Oct 16, 2023 
Indium Corporation R&D Manager of the Alloy Group and Principal Research Metallurgist Dr. HongWen Zhang was presented with SMTA’s prestigious Technical Distinction Award during an awards ceremony on October 9 at SMTA International in Minneapolis, MN. The Technical Distinction Award recognizes individuals who have made significant and continuing technical contributions to SMTA over a period of at least three years.
“I am deeply honored to receive the Technical Distinction Award as it not only acknowledges my dedication to advancing SMT technology, but also the collaborative spirit of our industry,” said Dr. Zhang. “Together we’ve pushed the boundaries of what’s possible, and I’m excited to continue this journey of innovation and discovery.”
As manager of the alloy group in Indium Corporation’s R&D department, Dr. Zhang’s focus is on the development of the varieties of Pb-free solder materials and the associated technologies for low-temperature, high-temperature and/or high-reliability applications. He was instrumental in inventing the Durafuse® technology to combine the merits of constituents to improve wetting, reduce processing temperatures, modify the bonding surface, and control the joint’s morphology, thus improving reliability. As principal metallurgist, he is also responsible for expanding metallurgical innovation. He and his team are responsible for using metallurgical insight to develop new products, implement improvements to existing processes and products, and measure results.
Dr. Zhang has a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical physical chemistry from Central South University of China, a master’s degree in materials and engineering from the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Science, and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and a Ph.D. in material science and engineering from the Michigan Technological University. He has a Six Sigma Green Belt from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, and is a certified IPC Specialist for IPC-A-600 and IPC-A-610, as well as a certified SMT Process Engineer. He has extensive experience in various aluminum (Al) alloys and fiber/particle reinforced Al-based composite materials, and Al-rich and ZrHf-based amorphous alloys. He has co-authored two book chapters on high-temperature lead-free bonding materials, has had a dozen patents granted, and has been published in more than 20 journals in the fields of metallurgy, materials science and engineering, physics, electronics materials, and mechanics.
Indium Corporation® is a premier materials refiner, smelter, manufacturer, and supplier to the global electronics, semiconductor, thin-film, and thermal management markets. Products include solders and fluxes; brazes; thermal interface materials; sputtering targets; indium, gallium, germanium, and tin metals and inorganic compounds; and NanoFoil®. Founded in 1934, the company has global technical support and factories located in China, Germany, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
For more information about Indium Corporation, visit www.indium.com or email jhuang@indium.com. You can also follow our experts, From One Engineer To Another® (#FOETA), at www.linkedin.com/company/indium-corporation/.
