Micro-sectioning (sometimes referred to as cross-sectioning)is a technique, used to characterize materials or to perform a failure mode analysis, for exposing an internal section of a PCB or package. Destructive in nature, cross-sectioning requires...

Increased functionality and performance requirements for microprocessors and ASICs have resulted in a trend to package these devices in the flip-chip BGA form factor (FCBGA)....

Leading up to the development of lead-free soldering alloys, Horizontal Convection* was developed for the reflow process. Getting the correct temperature profile, with the narrow process window in lead-free applications, is now more important than ...

While most cleaning applications in the North American market rely on cleaning with DI-water only, for removing OA fluxes in first place, recent market studies show that water has reached its limitations in cleaning performance while favoring usage o...

Non-intrusive board test (NBT) is an emerging test methodology that integrates several complementary embedded-instrumentation-based test technologies to restore test coverage lost due to diminishing physical (probe) access to printed circuit boards (...

In this article, I will present a basic overview of soldering for those who are new to the world of soldering and for those who could use a refresher. I will discuss the definition of soldering, the basics of metallurgy, how to choose the proper allo...

10 basic steps to determining if an assembly needs preforms. Solder preforms can be used on a mixed SMT and through-hole PCB or to fortify solder paste on a difficult joint. Most solder preforms can be flux coated. When incorporating preforms, be sur...

In the lead-free era, thermal profiling has a critical role in the SMT assembly process. We discuss the profiling, tools, practical issues, and inspection methods of golden boards, and related tools. As the process window narrows, profiling equipment...

For the mobile market some PCB assemblies have been converted to flex circuit assemblies, in part because flex circuit assembly can be twisted or bent per the application needs....

This white paper describes the main considerations in the design of a PCB for the transmission of 10 Gb/s serial data...