Tacky, no-clean thermally dissipated soldering flux

• US 5,129,962 A
• Filed: 10/22/1991
• Issued: 07/14/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gutierrez, Barbara L., Sickler, Janet M.
• Primary Examiner(s): ROSENBERG, PETER
• Application Number:
  US07/781,567
• Time in Patent Office: 266 Days
• Field of Search: 148/23-25
• US Class Current: 148/23
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/3612 with organic compounds as principal constituents
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/3618 Carboxylic acids or salts
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3489 Composition of fluxes; Methods of application thereof; Other methods of activating the contact surfaces

Abstract

A no-clean, thermally dissipated soldering flux is shown which includes hydroabietal alcohol as a flux base, an organic activator and an organic diluent. The hydroabietal alcohol provides a tacky medium which holds a precisely aligned chip in place both during placement and reflow. The nature of the formula renders a reducing atmosphere unnecessary. The composition is thermally dissipated during soldering and leaves no undesirable residue which would require a post-cleaning step.

Claims

1. A thermally dissipated no-clean soldering flux adapted for use in assembling chips to integrated circuit boards, where the stand off height of the chips to the boards is on the order of about 0.001 to 0.004 inches, the flux comprising:

from about 5 to about 30% by weight based on the total weight of the flux of a pure ester of rosin as a flux base;

from about 1 to 6 % by weight based on the total weight of the flux of an organic activator;

the remainder being substantially at least one organic diluent;

wherein the flux is thermally dissipated, in use, leaving no visible or corrosive residue which would require a post-cleaning step; and

wherein the flux has a characteristic activity and, due to its activity, does not require a reducing atmosphere during the soldering process.

2. The thermally dissipated soldering flux of claim 1, wherein said organic activator is an aliphatic dicarboxylic acid having about 2 to 6 carbon atoms.

3. The thermally dissipated soldering flux of claim 1, wherein said organic activator is selected from the group consisting of abietic, adipic or citric acid.

4. The thermally dissipated soldering flux of claim 1, wherein said organic diluent is an aliphatic alcohol having about 1 to 4 carbon atoms.

5. The thermally dissipated soldering flux of claim 4, wherein said organic diluent is selected from the group consisting of methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol and n-butyl alcohol.

6. The thermally dissipated soldering flux of claim 1, wherein the said flux base is hydroabietal alcohol.

7. A method of fluxing the surface of a portion on a piece, comprising the steps of:

furnishing a piece to be fluxed;

contacting the portion to be fluxed with a solution consisting essentially of a mixture of about 5 to 30% by weight pure ester of rosin as a flux base, from about 1 to 6% of an organic activator, and an organic diluent; and

heating the contacted portion to a temperature at which the organic activator reacts with oxides present on the surface and the solution evaporates.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the flux base is hydroabietal alcohol.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the organic activator employed is selected from the group consisting of abietic acid, adipic acid and citric acid.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the organic diluent is an aliphatic alcohol having about 1 to 4 carbon atoms.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the organic diluent is selected from the group consisting of methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, n-propyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol and n-butyl alcohol.

12. A method for joining portions of two pieces, comprising the steps of:

furnishing the two pieces to be joined at least one of which has had a metallic solder previously applied;

contacting the portions to be joined to a solution consisting essentially of about 5 to 30% by weight hydroabietal alcohol as a flux base, about 1 to 6% by weight of an acid activator and the remainder being an alcohol diluent;

contacting the two portions to be joined at a temperature above the melting point of the metallic solder and then cooling the contacted portions to a temperature below the melting point of the metallic solder, thereby joining the contacted portions together, the method being carried out without any ost-cleaning of the joined components.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the pieces that is in an electronic component.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein one of said pieces is an electronic chip and one of said pieces is a printed circuit board.

15. A thermally dissipated no-clean soldering flux consisting essentially of:

from about 5 to 30% by weight hydroabietal alcohol as a flux base;

from about 1 to 6% by weight of an organic activator selected from the group consisting of abietic acid and aliphatic dicarboxylic acids having about 2 to 6 carbon atoms in the carbon chain;

the remainder being an organic diluent; and

wherein the flux is characterized as being thermally dissipated, in use, leaving no visible residue which would require a post-cleaning step.