Mitigating Lead-Free Issues in Electronic Circuit Board Manufacturing and Repair

The objective of this SBIR Phase I project is to demonstrate consistent and significant mitigation of tin whiskers growth and associated electronic circuit failure. Atomic Layer Deposition encapsulating films (ALD-Cap) are flexible ceramic films, with exceptional conformality, adherence and mechanical strength. Developed primarily as a low-cost environmental protection and corrosion barrier, ALD-Cap was successfully used to protect MMIC components used by the Navy, as well as other environmentally sensitive devices and components. Tin whiskers pose major safety, reliability and mission readiness threats to all makers and users of high performance and/or high reliability electronics. In the very near future, most military and other high-reliability electronics will likely require both environmental/corrosion protection and tin-whiskers containment/failure-risk-mitigation. ALD-Cap may provide a crucial solution for both problems. These ceramic coatings are more than 50 times tougher than Parylene, the toughest conformal coating attempted so far. At the same time ALD-Cap coatings are proven to be flexible and crack resistant. Tin whiskers growth will be conducted on test samples according to known procedures of inducing whiskers growth. ALD-Cap coating effectiveness in suppressing whiskers will be assessed. Further coating optimization and extended failure testing will be performed in Phase II.