Vishay Precision Group (VPG) recognizes the environmental concerns caused by lead and has started the process of eliminating or reducing the lead content of VPG products.
Electronics companies in Japan and lawmakers in Europe have established goals for the elimination of lead from electronic products in their regions. The United States has not issued specific legislation to
eliminate lead at this time. VPG intends to meet all legislative mandates within the time frames expected by our customer base.
The majority of all VPG's products have lead-free terminations and we expect 100% of required products to have lead-free terminations in the near future.
RoHS Compliance means conformity to Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and the Council of 8 June 2011, on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. It restricts the use of the following six substances:
lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, and polybrominated diphenyl ether. The maximum permitted concentrations are 0.1% or 1000 ppm (except for cadmium, which is limited to 0.01% or 100 ppm) by
weight of homogeneous material. VPG defines homogeneous material as materials that cannot be mechanically disjointed into different materials. Examples of homogeneous materials are electroplated coatings, molding compounds,
insulation sleeves, lead frame alloys, and bonding wires.
Q. What is VPG's definition of lead-free plating/finish?
A. There is no intentionally added lead (<1000 ppm as per the JEDEC standard) in the plating/finish.
Q. Are components with lead-free termination finish available now?
A. The majority of VPG's products are available with lead-free finishes today. To order these parts please contact your local Sales Office.
Q. What lead-free finishes are currently used by VPG?
A. There are several types of lead-free finishes used by VPG. The majority of the finishes are the industry standard of 100% tin.
Q. How can customers identify lead-free and RoHS products?
A. VPG complies with JEDEC Standard 97 to identify the Pb-termination status of its products. In addition, VPG also applies the words "RoHS" to reels, ammo packs, shipping boxes, and so forth, that meet Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and the Council of 8 June 2011.
Q. Will VPG change part numbers for components with lead-free finishes?
A. Yes, VPG will add another sign to the current part number to distinguish between the two production lines. Parts that have been lead-free for several years will maintain their current part numbers.
Q. Are lead-free components compatible with lead soldering temperatures?
A. The majority of VPG components are backward compatible to 215°C.
Q. What tests have been done to qualify lead-free finishes?
A. Moisture Sensitivity (if applicable), Solderability, Resistance to Soldering Heat and Whisker Growth are the minimum tests performed to qualify lead-free finishes. Moisture Sensitivity is performed according to J-STD-020B/C or greater.
Solderability is performed at 215°C and <10s for SMDs and 235°C/2s for through-hole products according to IEC 60068-2, IPC J-STD-002B, and EIA/JESD22-B102. These test conditions are used to test backward compatibility.
VPG has standardized whisker testing requirements and those tests are summarized in the Whisker Testing section below.
Q. Which solder profile is recommended for components with lead-free finishes?
A. Our goal is to meet the industry standard for reflow, which is mostly defined in IPC/JEDEC J-STD-020 /C or greater which requires a maximum peak of 260°C depending on the component volume.
To verify that both the structure and plating process are robust, VPG has adopted the following tests as recommended by NEMI/JEDEC. It must be noted that since there is not a complete industry consensus these
requirements might change in the future.
| Test |
Conditions |
Time/Cycles |
Conditional Release |
Lot |
Sample |
Acceptance Criteria |
| Ambient Storage |
20°C to 25°C; 30% to 80% RH |
4000 hrs |
2000 hrs |
3 |
3 |
<40µm Whisker* |
| Temp/Humidity |
55°C ±3; 85% RH (±5) |
4000 hrs |
2000 hrs |
3 |
3 |
<40µm Whisker* |
| Temp Cycle |
-55°C (+0 -10) to 85°C (+10 -0), 3cyc/hour |
1000 cycles |
500 cycles |
3 |
3 |
<40µm Whisker* |
Leaded parts will be mechanically preconditioned to the industry-standard IEC 91192-3 specification. SMD parts are preconditioned using a lead-free profile, except for ambient storage samples.
Qualification samples will be from three different lots, three different date codes, and plated at least one week apart.
In additional to the tests above, a Dry Heat Test (55 ±5°C and 50% RH @ 35°C for 4000 hrs) will be performed on all Sn on Zn containing (>0.1%) base material structures.
In addition to these tests, VPG will perform ongoing monitoring of its plating process. Qualification and reliability data is available and may be obtained by contacting your local Sales Office or VPG Representative.
