iNEMI to hold tin whiskers conference

The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) will hold its tin whisker workshop at the Electronic Components & Technology Conference (ECTC) on May 29 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Reno, Nev. The workshop is co-sponsored by ECTC and the IEEE Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology Society.

Tin plating has been and continues to be the preferred surface coating for the leads on electronic components. But tin-based plating is susceptible to the formation of needle-like protrusions or whiskers, and whiskers can potentially cause significant problems. They are especially a concern for applications requiring high reliability and long useful life.

The workshop agenda will cover:

• Data on the effects of temperature and humidity on whisker formation
• Data collected over several years in manufacturing
• Material considerations that either encourage or inhibit whisker formation
• Measuring stress in tin film and the relationship of stress to whisker growth
• Recommendations for mitigation practices, including conformal coatings
• Tools and methodologies for measuring stress
• Progress toward a unified theory for whisker formation