The continued drive toward miniaturization has seen component sizes decrease while board densities have increased. The world’s most advanced semiconductor packages are facing new challenges with the adoption of 0201 passive components. These challenging components will push high-speed assembly equipment to even more exacting parameters. However, failures will still occur during manufacturing, and rework and repair will be needed to salvage these dense and often expensive assemblies.

The electronic world is getting smaller, more crowded and vertically integrated. Central to these challenges is the need to provide a rework-and-repair process. This article focuses on several complex rework processes in a lead-free environment.

Using automation, high volume rework can be transformed into high value rework where typical "expense" operation becomes an "income" business segment.

For many years, one of the most important challenges for electronic production has been error minimizing and at the same time process quality improvement. The repair of single modules is nevertheless necessary to eliminate errors. A uniform high, consistent quality standard can only be achieved if this process as well as the standard process chain is mastered.

The complete rework process concerning Area Array Packages is more complex than first appears. Cost-effective, high quality and reproducible rework concepts are the strength of a company in Berlin, Germany, which, as recent member of a well known concern, is experiencing fresh impetus.

The use of Lead Free materials in Rework leads to more stringent demand for technology and users. Higher temperatures, tighter process windows and noticeably reduced wetting by the solder materials are just some of the parameters. Especially in rework, all the new requirements are concentrated, as a rework station has to deal with all aspects of placement and soldering.