Quality Assurance in the Production of High‐quality Solder Powder—the Essential Prerequisite for Microelectronic Grade Solder Pastes

The tremendous growth in the SMT market has led to a corresponding increase in demand for electronic‐grade solder pastes for the various reflow solder processes. The high quality standards imposed upon the basic solder powders are a reflection of these demanding applications. This means that informed choice and achievement of metallurgy, purity, morphology and a high level of quality must be maintained throughout the production process if present and future specifications are to be met. The manufacturing process for high reliability microelectronics soldering is eventually achieved by inert gas atomisation supported by advanced materials analyses, electron microscopy and laser granulometry.