Manual Lead-free Soldering of LEDs from OSRAM Opto Semiconductors
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Manual Lead-free Soldering of LEDs from OSRAM
Opto Semiconductors
Application Note
Abstract
In addition to a brief fundamental considera-
tion of the manual lead-free and lead-
containing soldering process, this application
note describes the essential influencing
factors and their effect on the lead-free
soldering process.
Furthermore, the basic rules and specific
guidelines associated with the new manual
lead-free soldering process are illustrated.
Also, possible risks are discussed and the
general procedure of the lead-free soldering
process is described.
In conclusion an overview of the solderability
of the various LED types from OSRAM OS
are presented, along with their ability to be The quality, reproducibility and process
reworked and repaired. stability have achieved an equally high level,
although the solder heat resistance of
individual SMD components such as LEDs
Introduction makes it difficult to conform to the lead-free
soldering process.
With the introduction and ratification of
Directive 2002/95 (RoHS directive "on the In contrast, the introduction of a manual
restriction of the use of certain hazardous lead-free soldering process is still awkward,
substances in electrical and electronic since it is more difficult to control.
devices") as of June 2006, many production Although today, manual soldering is almost
lines have already switched to lead-free, exclusively used for the manufacture of
RoHS-conformant technology or are cur- prototypes and for repair or rework of
rently still in a transition phase, in which both production components, quality assurance
lead-free and lead-containing processes are represents the greatest challenge, here.
executed in parallel.
With manual lead-free soldering, the quality
In automated production sequences, the is therefore essentially influenced and
implementation of lead-free soldering determined by the solder materials and
processes has been carried out without equipment, the experience and ability of the
great difficulties, in spite of the smaller operator and a continuous process control.
processing window due to the higher melting It is therefore recommended to only carry
temperature of the new solder. out manual lead-free soldering with appro-
priate equipment and trained personnel.
January, 2014 Page 1 of 12
In addition, it should be noted than not all the angle of soldering, dependent on
available LED types are suited for manual the handling of the operator
soldering or repair. the joint clearance of the two
surfaces
Underlying considerations In addition to the abovementioned factors,
the solder connection is ultimately
In principle, manual soldering with lead-free dependent on the prevailing temperature
solder is not much more difficult than and effective time.
soldering with lead-containing solder.
In order to achieve good results and solder
connections, the properties and differences Important influencing factors and
of the two soldering processes must be their implications
thoroughly understood and considered from
a technical standpoint.
Solder
The type of solder used represents the most
The essential differences between lead-free
solder and tin-lead compounds is first of all, important parameter and has a decisive
the higher melting temperatures (up to 40°C influence on the entire soldering process
higher than tin-lead compounds, depending and on the subsequent connection.
on the solder used), and secondly, the Through the composition of the solder and
poorer wetting characteristics of lead-free the associated properties such as solder
solders. temperature, wetting and oxidation
For soldering, this means that the time characteristics etc, a certain process window
required for wetting the solder joints for the soldering process is predefined.
increases and the lead-free solder takes
longer to spread.
In addition, differences can arise in the
appearance of the solder joints; lead-free
connections appear to be dull and matt
(without luster) in comparison to lead-
containing solder connections.
Figure 2: Side by side comparison of the
process windows – lead-containing vs.
Figure 1: Different appearance of lead- lead-free
containing and lead-free solder
As can be seen in Figure 2, the higher
The quality and steadiness of soldering melting point of the lead-free solder leads to
created manually with a soldering iron is a reduction in the solder processing window
generally influenced by several factors, in comparison to that of lead-containing
including: solder.
The size of the window is determined by the
the composition of the solder melting temperature of the solder and the
the activity of the flux material maximum allowable temperature, above
the thermal characteristics of the which damage to the component occurs.
soldering iron In addition, the poorer wetting characteristics
January, 2014 Page 2 of 12
of lead-free solder causes a lengthening of Type of soldering iron
the processing time. Compared to lead- Many types of soldering irons are available.
containing solders, a factor of 2 to 3 can be The main differences are the heating power
assumed. and the precision of temperature regulation.
