Abstract
The European Union enacted legislation, the ROHS Directive, that bans the use of lead (Pb) and several other substances in electronic products commencing July 1, 2006. The legislation recognized that in some situations no viable alternative Pb-free substitute materials are known at this time, and so provided exemptions for those cases. It was also recognized that certain electronic products, specifically servers, storage and storage array systems, network infrastructure equipment and network management for telecommunication equipment referred to as high-performance electronic products, perform tasks so important to modern society that their operational integrity had to be maintained. The introduction of new and unproven materials posed a significant potential reliability risk. Accordingly, the European Commission (EC) granted an exemption permitting the continued use of Pb in solders, independent of concentration, for high-performance (H-P) equipment applications. This exemption was primarily aimed at assuring that the reliability of solder joints, particularly flip-chip solder joints is preserved. Flip-chip solder joints experience the most severe operating conditions in comparison to other applications that utilize Pb in electronic equipment. This paper briefly describes the solder-exempted H-P electronic products, their capabilities, and some typical tasks they perform. Also discussed are the major attributes that differentiate H-P electronic equipment from consumer electronics, particularly in relation to their operational and reliability requirements. Interestingly, other than the special solder exemption accorded to H-P electronic equipment, these products must meet all the other requirements for ROHS compliancy. The EC was aware that issues would surface after the legislation was enacted, so it created the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to review industry-generated requests for exemptions. The paper discusses three exemption requests granted by the EC that are particularly relevant to H-P electronic products. The exemptions allow the continued use of lead-bearing solder materials.
Access provided by Autonomous University of Puebla. Download to read the full chapter text
Chapter PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
References
“Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and the Council on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipments,” Official Journal of the European Union, Jan. 27, 2003
G. Galyon, Presentation to ERA representing the European Commission, Leatherhead, Surrey, UK, Aug. (2004)
K.J. Puttlitz, in Proc. International Seminar on Electronics: Lead-free technologies and recycling, Nov. 10–11, (Beijing, China, 2003), pp. 147–156
M. Wang, J. Zhu, J. Smetana, in Proc. International Seminar on Electronics: Lead-free technologies and recycling, Nov. 10–11, (Beijing, China 2003), pp. 173–178
Vicki Chin, in Proc. International Seminar on Electronics: Lead-free technologies and recycling, Nov. 10–11, (Beijing, China, 2003), pp. 162–166
David Towne, in Proc. International Seminar on Electronics: Lead-free technologies and recycling, Nov. 10–11, (Beijing, China, 2003), pp. 59–64
M.S. Cole, K.J. Puttlitz, Power Architecture Community Newsletter, http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/library/pa-ni15-community/ March 15, 2005
M.S. Cole, Presentation to ERA representing the European Commission, Leatherhead, Surrey, UK, Aug. 2004
R.D. Hilty, Tyco Electronics Communication to European Commission, Brussels, Belgium, July 1, 2004
R. Spiegel, Design News, Aug. 29, 2005
Naval Avionics Facility Indianapolis (NAFI), Interconnection Systems, http://www.albacom.co.uk/web/site/def_products/def_nafi.asp
K.J. Puttlitz, in Proc. International Seminar on Electronics, Lead-free technologies and recycling, Nov. 10–11, (Beijing, China, 2003), pp. 221–226
“Press-fit Technology” http://www.opt.de/english/press-fit_technology/overview.htm
P. Isaacs, in Presentation to ERA representing the European Commission, Leatherhead, Surrey, UK, Aug. 2004
International Engineering Consortium, On-Line Education, http://www.iec.org/online/tutorials/signal_integrity/
R. Holt, June 21, 2005, http://www.connectorsupplier.com/tech_updates_backplanes_6-21-05.htm
S. Nagarajan, “High-density Compliant Pin Connectors—Assembly Process Issues and Solutions, Electronics Manufacturing Research and Services (EMRS) Masters Abstracts, 2002, http://www.emrs.binghamton.edu/thesis_ma02_nagas.html
N. Nguyen, G. Robertson, R. Schlak, T. Do, Printed Circuit Design, Nov. 2002, 12–13
G.J.S. Chou, R.D. Hilty, in Proc. of the IPC Anneal Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, Sept. 28–Oct. 2, 2003, 507-2-1 to 10
G.J.S. Chou, Tyco Electronics, Publication 503-2, Rev. A, Nov. 16, 2004
G.J.S. Chou, R.O. Hilty, in Proc. SMTA Inter. Conf., Chicago, IL, Sept 25–29, 2005, pp. 104–119
IEC 60352-5 Specification, “Solderless Connections—Part 5: Press-In Connections—General Requirements, Test Methods, and Practice Guidance,” 2nd Edn, 2001
D. Parenti, Lead-Free Magazine, Nov. 9, 2005, http:// www.leadfreemagazine.com/pages/vol005/press_fit_components_vol5_1.html
IBM Archives, http://www.03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/vintage/vintage_4506-2137.html
A.J. Blodgett, D.R. Barbour, IBM J. Res. Develop. 26(1), 30 (2001)
J. Knickerbocker, G. Leung, W. Miller, S. Young, S. Sands, R. Indyk, IBM J. Res. Develop. 35(3), 330 (1991)
M. Hoffmeyer, Presentation to ERA representing the European Commission, Leatherhead, Surrey, UK, Aug. 2004
K.J. Puttlitz, in Proc. International Seminar on Electronics: Lead-free technologies and recycling, Nov. 10–11, (Beijing, China, 2003), pp. 207–214
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Puttlitz, K.J., Galyon, G.T. (2006). Impact of the ROHS directive on high-performance electronic systems. In: Lead-Free Electronic Solders. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-48433-4_22
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-48433-4_22
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-48431-0
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-48433-4
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)