Masters Abstracts (1998)

TONAPI, SANDEEP SHRIKANT
(May 1998), Packaging Engineer, GE Corporate, Niskayuna, NY

Email: tonapi@crd.ge.com

Pin-In-Paste Process Development - A Production Perspective

The implementation of a high yield pin-in-paste process requires a comprehensive understanding of the materials, design, and process related issues that affect solder joint formation and reliability. The layout of the board, component design, stencil design, component placement, and reflow profile development are some of the issues that need to be addressed prior to the implementation of the process. Through this research, the pin-in-paste process was developed and validated for a contract manufacturing PCB assembly environment. A systematic approach that utilized five test vehicles helped develop and implement this process in a production environment. A series of experiments were conducted to identify the process window associated with each process step. The information gained through the experiments was used to develop a set of rules and guidelines in the form of a 'process cookbook'. Knowledge about the process and the results of the experiments were also used to develop a decision support system which can assist a process engineer with the implementation of the pin-in-paste process in a production environment.