With older soldering iron models,
temperature measurement and regulation
usually occur at the internal heating element.
Due to the distance from the soldering tip,
large deviations from the actual temperature
of the soldering tip (up to 50°C) can occur.
Combined with the higher melting
temperature of lead-free solder, this
Figure 3: Side by side comparison of the increases the risk of overheating or can lead
process window – lead-containing vs. to temperature losses during the manual
lead-free hand soldering soldering process.
Better results can be achieved for lead-free
solder with the help of modern soldering
Flux material
stations which possess regulated heat
The use of a flux material basically serves to
management as well as internal process
activate the respective soldering surfaces of monitoring.
the components. With modern soldering irons, temperature
That is, it dissolves the oxidation layer of the regulation occurs at the soldering tip rather
surfaces by warming and at the same time, than at the heating element. In addition, the
prevents new oxidation of the solder, before soldering irons are equipped with sufficient
and during the soldering process. heating power (> 80 W) and exhibit
The flux material simultaneously reduces the extremely fast warming characteristics.
surface tension of the flowing solder and in This ensures that all solder joints are
this way, brings about better wetting created with nearly the same temperature.
characteristics and a more favorable flowing
property.
Solder temperature
With the use of flux material, one generally In general, it is recommended to use the
has to consider whether the smoke gases lowest temperature possible, depending on
which arise, depending on the type of flux the solder used.
material, represent a health hazard. On the one hand, this prevents damage to
Regardless of this, it is generally recom- heat-sensitive components and on the other
mended to provide sufficient ventilation, or the operating life of the soldering iron is
for longer periods of work, to utilize an extended.
exhaust fan.
With an increase in temperature, the wetting
In addition, flux material also has an time for lead-free solder can indeed be
influence on the durability of the soldering reduced, but this can damage certain types
iron tip. Since this flux material is more of components and reduce the operating life
aggressive than tin-lead compounds, a of the soldering iron.
reduction in operating life can occur. As a
Since the melting point of lead-free solder is
result, the tip must be exchanged after a
around 40°C higher than the melting point of
shorter period of time. typical tin-lead compounds, the temperature
of the soldering tip must be set higher as a
consequence.
January, 2014 Page 3 of 12
In general, therefore, it is typical and also In case different alloys are used in parallel, it
acceptable that the temperature of the would be advantageous to mark or label the
soldering tip is set to be 50°C higher than solder pads and possibly the components, in
the melting point of the solder. However, order to provide information about the solder
soldering temperatures are often selected used.
which are 100°C higher than the melting
temperature.
This excess temperature is ultimately Since a higher temperature is required
dependent on the heat capacity of the LED during rework due to a change in the
to be soldered, the extent of the solder joint composition of the material, it can happen
and the size of the soldering tip. that both the components and circuit board
can be damaged in the process. Careful,
skilled work along with process and
Possible problems / risks temperature monitoring are thus strongly
recommended.
Prototyping
With manual soldering, the most common Furthermore, depending on the condition
problems are damaging the LEDs or the and storage time of the components to be
circuit board (base material, solder resist processed, a more aggressive flux material
mask, pads etc.) and poor solder joints. may possibly be required.
Soldering of larger LEDs with a higher heat
binding potential causes the greatest
difficulty in most cases.
An improvement can possibly be achieved Basic rules for manual soldering
with the use of an additional heat source
(heating pad, IR radiator, etc.). A good heat contact between the
soldering tip and the solder joint
Poor solder joints most often occur if the (component and PCB) must be
surfaces are not clean or are strongly created. This can only be achieved
oxidized. with flowing solder.
With lead-free compounds, this is seen more
often. The flux material should perform its
One possible remedy is the use of an effect at the appropriate locations
aggressive flux material. However, this can and should therefore flow freely to
lead to additional problems. the locations to be soldered. This
Since solder wire is produced with several also enhances the heat transfer.
types of flux, some of which are more
corrosive than others, an initial test should The contact between the soldering
be performed with respect to its suitability. iron and the location to be soldered
A further possibility is the use of an should only be maintained until the
additional flux material for the components. solder has freely flowed.
