Addressing industry knowledge gaps regarding new Pb-free solder alloy alternatives

Recently, the industry has seen an increase in the number of Pb-free solder alloy choices beyond the common near-eutectic Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) alloys. The increasing number of Pb-free alloys provides opportunities to address important issues, such as the poor drop/shock performance, alloy cost, copper dissolution, and poor mechanical behavior in bend/flex. Most recently, investigations into new solder paste alloys for mass reflow have begun.