National Physical Laboratory

Improving Electronic Reliability - Through Product & Process Qualification at NPL (Webinar series)

NPL's Electronic Interconnection Group is presenting a new series of technical webinars in 2012.

Recordings of previous webinars are available here

This Group is internationally recognised for its practical and innovative work on lead-free reliability, PCB interconnection failures, tin whisker migration and conformal coating research.

These FREE online webinars provide the opportunity to draw on years of practical experience without the participant needing to leave his/her desk.

Each webinar lasts approximately 60 mins (and is limited to 100 registrations). After the webinar, participants receive a copy of all of the slides and a listing of all relevant technical reports which can be downloaded for FREE.

Please note that all webinars are at UK time - check local time in other countries here


BGA Reliability - The Effects of Solder Joint Voiding and Uneven Stand-Off Height (Martin Wickham)

Tuesday 30 April 2013 (14:30 hrs UK time)

Book your place here

This webinar will cover work undertaken at NPL on BGA reliability. The effect of voiding in BGA solder joints has been investigated and details of the project results will be discussed. The effect of uneven solder joint stand-off height due to pop-corning in components has also been studied. Its effect on solder joint reliability has been measured and details of the project outcome will be given.

Topics covered:

  • BGA voiding
  • Uneven BGA stand off height
  • BGA reliability
  • Thermal cycling and reliability

The webinar will run for between 45-60 minutes, with a Q&A session.


Reuse of Electronic Products (Martin Wickham)

Wednesday 15 May 2013 (14:30 hrs UK time)

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This webinar will discuss the ReUSE (Reuseable, Unzippable, Sustainable Electronics) project, an innovative printed electronics solution to increase the recyclability of electronic assemblies. The project partners (NPL, GEM Group and In2Tec) designed, developed and tested a series of unzippable polymeric layers which, while withstanding prolonged thermal cycling and damp heat stressing, allow the assemblies to be easily separated at end-of-life into their constituent parts, after immersion in hot water. The project demonstrated a 90% recyclable inverter circuit for an electroluminescent lamp.

Topics covered:

  • Printed circuit assembly recycling
  • Fitness for purpose testing of printed electronics assemblies
  • Reuseable, Unzippable, Sustainable Electronics

The webinar will run for between 45-60 minutes, with a Q&A session.


Through Hole Reliability for High Aspect via Holes (Martin Wickham)

Tuesday 11 June 2013 (14:30 hrs UK time)

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This webinar will discuss the results of NPL work on multilayer PCB reliability with particular emphasis on a range of factors that can reduce the time to failure after assembly. These will include via proximity, laminate materials, exclusion of non-functional pads, surface finish, PCB thickness, reflow profiles, micro-vias and z-axis thermal expansion. Details of an intercomparison between thermal cycling and interconnection stress testing will also be given.

Topics covered:

  • PCB multilayer via reliability
  • PCB board materials
  • Non-functional pads, via aspect ratios
  • Interconnection stress testing and thermal cycling
  • Intermittent via location

The webinar will run for between 45-60 minutes, with a Q&A session.


Functionalisation and Applications of Nanomaterials for Electronic Applications (Toby Sainsbury)

Monday 8 July 2013 (14:30 hrs UK time)

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In recent years Nanomaterials have attracted increasing amounts of attention based on their novel electronic, mechanical, chemical and quantum confinement effects. In particular, carbon nanomaterials such as fullerenes, nanotubes and graphene have been the focus of intense attention due to their exceptional electronic and mechanical properties. However, aside from the diverse suite of highly attractive properties of these materials it has become increasingly apparent that in order to successfully utilise these materials in real-world technological applications novel integration strategies between the nano and the macroscopic world will be critical to their application. In order to do this, the chemical functionalisation and thus compatibilisation of nanomaterials has been identified as a principle strategy towards this goal.

In this webinar, we introduce research concerning carbon nanotubes and their chemical functionalisation in order to facilitate self-assembly with nanoparticle materials. This strategy is highlighted as a viable means to directly control the assembly of hybrid nanomaterials. This is followed by the presentation of research concerning graphene and graphene oxide and the strategies of doping and chemical functionalisation in the context of electronic devices and mechanical composites. Following the enormous interest in 1D and 2D carbon nanomaterials, alternative materials have received much attention on account their electronic, mechanical and optical properties. The surface functionalisation of these novel nanotube and nanosheet materials is introduced and discussed in the context of their utilisation as electronic devices and their application as substrates, dopant, dielectric, and barrier layers for electronic devices.

Topics covered:

  • Perspective on Nanomaterials
  • Carbon Nanomaterials
  • Functionalisation and Application of Carbon Nanomaterials in Electronics
  • Inorganic Nanotube and Nanosheet Materials
  • Application and Metrology Considerations for Nanomaterials

The webinar will run for between 45-60 minutes, with a Q&A session.


Environmental Robustness: Measuring Performance Coatings and High Temperature Interconnects (Chris Hunt)

Tuesday 3 September 2013 (14:30 hrs UK time)

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This webinar will touch on two important measurement topics: evaluation of coating protection and measuring the performance of high temperature interconnects. Ranges of coating materials are now available with varied properties that can be selected for specific applications. The webinar will discuss how the protection can be measured using SIR testing. The results highlight the importance of coverage. Another key performance indication is the adhesion strength of the coating to the substrate, and a newly developed test method will be discussed, and where the adhesion challenges lie. Finally, measuring the whisker mitigation potential by coatings will be presented.

There increasingly is a desire to place electronics in high temperature environments, down well applications for example. Sintered silver joints once formed with their high melting point offer an attractive solution to the interconnect issue. To date sintered silver is not offered as an interconnect solution for surface mount assembly, but have found applications in high power semiconductors. Measuring the mechanical performance and the fatigue properties of these interconnects will be discussed.

Topics covered:

  • Coating protection and barrier properties
  • Coating coverage
  • Coating adhesion
  • Coating whisker mitigation
  • Sintered silver interconnect assembly processes
  • Sintered joint performance

The webinar will run for between 45-60 minutes, with a Q&A session.

Last Updated: 13 Mar 2013
Created: 4 Apr 2011