Only as much solder as needed
Rework should be used. For stranded-wire
When reworking components already connections, the contour of the wires
should remain visible.
soldered with lead-free solder, it should be
noted that not all alloys can be mixed The LEDs must not be permitted to
together. Some combinations can lead to move during the solidification
unreliable solder connections. process.
Normally the same alloy as for to the former
soldering is used.
January, 2014 Page 4 of 12
Additional rules for lead-free soldering: or circuit traces which could interfere or
inhibit the wetting of the solder.
The temperature of the soldering tip In order to minimize or prevent additional
must be raised in comparison to that effort, it is advantageous to populate new
required for lead-containing solder circuit boards directly after manufacture, or
(+25°C to +40°C) package them in a vacuum or inert gas for
later processing.
The upper limit must not be Contamination or progressive oxidation is
increased, as this would result in thereby prevented.
delamination of the circuit board or
thermal damage to the components. In case of rework of already populated
For the soldering procedure, this boards, this means that if necessary, the
means that the processing window boards should be preheated in an
becomes narrower. appropriate oven, depending on storage
conditions and time.
With lead-free solder, the flow Preheating serves to remove absorbed
behavior is poorer; the solder time moisture and prevent the so-called
increases by 50 – 100% in compari- "popcorn" effect with components.
son to lead-containing solder. The duration and temperature of the
preheating procedure is individually
Exertion of pressure during soldering determined, dependent on the components
should be avoided so that the on the circuit board and the storage and
soldering tip does become deformed environmental conditions.
or the components will damaged.
Since lead-free solder is more Tools and materials
aggressive, there is more wear and
tear on the soldering tip. The solder- As mentioned previously, lead-free solder
ing stations should be switched off places special demands and requirements
when not in use or when no standby on the soldering equipment.
function is available. Representative of equipment available on
the market, three appropriate and proven
The use of fast heating soldering tips soldering stations are listed here.
is preferable, since these are more
quickly placed into operation. ERSA:
i-CON Soldering Station & i-Tool Soldering
After the soldering the tip should be Iron, 150 W
cleaned and tin-plated.
WELLER:
WD2M Soldering Station, 160 W
Lead Free Hand Soldering Process
METCAL:
In general, it is recommended to prepare Soldering Station PS 800
and provide all necessary tools, materials
and additional auxiliary tools before the All three systems were specially developed
soldering process. and optimized for lead-free soldering.
In comparison to older soldering stations for
This also means that the circuit board should example, the soldering system from ERSA
be cleaned if necessary, in order to remove possesses precise temperature regulation at
oxidation or other impurities. the soldering tip and extremely fast warm-up
Care should be taken that cleansing itself characteristics. In addition, it is equipped
does not cause damage to the circuit board with a process window alarm and an
January, 2014 Page 5 of 12
automatic standby sensor as well as other General solder technique / procedure
user-friendly functions.
Other systems are similarly equipped. The soldering technique and correct proce-
For the soldering irons mentioned above, dure is basically no different from the old
several different soldering tips are also technique for lead-containing solder.
available which can be specifically adapted
and optimized for the component. After setting the required working tempera-
ture (soldering tip ≤ 350°C for LEDs) the tip
should be cleaned before each use with a
moist sponge or by means of a dry pad
made of steel wool.
Figure 4: Tip Selection- correct geometry
for each application
As auxiliary tools, various sizes of tweezers
are recommended for better handling of
LEDs along with a desoldering braid or
pump for removal of solder during repair
work. In addition, the use of a so-called
"third hand", an adjustable fixture for holding
the circuit board, and a magnifying glass can Figure 3: Example of moist sponge for
also be helpful. cleaning soldering tips
In general, ESD protection should
additionally be provided for the components Dry cleaning has the advantage that the
and/or the populated circuit board. This can soldering tip is not abruptly cooled, and that
be achieved with a grounding armband, no contamination arises from dirty sponges.
grounded table or support, etc. In addition, the light scouring effect of steel
When soldering, the use of solder wire with wool can also easily remove heavy
flux core is preferable. This is available in contamination and accumulated passive
several diameters and provides a sufficient layers.
amount of flux in most cases.
