Corrosion Reliability of Electronic Systems

Abstract

Inherently two factors namely multi-material usage and potential bias makes electronic devices susceptible to corrosion if exposed to humid conditions. The problem is compounded today due to miniaturization and contamination effects. The reduction in size of the components and close spacing on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) for high density packing has greatly increased the risk of corrosion under humid conditions. An important issue is the failures due to electrolytic metal migration. This paper describes an investigation of the electrolytic migration of Sn-Pb solder lines on PCBs in humid environments under applied potential conditions. Studies were carried out using two electrode potentiostatic polarization experiments and measuring the resulting current due to electrolytic migration. The surface morphology of the electrodes before and after migration testing was investigates using SEM and EDS. An in-service failure of a Ceramic Capacitor due to electrolytic migration in humid environments is also presented.