Materials and Technologies in Reflow Soldering

Dear Colleagues,

Reflow soldering is the most widespread soldering technology used in the microelectronics industry for assembly, especially of Surface Mounted Devices. This process is applied to prepare the solder joints in mass manufacturing of Surface Mount Devices to attach them to the Printed Wiring Board (PWBs) both electrically and mechanically. The steps before the actual reflow soldering process involve printing/depositing solder paste to the contact surfaces (pads) of the PWB and placing the components into the deposited solder paste. The reflow process heats the entire assembly to a temperature beyond the melting point of the solder alloy, then cools down it to solidify the solder alloy and create the solder joints. Although this technology is widely applied by the electronics industry, it is still the subject of intense research and development. We welcome papers on the following topics:

• New soldering technologies and soldering ovens/devices, including new heat-transfer methods and thermal management of ovens;
• New application areas for reflow soldering;
• Improved process steps reached by artificial intelligence and statistical tools;
• Novel soldering materials, new alloys, application of nanoparticles in solder alloys; composite solders;
• Novel characterization and measurement methods of the reflow soldering process and solder joints;
• Reliability and quality improvement of solder joints.

Prof. Dr. Balázs Illés
Dr. Oliver Krammer
Topic Editors