As an example, solder wire from EDSYN
consisting of SnAgCu with NO-CLEAN flux
as per F SW34 can be used.
For soldering of LEDs, particularly for
miniature components, a diameter of 0.35
mm is sufficient.
Depending on the size of the LED or
component to be soldered, heavier solder Figure 4: Example of dry cleaners
wire can be used.
After cleaning, the tip must be wetted again
With the use of solder wire with a flux core, with a sufficient amount of solder.
the solder and flux can spray out due to the
very quick warming of the solder. In the next step, the solder joint is heated.
The flux tends to carbonize in the process Here, the solder pad and LED connection
and the desired effectiveness is reduced. An contact are heated together by simultaneous
improvement can be achieved with a V- contact with the soldering tip.
formed notch in the solder wire, permitting
more effective use of the flux material.
January, 2014 Page 6 of 12
The LED is then attached with the addition 2b. Apply appropriate solder if necessary
of a small amount of solder in the corner (rework)
between the soldering tip and the LED pin.
Afterwards, the solder wire should be pulled The solder wire is applied to the surface of
away and one should wait for a short the melted solder so that the solder is
moment. melted there instead of at the soldering tip.
Then, solder is again applied to the lead or In order to prevent damage to the
solder joint until the location has been component of the circuit board material, a
sufficiently filled with solder. maximum contact time of 3 seconds should
The solder wire is then pulled away and not be exceeded.
finally, the soldering tip is removed from the
solder joint. 3. Solidification of the solder connection
The other contact connections are soldered
in a similar manner. After the soldering tip is removed, the
connection solidifies again after a few
Before replacing the soldering iron in the seconds and other leads of the component
holder, the tip should be checked once can be soldered.
again and re-tinned if necessary (procedure
according to the IPC recommendation). 4. Cleaning the solder joints
In case cleaning is required, it is
Rework and repair procedure recommended to eliminate the flux residue
as soon as possible. As a rule, dried residue
The procedure for repair or rework of solder adheres more tenaciously and can only be
connections differs somewhat from the removed with greater difficulty and by more
prementioned soldering technique, since the aggressive means.
solder connection is already present.
With repair, a defective component is
normally replaced with a functioning part. Visual assessment of the solder joints
The existing solder connection must be
melted and the solder removed by means of After soldering, a visual assessment should
a desoldering braid or a pump. be performed in any case, with respect to
With rework, however, individual solder the appearance and quality of the
joints are reworked because they are connection.
possibly damaged or not sufficiently formed. The person carrying out this assessment
Here, it is also generally true that the should be trained in this regard and have
soldering iron tip should be cleaned and sufficient experience. For a confident and
wetted with solder before use. reliable assessment, criteria according to
IPC-Standard (IPC-A-610) are drawn upon
1. Heat the solder connection until the worldwide.
solder completely melts A few excerpts include:
In general, the soldering iron should be held The solder joint should be uniform
at the connection location with the largest and smooth in appearance (shiny is
amount of solder. In order to achieve a good not required)
heat transfer, the tip should be
simultaneously held against the solder pad The solder should taper off from the
and the connection contact of the inserted parts (small contact angle)
component.
The surface of the solder joint should
2a. Remove the liquid solder by means be unbroken.
of a desoldering braid or a pump (repair)
January, 2014 Page 7 of 12The contours of the soldered parts With this type of flux material, it is not
should be recognizable in the solder necessary to remove the remaining residue
joint. from the connections or circuit board in order
to guarantee reliability.
