Please note Schippers & Crew has provided some general guidelines to frequently asked questions concerning Pb-free electronics. This area will be updated over time to cover more areas of interest. As is often the case with any new requirement, product offerings and technology will change.  

The RoHS directive, EU Directive 2002/95/EG, "Restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment - RoHS", prohibits the inclusion of the following substances:

  • Lead (Pb) < 0.1%
  • Mercury (Hg) < 0.1%
  • Cadmium (Cd) < 0.01%
  • Hexavalent chromium (CrVI) < 0.1%
  • Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) < 0.1%
  • Polybrominated diphenyl Esters (PBDE) < 0.1%

Naturally lead is the primary focus in our company due to the changes needed in the electronics manufacturing processes. All electronics manufacturers planning to ship product to EU countries will be required to adopt the directive with the only exceptions being certain classes of products specified under the RoHS directive.

Reuse and recycling of electronic waste is also in focus worldwide. In the European Union the directive, "Waste electrical & Electronic Equipment - WEEE", covers new recycling legislation for EU member states.

Lead-Free Printed Circuit Board Finishes

With SnPb soldering processes HASL (SnPb) has been the predominant board finish followed by NiAu (ENIG) and OSP (Organic Solder Preservative). The following represent the most common board finishes to consider for a lead-free process. 

Board Finish

Comment

ENIG:

Electroless Ni / Immersion Au

Recommended in *JEITA Pb-free roadmap and predominant in Japan and EU. Price is generally a push compared with standard SnPb HASL process. Good corrosion resistance for on-board contact pads and suitable for wire bonding pads for COB designs.

HASL [SnAgCu or SnCu]

Recommended in *JEITA Pb-free roadmap and commonly used in Japan . Not commonly used in USA .

OSP –

Commonly used. Solderability more easily degraded by multiple reflows.

Immersion Ag

Good solderability and an increasingly significant board finish.

Immersion Sn

Commonly used in EU. Presence of carcinogenic thiourea in solutions has limited its use in USA .

*The Electronic Industries Association of Japan (EIAJ) and Japan Electronic Industry Development Association (JEIDA) merged effective November 1, 2000, to enter the 21st century as the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA).