IPC-6012, IPC-6013 and IPC-6018, and also to optimize overall product performance, the exact layer thickness of the applied gold must be checked in the final production process – both in the ENIG and the ENEPIG process (Electroless Nickel / Electroless Palladium / Immersion Gold) derived from it. Fischer offers the optimum measurement technology for this.
Did you know that Fischer, as part of the IPC Plating Subcommittee, is jointly responsible for defining the new IPC-4552B standard? This now also allows Reduction Assisted Immersion Gold (RAIG). As a result, a large number of Fischer XRF instruments also meet the requirements of IPC-4552B.
Application Notes
Surface mounted devices (SMD) are electronic components that are soldered directly onto the surface of a printed circuit board (PCB) or other PCB-like substrates – in contrast to classic THT components (through hole technology), which have legs and are inserted through drill holes. SMD components can be divided into passive components (such as resistors, capacitors, and inductors), active components (such as diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits), and mechanical elements (such as switches, LEDs, quartz crystals, and connectors). The exact layer structure and composition of the solder pads or so-called connection pads depends on the respective component and its functionality.
Do you need support with a particularly demanding measuring task? Then please contact us!
Application Notes
Connectors are electrical elements that are used to connect two or more electrical conductors quickly, securely, and usually in a detachable manner. Made of highly conductive metals such as copper or brass, they are typically coated with multiple coatings to improve their electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance, and life time. Typical coatings are tin, nickel or nickel phosphor, silver, palladium, and gold.
Pogo pins are spring-based special plug contacts that enable a reliable, repeatable connection in the smallest of spaces. They are ideal for test systems, programming, and mobile applications and they are also often used for wafer testing. In this way, electrical properties of individual dies on a wafer are tested before they are cut into chips.
Common multilayer systems: Au/Pd/NiP/Cu alloy, SnAg/Ni/Cu alloy or Au/Ni/Cu alloy
In order to obtain absolutely reliable results in this testing or connecting processes, the functional coatings of the connectors or pogo pins must be of high quality. This is where our XRF instruments come into play.
Application Notes
In the electronics industry, complex, multilayer coatings are often applied to lead frames, usually consisting of gold, palladium or nickel and each only a few nanometers thick. It is precisely the filigree nature of this lead carrier that makes measurements prone to error and complicates quality control. Use Fischer to reliably determine the coating thickness and composition of the coating systems on your lead frames.
Application Notes
Ball grid arrays (BGAs) are a type of housing for ICs and microprocessors used for mounting on PCBs. They offer a high density of connections, which are arranged as a microscopic matrix of solder balls underneath the housing.
Common material compositions: SnPb, SnAgCu
Measure the material composition of your BGA alloys, including their lead-free status, quickly and easily with our XRF devices and discover what high-precision quality inspection means!
Application Notes
Wires with diameters of only a few micrometers play a decisive role for wire bonding and various other areas of microelectronics and electrical engineering, especially where high precision, small size and specific electrical properties are required. Coated wires are used to improve bonding performance, prevent oxidation or to increase mechanical stability.
Common alloys and coatings: Au or Cu wires, Au/Cu, Au/Ag, Pd/ Cu, Ag/Cu, Cu/Stainless steel and various other combinations
Our polycapillary XRF devices are the perfect choice for measuring the coating thickness and alloy composition of very small wires.
Application Notes
Do you want to detect heavy metals or other harmful substances in your electronics? And do this as uncomplicated and non-destructive as possible, quickly and with high accuracy? May we show you what Fischer measuring devices can do? We offer you absolutely reliable measuring methods with which you can detect even minimal concentrations of harmful substances.
Get optimal support in complying with directives such as RoHS, WEEE, ELV or CPSIA and put your trust in our many years of expertise.
Application Notes
PCBs
As carriers for electronics components, PCBs have numerous contact points for electrical connections, all of which are metallically coated. The coating thickness and material composition of the solder tracks determine their conductivity and durability. Our measurement technology specializes in testing the coating quality of both assembled and unassembled PCBs, such as multilayer circuit boards and flex PCBs. Our Application Notes give you detailed insight into some fields of application. Take a look inside!
Do you have other applications? Then please contact us!
Application NotesAN001 Au/Pd coatings in the nm range on printed circuit boards 0.48 MB AN002 Phosphorous content in electroless nickel directly measurable 0.52 MB AN007 Thickness measurement of conformal coatings on printed circuit boards 0.99 MB AN008 Thickness and composition of NiP on connectors or small structures on PCBs 0.56 MB AN038 Determining the mechanical characteristics of gold coatings on conductive traces in printed circuit boards 0.57 MB AN039 Controlling solder quality by measuring the remaining pure tin in coatings on PCBs 0.61 MB AN040 Controlling the thickness of solder resist in the manufacture of printed circuit boards 0.94 MB AN072 Simplifying quality control on PCBs with automatic pattern recognition 0.67 MB AN088 Fast and non-destructive nickel phosphorus analysis for printed circuit boards 2.40 MB AN096 Optimized for the PCB industry: Measure ultrathin layers of gold and palladium according to IPC-4552B/IPC-4556A 0.76 MB AN098 Optimized for the electronics industry: Measuring ENIG and ENEPIG on a new level 1.46 MB AN102 Measurement of the copper thickness on printed circuit boards 2.90 MB AN105 μ-spot measurements of tin and tin alloy coatings on PCBs 0.82 MBENIG and ENEPIG
IPC, the global electronics manufacturing association, published the latest version of the IPC-4552 (ENIG / PCB) standard in 2021. The IPC-4552 standard specifies the requirements for the layer thickness of ENIG (Electroless Nickel / Immersion Gold) on PCBs. The wafer-thin gold coating as the final surface is crucial for protecting and maintaining the solderability, wire bondability and conductivity of PCBs during extended storage periods.
In order to ensure compliance with the approval criteria for performance standards according to the IPC-6010 family of guidelines, including IPC-6012, IPC-6013 and IPC-6018, and also to optimize overall product performance, the exact layer thickness of the applied gold must be checked in the final production process – both in the ENIG and the ENEPIG process (Electroless Nickel / Electroless Palladium / Immersion Gold) derived from it. Fischer offers the optimum measurement technology for this.
Did you know that Fischer, as part of the IPC Plating Subcommittee, is jointly responsible for defining the new IPC-4552B standard? This now also allows Reduction Assisted Immersion Gold (RAIG). As a result, a large number of Fischer XRF instruments also meet the requirements of IPC-4552B.
Application NotesAN091 Different ways to achieve valid measurement values and optimize measurement performance 0.20 MB AN092 How to choose an XRF instrument 1.29 MB AN094 XRF analysis with proportional counter tube – These are the advantages 0.36 MB AN096 Optimized for the PCB industry: Measure ultrathin layers of gold and palladium according to IPC-4552B/IPC-4556A 0.76 MB AN098 Optimized for the electronics industry: Measuring ENIG and ENEPIG on a new level 1.46 MBSMD components
Surface mounted devices (SMD) are electronic components that are soldered directly onto the surface of a printed circuit board (PCB) or other PCB-like substrates – in contrast to classic THT components (through hole technology), which have legs and are inserted through drill holes. SMD components can be divided into passive components (such as resistors, capacitors, and inductors), active components (such as diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits), and mechanical elements (such as switches, LEDs, quartz crystals, and connectors). The exact layer structure and composition of the solder pads or so-called connection pads depends on the respective component and its functionality.
Do you need support with a particularly demanding measuring task? Then please contact us!
Application NotesConnectors
Connectors are electrical elements that are used to connect two or more electrical conductors quickly, securely, and usually in a detachable manner. Made of highly conductive metals such as copper or brass, they are typically coated with multiple coatings to improve their electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance, and life time. Typical coatings are tin, nickel or nickel phosphor, silver, palladium, and gold.
Pogo pins are spring-based special plug contacts that enable a reliable, repeatable connection in the smallest of spaces. They are ideal for test systems, programming, and mobile applications and they are also often used for wafer testing. In this way, electrical properties of individual dies on a wafer are tested before they are cut into chips.
Common multilayer systems: Au/Pd/NiP/Cu alloy, SnAg/Ni/Cu alloy or Au/Ni/Cu alloy
In order to obtain absolutely reliable results in this testing or connecting processes, the functional coatings of the connectors or pogo pins must be of high quality. This is where our XRF instruments come into play.
Application NotesLead frames
In the electronics industry, complex, multilayer coatings are often applied to lead frames, usually consisting of gold, palladium or nickel and each only a few nanometers thick. It is precisely the filigree nature of this lead carrier that makes measurements prone to error and complicates quality control. Use Fischer to reliably determine the coating thickness and composition of the coating systems on your lead frames.
Application NotesAN003 High repeatability precision and trueness of Au/Pd coating measurements on leadframes 0.69 MB AN091 Different ways to achieve valid measurement values and optimize measurement performance 0.20 MB AN092 How to choose an XRF instrument 1.29 MB AN094 XRF analysis with proportional counter tube – These are the advantages 0.36 MBBGAs
Ball grid arrays (BGAs) are a type of housing for ICs and microprocessors used for mounting on PCBs. They offer a high density of connections, which are arranged as a microscopic matrix of solder balls underneath the housing.
Common material compositions: SnPb, SnAgCu
Measure the material composition of your BGA alloys, including their lead-free status, quickly and easily with our XRF devices and discover what high-precision quality inspection means!
Application NotesAN068 Determination of Pb in solder alloys for high reliability applications 0.67 MB AN091 Different ways to achieve valid measurement values and optimize measurement performance 0.20 MB AN092 How to choose an XRF instrument 1.29 MB AN094 XRF analysis with proportional counter tube – These are the advantages 0.36 MB AN060 Nanoindentation on intermediate layers in thin foils 0.49 MBThin wires
Wires with diameters of only a few micrometers play a decisive role for wire bonding and various other areas of microelectronics and electrical engineering, especially where high precision, small size and specific electrical properties are required. Coated wires are used to improve bonding performance, prevent oxidation or to increase mechanical stability.
Common alloys and coatings: Au or Cu wires, Au/Cu, Au/Ag, Pd/ Cu, Ag/Cu, Cu/Stainless steel and various other combinations
Our polycapillary XRF devices are the perfect choice for measuring the coating thickness and alloy composition of very small wires.
Application NotesRoHS, WEEE, ELV, CPSIA
Do you want to detect heavy metals or other harmful substances in your electronics? And do this as uncomplicated and non-destructive as possible, quickly and with high accuracy? May we show you what Fischer measuring devices can do? We offer you absolutely reliable measuring methods with which you can detect even minimal concentrations of harmful substances.
Get optimal support in complying with directives such as RoHS, WEEE, ELV or CPSIA and put your trust in our many years of expertise.
Application NotesAN004 Determination of harmful substances in very small concentrations – RoHS 0.48 MB AN091 Different ways to achieve valid measurement values and optimize measurement performance 0.20 MB AN092 How to choose an XRF instrument 1.29 MB AN093 XRF analysis for non-destructive coating thickness measurement in the field of cold forging 0.75 MB
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