See Kyzen’s Rich Brooks Discuss Concerns in Cleaning Under Low Profile Components at SMTAI 2010

The complete cleaning and removal of flux/soil residues under low profile components is becoming more critical, especially as the conductor spacings are decreasing and the power is increasing. If the residues are not completely removed, then the reliability of the circuit can be greatly affected. It is the combination of these technologies that make the cleaning process extremely difficult. Therefore, the cleaning process must be carefully examined and optimized to obtain maximum performance for removing the flux residues.

During the cleaning process, the cleaning chemistry must wet, dissolve, penetrate the flux dam and flow under the component to adequately remove all flux residues. This paper will review the cleaning problems brought about with the implementation of the latest technologies and explain how the cleaning process can be optimized to guarantee the reliability of the assemblies.

Richard Brooks holds degrees in both Chemistry and Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida, and he has worked in the electronics industry for more 20 years. He began his employment at Motorola in 1988 and was a part of the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Group. In 2009, Rich joined the Kyzen team as the Southwestern Regional Manager. Rich holds three US patents and is a recipient of the Six Sigma Statistical Black Belt Certification.