Dr. Andy C. Mackie, MSc: What is a void? A void is a three-dimensional hole in a solder joint that is not soldered.
Chris Bastecki: Anyone using QFNs or LGAs or bottom-terminated components really has a concern about QFN voiding, and, at times, if you have thermal pads, that's particularly a very, very important case.
Dr. Ning-Cheng Lee: A void will actually reduce the electric conductivity of the solder joint that will cause a local hot spot and reduce reliability. They don't care about the void, they will have to care about their business because their customer will walk away from their product.
Rick Short: The Indium Corporation recognized voiding as a significant manufacturing defect years ago, and we've been studying it extensively ever since.
Chris Bastecki: Indium Corporation is the industry leader in void-reducing solutions. We are the leader for two reasons. One is our expertise and application support, and our products. We put the two together and you really have a nice combination.
Avoid the Void™ allows us to quickly draw our attention to one of the biggest problems we have in the industry right now.
Rick Short: Avoid the Void™ means to reduce both maximum sized voids and the average void area beneath the electronic components.
Chris Bastecki: Voiding is a complex problem with complex solutions. It isn't always just a matter of switching out the solder paste and finding the solution. You have to look at if the components were oxidized, the surface finish of the pads, and if that's properly applied, stencil thickness is key, the reflow profile is very important and the aperture design is also key. If you look at some of our specific solder paste formulations, they were engineered for low voiding. The Indium10.1 and the Indium8.9HF are products that were specifically designed for low voiding and deliver that, along with other properties that are very desirable.
Dr. Ning-Cheng Lee: We have been through a long learning curve, so I think we can definitely share our experiences with many people.
Chris Bastecki: If you're being challenged to voiding issues, I'd say, "call us immediately." Find your Indium rep, whoever you normally work with, or go to our website, www.indium.com. There's many ways to get to us, but reach out to Indium. We'll work with you to optimize your process, and to identify the right product for you, and together we'll achieve better results for you.