Automated Moisture Level Maintenance and Baking Process of Semiconductor Components

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) and semiconductor electronic components are often stored in a vacuum sealed moisture barrier bag. Further moisture protection is ensured with the use of humidity indicator cards and desiccant packs. The humidity indicator cards are manually checked, and the components are subjected to hot air drying based on the moisture level. In this paper, an automated approach is proposed for this process. The moisture content in the device is measured using moisture sensor and the microcontroller will initiate baking based on its input. If it is normal level the microcontroller will be in normal state, if it reaches the threshold, representing the presence of moisture, the microcontroller will provide instructions to dry the board or de vice using a hot air-drying oven at the required temperature based on the level of moisture. This helps in extending the shelf life by removal of moisture from the semiconductor de vice and enables effective utilization in production or storage line.