Electrical component having presoldered surface with flux reservoirs

• US 9,925,611 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2014
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Antaya Technologies Corporation (Aptiv PLC)
• Original Assignee: Antaya Technologies Corporation (Aptiv PLC)
• Inventors: Mackin, Alexandra Mary, Pereira, John, Scherer, Matthew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Devang R
• Application Number:
  US14/339,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20150034704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 228 563
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 1/203 Fluxing, i.e. applying flux onto surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/22 characterised by the composition or nature of the material
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 5/002 Auxiliary arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/0465 by soldering H05K13/0469 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09745 Recess in conductor, e.g. in pad or in metallic substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3489 Composition of fluxes; Methods of application thereof; Other methods of activating the contact surfaces

Abstract

A presoldered prefluxed electrical component or connector, which can protect the flux from wearing off the surface of solder during shipping and handling. The electrical component can include a terminal pad. A layer of solder can be on the terminal pad. The layer of solder can have a surface with a series of generally equally spaced apart flux wells formed in the surface of the solder for protectively storing and retaining flux therein. The flux wells can have a lateral dimension of at least 0.05 mm and a depth of at least 0.023 mm that is deep enough for retaining a quantity of flux therein when flux on the surface of the layer of solder wears off during shipping and/or handling.

Claims

1. An electrical component comprising:

a terminal pad having a terminal pad surface;

a layer of lead free solder consisting of 66% to 90% indium, 4% to 25% tin, 0.5% to 9% silver, 0.1% to 8% antimony, 0.03% to 4% copper, 0.03% to 4% nickel, and 0.2% to 6% zinc by weight on the terminal pad surface, the layer of solder having a solder surface opposite the terminal pad surface with flux wells formed in the solder surface configured to protectively store and retain flux therein, the flux wells having a lateral dimension of at least 0.05 mm and a depth of at least 0.023 mm; and

a layer of flux on at least a portion of the solder surface and filling at least a portion of the flux reservoirs.

2. The electrical component of claim 1, wherein the flux wells are in a generally even lateral spaced apart distribution in x and y directions across the solder layer.

3. The electrical component of claim 1, wherein the flux wells are interconnected and formed by a grid of criss-crossing grooves in x and y directions about 0.15 mm wide, about 0.15 mm deep, and separated from each other by about 0.25 mm.

4. The electrical component of claim 1 further comprising a connector portion extending from the terminal pad for connection to a desired element.

5. The electrical component of claim 1, wherein the flux is a type suitable for lead free solder compositions.

11. The electrical component of claim 2, wherein the flux wells have a diameter of at least 0.05 mm, a depth of at least 0.023 mm, and are in a continuous pattern with at least 0.035 mm spacing in x and y directions.

12. The electrical component of claim 2, wherein the flux wells have a diameter of about 0.051 mm, a depth of about 0.25 mm, and are in a continuous pattern with about 0.89 mm spacing in the x and y directions.

6. A method of protecting flux on a presoldered prefluxed electrical component comprising the steps of:

providing the electrical component with a terminal pad having a terminal pad surface;

providing a layer of lead free solder consisting of 66% to 90% indium, 4% to 25% tin, 0.5% to 9% silver, 0.1% to 8% antimony, 0.03% to 4% copper, 0.03% to 4% nickel, and 0.2% to 6% zinc by weight, the layer of solder having a solder surface opposite the terminal pad surface that includes a series of generally equally spaced apart flux wells formed in the solder surface which protectively store and retain flux therein from wear during shipping and/or handling, the flux wells having a lateral dimension of at least 0.05 mm and a depth of at least 0.023 mm that is deep enough for retaining a quantity of flux therein when flux on the surface of the layer of solder wears off during shipping and/or handling; and

providing a layer of flux on the solder surface, at least portions of the flux filling the flux wells.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the flux wells are in a generally even lateral spaced apart distribution in x and y directions across the solder surface.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of providing the electrical component with a connector portion extending from the terminal pad for connecting to a desired element.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the flux is a type of suitable for lead free solder compositions.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of providing the flux wells with a diameter of at least 0.05 mm, a depth of at least 0.023 mm, and a continuous pattern with at least 0.035 mm spacing in x and y directions.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of providing the flux wells with a diameter of about 0.51 mm, a depth of about 0.25 mm, and a continuous pattern with about 0.89 mm spacing in the x and y directions.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of providing interconnected flux wells formed by a grid of criss-crossing grooves in x and y directions about 0.15 mm wide, about 0.15 mm deep, and separated from each other by about 0.25 mm.

10. A method of protecting flux on a presoldered prefluxed electrical component comprising the steps of:

providing the electrical component with a terminal pad having a terminal pad surface;

providing a layer of lead free solder consisting of 66% to 90% indium, 4% to 25% tin, 0.5% to 9% silver, 0.1% to 8% antimony, 0.03% to 4% copper, 0.03% to 4% nickel, and 0.2% to 6% zinc by weight, the layer of solder having a solder surface opposite the terminal pad surface with a pattern of generally equally spaced apart flux reservoirs formed in the surface of the solder which protectively store and retain flux therein from wear during shipping; and

providing a layer of flux on the solder surface, at least portions of the flux filling the flux reservoirs.

16. An electrical component, comprising:

a terminal pad having a terminal pad surface;

a layer of lead free solder consisting of 66% to 90% indium, 4% to 25% tin, 0.5% to 9% silver, 0.1% to 8% antimony, 0.03% to 4% copper, 0.03% to 4% nickel, 0.2% to 6% zinc by weight, and 0.01% to 0.3% germanium by weight on the terminal pad surface, the layer of solder having a solder surface opposite the terminal pad surface with a series of generally equally spaced apart flux wells formed in the solder surface configured to protectively store and retain flux therein, the flux wells having a lateral dimension of at least 0.05 mm and a depth of at least 0.023 mm; and

a layer of flux on at least a portion of the solder surface and filling at least a portion of the flux reservoirs.

17. A method of protecting flux on a presoldered prefluxed electrical component, comprising the steps of:

providing the electrical component with a terminal pad having a terminal pad surface;

providing a layer of lead free solder consisting of 66% to 90% indium, 4% to 25% tin, 0.5% to 9% silver, 0.1% to 8% antimony, 0.03% to 4% copper, 0.03% to 4% nickel, 0.2% to 6% zinc by weight, and 0.01% to 0.3% germanium by weight, the layer of solder having a solder surface opposite the terminal pad surface that includes a series of generally equally spaced apart flux wells formed in the solder surface which protectively store and retain flux therein from wear during shipping and/or handling, the flux wells having a lateral dimension of at least 0.05 mm and a depth of at least 0.023 mm that is deep enough for retaining a quantity of flux therein when flux on the surface of the layer of solder wears off during shipping and/or handling; and

providing a layer of flux on the solder surface, at least portions of the flux filling the flux wells.

18. A method of protecting flux on a presoldered prefluxed electrical component, comprising the steps of:

providing the electrical component with a terminal pad having a terminal pad surface;

providing a layer of lead free solder consisting of 66% to 90% indium, 4% to 25% tin, 0.5% to 9% silver, 0.1% to 8% antimony, 0.03% to 4% copper, 0.03% to 4% nickel, 0.2% to 6% zinc by weight, and 0.01% to 0.3% germanium by weight, the layer of solder having a solder surface opposite the terminal pad surface with a pattern of generally equally spaced apart flux reservoirs formed in the surface of the solder which protectively store and retain flux therein from wear during shipping; and

providing a layer of flux on the solder surface, at least portions of the flux filling the flux reservoirs.