The solder joint must contain
sufficient solder. It is simpler as well to resort to water-soluble
flux material. Meanwhile, there are systems
Additional information and exact details can which also permit better wetting of lead-free
be obtained from the IPC Standard. materials without nitrogen.
Cleaning
Important LED-specific points
In most cases, final cleaning is only
Since LED housings predominantly consist
necessary to remove any flux residue which
of plastic (and ceramic for a few of the new
may be present.
LEDs), the direct contact with a hot soldering
Essentially, other residue or contamination
tip can often lead to damage of the device.
should not be present.
This applies exceptionally to the plastic
optics of the LEDs.
Often, various cleansing solutions or
cleaning by means of an ultrasonic bath is
In addition, it should be noted that with
recommended by solder manufacturers.
higher soldering tip temperatures, heat is
transferred more quickly to the housing via
With the presence of LEDs, however, this is
the connection contacts.
only conditionally or not at all possible.
The prescribed solder times should therefore
not be exceeded, since this can otherwise
In principle, isopropyl alcohol (IPA) can be
damage the component.
used, since this is also suitable and
approved for cleaning LEDs from OSRAM
It should also be noted that with the various
OS.
packaging types, the size and form of the
connection contacts vary as well.
If other cleansing solutions are applied, their
For optimal soldering results, it is
suitability should be tested beforehand,
recommended to use individually adapted
particularly if there is associated damage to
soldering tips.
the LED.
If a soldering tip is too large or wide for
Because of worldwide regulations, cleansers
miniature components, for example, this can
such as FREON or other compounds
lead to overheating and thus damages to the
containing chloroflurocarbons (CFCs) should
component housing. If a small, narrow tip is
not be used.
used for larger contacts, however,
insufficient heat is available for a good
Cleaning by means of an ultrasonic bath is
solder connection.
not recommended for LEDs.
The reason for this is that the influence on
Particular experience combined with special
the LEDs is dependent on the ultrasonic
care and higher demands are required for
power, the duration of treatment and the
the processing of LED with high power
cleansing solution used.
housings. The reason for this is the heat
If ultrasonic cleaning cannot be avoided, it
slug integrated in the package base. For
must first be determined whether the LEDs
optimal heat transfer, this must be affixed or
will be damaged in the process.
soldered to the circuit board.
Soldering of the heat slug itself can only
In the best and ideal case, cleaning is not
occur with the help of solder paste and an
required if solder with so-called NO-CLEAN
additional heating plate.
flux is used.
January, 2014 Page 8 of 12Since the heat slug is embedded in the Conclusion
package base, direct contact with the
soldering iron is not possible; for this reason, Equally good results and reliable solder
rework at the heat slug cannot be carried connections can also be achieved and
out. created with lead-free solder.
Generally it is advisable to use an additional The prerequisite for this, however, is that
heating plate for lead-free soldering of LEDs, one thoroughly understands the properties
especially if an insulated metal substrate is and differences of the new solder and also
utilized. considers the corresponding process from a
technical standpoint.
In the following, Table 1 provides an In addition, with manual soldering, it is
overview of the manual solderability of generally recommended to take into account
various LED types from OSRAM OS as well the specific features of the component or
as their repair and rework capability. LED such as the package form, lead size,
etc. when defining the process window.
Basically, manual soldering with lead-free
solder is not much more difficult than
soldering with lead-containing solder, so
long as work is performed with appropriate
equipment, qualified employees and the
fundamental ground rules are strictly
maintained.
