Contamination Identification and Cleanliness Solutions

ACI employs several analytical techniques and methods to determine the root cause of contaminant problems and evaluate the effects of process or materials changes on cleanliness.

Ionic contamination can lead to corrosion and dendrite growth, two common causes of electronic shorts and opens. Nonionic residue can lead to unwanted impedance, poor adhesion of solder mask and conformal coating, physical interference with moving parts, and retention of foreign debris.

Ionic Residue

• Plating Chemistries
• Flux Activators
• Perspiration
• Ionic Surfactants

• Rosin
• Oils
• Greases
• Adhesives  

Contamination Identification and Cleanliness Services  

1. Measure levels of ionic contamination

ACI utilizes Ion Chromatography (IC) to measure individual levels of F, Cl, Br, NO 2, NO 3, PO 4, and SO 4 to 0.5 mg/cm 2) per IPC TM-650 2.3.28. IC is used to help determining the source of ionic contamination. ACI also provides Resistivity of Solvent Extract (ROSE) methods to measure overall ionic cleanliness of a sample per IPC TM-650 2.3.25 and J-STD 003.

2. Identify organic contamination

ACI performs Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy on liquid and solid samples. Utilizing IPC-TM-650 2.3.39B, ASTM standards, and an extensive spectral database makes this an excellent technique for identifying unknown residue. ACI’s UV-Vis spectroscopy can characterize both flat surface contamination and semi-transparent liquid samples.

3. Characterize flux, conformal coatings, and cleaning materials

Surface Insulation Resistance (SIR) determines the corrosive effects of fluxes, conformal coating, and cleaning materials as specified by IPC-TM-650 2.6 and J-STD 004. SIR testing also characterizes the material’s resistance to creating short circuits. SIR testing is often used when changing cleaning materials or process, changing flux chemistry, or adding conformal coating.