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Why Need RoHS & Lead-free Compliant

PCB and Assembly

The RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) Directive is a European Union

regulation that restricts the use of certain hazardous materials in electrical and

electronic equipment. The directive aims to reduce the environmental and

health impacts of electronics by eliminating lead, mercury, cadmium,

hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), and polybrominated

diphenyl ethers (PBDE) from products.

The RoHS Directive applies to a wide range of electronics including household

appliances, IT equipment, lighting equipment, power tools, toys, leisure

equipment, and automatic dispensers.

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Lead is one of the restricted substances targeted by RoHS. Removing lead from

electronics helps prevent it from contaminating landfills and incinerators

where electronic waste ends up. It also reduces occupational and consumer

exposure to a potent neurotoxin.

Why Choose RoHS Compliant and Lead-Free PCBs?

There are a few key reasons to choose RoHS compliant, lead-free PCBs:

Environmental Responsibility

Eliminating lead and other hazardous substances from PCB manufacturing

reduces health and environmental risks - not just in the EU but globally as

more manufacturers adopt RoHS standards worldwide.

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Future-Proofing Products

As RoHS regulations expand globally, having compliant PCBs ensures your

products can be legally sold in new markets as regulations evolve.

Improved Reliability

Lead-free solder and PCB finishes like immersion silver, immersion tin, and

organic solderability preservatives (OSP) offer improved joint reliability and

consistency.

Social Responsibility

Adopting greener manufacturing processes enhances public image and

demonstrates social responsibility to consumers who increasingly demand

ethical, eco-friendly electronics production.

Lead-Free Solder Alloys

Eliminating lead from solder alloys required finding suitable alternative metals

to produce solder with comparable properties. The most common

RoHS-compliant solder alloys include:

Tin-Silver-Copper (SAC Alloys)

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The primary lead-free replacement, made up of 3-4% silver, 0.5-0.7% copper,

and the remainder tin. Highly reliable and stable at normal operating

temperatures. Melting point around 217°C.

Tin-Copper (SnCu)

Nearly equal parts tin and copper. More economical, but tends to require

higher soldering temperatures. Melting point 227°C.

Tin-Bismuth (SnBi)

Low-cost Bismuth alternative composed of roughly 42% Sn and 58% Bi suited

for lower temperature applications like hand soldering. Melts at just 138°C.

Indium-based Solders

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Contains varying ratios of indium and tin to produce reliable, low-melting

point solders, but substantially more expensive.

Lead-Free PCB Surface Finishes

The interactions between solder alloys, components, and PCB surface finishes

are crucial for strength, conductivity and reliability. Common RoHS-compliant

PCB surface finishes include:

Immersion Silver (IAg)

Offers excellent solderability and shelf life and prevents oxidation, but can be

prohibitively expensive if not quality controlled during plating.

Immersion Tin (ISn)

Tin-plated boards provide great solderability at low cost but have shorter shelf

lives as tin oxidizes over time leading to inconsistencies.

Organic Solderability Preservative (OSP)

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OSP coatings prevent oxidation providing exceptional shelf life. But limited

soldering heat resistance risks poor wetting or delamination.

Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold (ENIG)

ENIG uses an electroless nickel under layer and a thin immersion gold outlayer

for excellent corrosion resistance and shelf life. But it tends to be one of the

more costly finishes.

Electroless Nickel Electroless Palladium Immersion Gold (ENEPIG)

Similar to ENIG but with an electroless palladium layer between nickel and

gold to prevent copper diffusion for maximum reliability and corrosion

resistance.

Design and Manufacturing Considerations

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Migrating to lead-free, RoHS-compliant PCB and device manufacturing

requires accounting for some key design and production factors:

Soldering Temperatures Lead-free solders generally require higher melting

temperatures ranging from around 180°C to 250°C depending on alloy

composition. Components must withstand higher temperatures.

Tombstoning Sensitivity The faster wetting speed of lead-free solder

increases risks of tombstoning if not carefully controlled through thermal

design.

Solder Joint Integrity Fatigue life and drop shock resistance may differ for

lead-free alloys. Evaluate new thermal and mechanical stresses components

undergo.

Component Lead Finishes Lead, tin, and tin-lead component finishes can still

be used in lead-free assembly, but silver, nickel, and palladium alloy

component leads improve wettability.

Process Control With lead-free processes, strictly controlling parameters like

temperature uniformity, aging, and storage environment helps minimize

solderability and joint quality variations.

Lead-Free and RoHS Compliance Testing

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Verifying RoHS compliance and effective lead-free implementation requires

testing key metrics:

RoHS Substance Screening uses methods like X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF)

Screening and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) to

identify and measure restricted substances.

Solderability Testing evaluates the wetting speed, wetting force, and joint

cosmetics resulting from new solder alloys and PCB finishes.

Component Finish Analysis uses test methods like lead-tin checks, x-ray

fluorescence (XRF) screening, auger electron spectroscopy, and scanning

electron microscopy to identify component lead, lead-free, or other platings.

Joint Shear and Ball Pull Testing verifies bonding strengths meet

specifications under lead-free conditions.

Intermetallic Compound Analysis uses scanning electron microscopy and

energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy to evaluate intermetallic phases in

cross-sections of solder joints.

Conclusion

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As environmental regulations like RoHS continue expanding globally, having

robust RoHS compliance and lead-free programs provides key advantages -

allowing manufacturers to:

 Produce environmentally responsible electronics with reduced health hazards

 Legally distribute products in markets with strict hazardous substance regulations
 Take advantage of the improved reliability and consistency of lead-free electronics
 Meet rising consumer demand for demonstrably ethical and eco-friendly manufacturing
practices

Carefully developing lead-free soldering processes, selecting suitable PCB

finishes, and verifying successful RoHS conversion through standardized

testing helps ensure smooth, low-risk integration of lead-free and

RoHS-compliant electronics.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Do all electronics sold in the EU need to be RoHS compliant?

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A1: Almost all electrical and electronic equipment sold in the EU market must

comply with RoHS regulations restricting hazardous substances including lead,

mercury, cadmium, chromium VI, PBB and PBDE flame retardants. Only

specially exempted categories like military equipment and large-scale

industrial tools do not require RoHS compliance currently.

Q2: What marking or labels identify RoHS compliant products?

A2: RoHS compliant products will carry the CE marking indicating certification

for the European market. They may also voluntarily feature specific RoHS logos

developed by original equipment manufacturers or industry consortiums. Due

to symbol misuse, buyers should request RoHS lab reports rather than just

visually identifying marks which alone do not guarantee compliance.

Q3: Is leaded solder completely banned under RoHS?

A3: Nearly all traditional tin-lead and lead-based solders are restricted for

general electronics assembly under RoHS. However, some leaded solder

exemptions exist for high-reliability electronics applications where no reliable

lead-free alternatives yet exist - like in aerospace electronics or MRI machines.

But these exemptions are increasingly being phased out limiting all leaded

solder use.

Q4: Can we convert only our solder alloy to be lead-free rather

than the whole PCB?

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A4: Switching only the solder used to assemble PCBs is not enough -

compliance requires that both PCB substrate finishes and solder connections

be lead-free. Common finishes like HASL using tin-lead coatings cannot be

used. And surface-mount pads may also require lead-free platings like

Ni/Pd/Au. Both PCB and solder must be lead-free end-to-end.

Q5: Is it possible to manufacture both leaded and

RoHS-compliant PCBs?

A5: While some factories handle both leaded and lead-free PCB

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