MANUALLY REWORK CAPABLE OF
LED TYPE EXEMPLAR IMAGES
SOLDERABLE POSSIBLE REPAIR
3 mm ARGUS LED
Radial or 4 mm OvalLED
Through-hole 3 & 5 mm LED
5 mm MultiLED
LED Ultra Flux
Miniature
Components
SmartLED
ChipLED
Mini Top
Looker
MiniTOPLED
PointLED
FIREFLY
FIREFLY RGB
Micro SIDELED
Side Looker SIDELED
Multi Color Micro SIDELED
Multi SIDELED
MIDLED
= possible =conditionally possible = not possible
Table 1a: Overview of manual solderability and rework/repair capability
January, 2014 Page 9 of 12MANUALLY REWORK CAPABLE OF
LED TYPE EXEMPLAR IMAGES
SOLDERABLE POSSIBLE REPAIR
TOPLED
TOPLED with lens
Multi TOPLED
RG-TOPLED
RG-Multi TOPLED
Top Looker
6-lead MultiLED
6-lead ChipLED
Stablix
Displix
Duris E3
TOPLED Compact
MIDLED
Power TOPLED
Power LED Power TOPLED with lens
Adv. Power TOPLED
Adv. Power TOPLED Plus
CERAMOS
Ceramic LED CERAMOS Flash
Multi CERAMOS
CURAMOS
only with special
equipment and solder
only with special
equipment and solder
paste paste
OSLON SX/MX/LX
OSLON SSL
Ceramic LED OSLON Signal
OSLON Square only with special
equipment and solder
only with special
equipment and solder
OSLON Compact paste paste
OSRAM OSTAR Compact
Ceramic LED OSRAM OSTAR Lighting
OSRAM OSTAR SMT
OSRAM OSTAR Stage
only with special
equipment and solder
only with special
equipment and solder
paste paste
Epoxy SMD
OSLON Black Seris
OSLON Black Flat
(Bottom only- TOPLED Compact 4014
only with special only with special
terminated) Duris P5 equipment and solder equipment and solder
Duris E5 paste paste
Flash LED OSLUX Platform
High Power Dragon Platform
LED
Heat slug only with
solder paste
Heat slug not possible
only with additional
heating plate
= possible =conditionally possible = not possible
Table 1b: Overview of manual solderability and rework/repair capability
January, 2014 Page 10 of 12Appendix Don't forget: LED Light for you is your place to be whenever you are looking for information or worldwide partners for your LED Lighting project. www.ledlightforyou.com Authors: Andreas Stich, Kurt-Jürgen Lang ABOUT OSRAM OPTO SEMICONDUCTORS OSRAM, with its headquarters in Munich, is one of the two leading lighting manufacturers in the world. Its subsidiary, OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH in Regensburg (Germany), offers its customers solutions based on semiconductor technology for lighting, sensor and visualization applications. OSRAM Opto Semiconductors has production sites in Regensburg (Germany) and Penang (Malaysia). Its headquarters for North America is in Sunnyvale (USA). Its headquarters for the Asia region is in Hong Kong. OSRAM Opto Semiconductors also has sales offices throughout the world. For more information go to www.osram-os.com. DISCLAIMER PLEASE CAREFULLY READ THE BELOW TERMS AND CONDITIONS BEFORE USING THE INFORMATION. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ANY OF THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, DO NOT USE THE INFORMATION. The Information shown in this document was produced with due care, but is provided by OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH “as is” and without OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH assuming, express or implied, any warranty or liability whatsoever, including, but not limited to the warranties of correctness, completeness, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title or non-infringement. In no event shall OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH be liable - regardless of the legal theory - for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, exemplary, consequential, or punitive damages related to the use of the Information. This limitation shall apply even if OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH has been advised of possible damages. As some jurisdictions do not allow exclusion of certain warranties or limitations of liability, the above limitations or exclusions may not apply. The liability of OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH would in such case be limited to the greatest extent permitted by law. January, 2014 Page 11 of 12
OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH may change the Information at anytime without notice to user and is not obligated to provide any maintenance or support related to the Information. The Information is based on specific Conditions and, therefore, alterations to the Information cannot be excluded. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved. Except for the right to use the Information included in this document, no other rights are granted nor shall any obligation be implied requiring the grant of further rights. Any and all rights or licenses to patents or patent applications are expressly excluded. Reproduction, transfer, distribution or storage of part or all of the contents of this document in any form without the prior written permission of OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH is prohibited except in accordance with applicable mandatory law. January, 2014 Page 12 of 12
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