Impact of plasma treatment on solderability of printed circuit boards

Abstract

Abstract Flux is essential in the process of soldering. White flux residues are not only an aesthetic issue, but the inactivated components can cause severe problems. With miniaturization of products in the electronics industry, the short circuits caused by ion migration are more likely to occur during the lifetime of the product. Plasma treatment has been proved to be effective in improving the wettability in case of metal and polymer surfaces. The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of promoting wettability of pads on printed circuit boards by plasma treatment. PCBs with three different types of surface finishes were investigated before and after plasma treatment. Wettability and solderability were examined by contact angle measurement and wetting balance tester. This method has the potential to reduce the usage of flux during soldering as an alternative surface treatment to create oxide-free metal surfaces.