FAQs
1. What IC packages can you convert?
2. How can you insure that the converted devices are RoHS compliant?
3. My ICs are on PCBs; can you salvage these and convert them to RoHS compliant?
4. Can you convert discrete devices?
5. What about PBBs and PBDEs in the IC?
6. What about Pb inside the IC?
7. Can you convert an assembled PCB?
1. What IC packages can you convert?
A: Almost all IC packages can be converted to Pb-free. This includes BGA, PGA, TSOP, SSOP, QFP, SOIC, PLCC, CDIP, PDIP and customised packages.
Back to top
2. How can you insure that the converted devices are RoHS compliant?
A: All devices are initially screened for all banned substances. This involves analysing their MCD (Material Composition Declarations) issued by their original manufacturer and if necessary followed by our own in-house certified high-resolution quantitative XRF screening. Devices that have excessive Lead are then processed by removing the Pb and replacing it with an equivalent (or client-specified) Pb-free composition. Finished devices are then verified for RoHS compliance by full XRF testing and analysis.
Back to top
3. My ICs are on PCBs; can you salvage these and convert them to RoHS compliant?
A: YES. We have a facility for safely removing most IC packages from all types of PCBs. We can safely salvage devices using specially developed controlled IR, Hot-air or by chemical solder removal with no or minimal stress on the salvaged device. Salvaged devices can then be converted.
Back to top
4. Can you convert discrete devices?
A: Yes. We can convert almost all discrete devices both active and passive provided their levels of banned substances (apart from Lead) are below their respective RoHS thresholds.
Back to top
5. What about PBBs and PBDEs in the IC?
A: The only place where brominated compounds are likely to be encountered is in the IC’s encapsulation. Brominated compounds are normally added to polymeric compounds or mixtures as flame retardants. There are numerous brominated flame retardant compounds and mixtures available to the industry worldwide. Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBBs) and Polybrominated diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) are two groups of compounds within the vast array of brominated flame retardants. All PBBs and PBDEs are banned under RoHS except one.
Encapsulants used by the semiconductor industry for chips are mainly composed of a bulk inert material such as silica and a small amount of one or more polymeric/binding compounds such as epoxies. For the purposes of RoHS, the encapsulant must be considered as one homogeneous material and therefore any brominated additives would obviously constitute a small fraction of the total mass.
Modern XRF testers (like the ones we use) with specially configured measurement routines specifically designed for the detection and quantification of low levels of Br compounds are capable of adequate verification of levels for the purposes of RoHS. However, such measurements cannot fundamentally distinguish between the different brominated compounds. Thus if the measured encapsulant yield a Br level below 1000 ppm (after internal adjustments and normalisations) then the material can be safely considered as RoHS compliant.
On the other hand, if the XRF measured encapsulant yield a Br level above the RoHS threshold of 1000 ppm, then destructive chemical analysis will be required to determine if PBBs and/or PBDEs exist and their levels. Such analytical chemical analysis is usually based on GC/MS and can be quite costly.
The most sensible start when dealing with this issue is to collaborate with the device’s original manufacturer in order to retrieve the required information regarding the encapsulant composition from both published and unpublished Material Composition Declarations. Only when this process is exhausted without success, the chemical analysis option should be considered. In such cases the final decision will be made by the client based on the economical viability.
Back to top
6. What about Pb inside the IC?
A: Any Lead (Pb) that may be encountered inside the IC package is likely to be in the alloys used for die attachment and/or bonding. These are understood to be exempt under RoHS or have a higher permissible threshold than normal 1000ppm.
The device’s material composition data sheets normally unable us to make an assessment and calculate the levels.
Back to top
7. Can you convert an assembled PCB?
A: It is not economically viable to convert fully assembled PCBs.
Back to top