Contamination Tester for PCB Assemblies

Ionic contamination, which comes from, among other sources, plating chemistries, flux activators, ionic surfactants, ethanolamines and perspiration, can lead to defects and failure conditions—most commonly in the form of corrosion and dendrite growth, which then lead to opens and shorts in the field. Densely populated assemblies and fine-pitch applications are especially prone to the effects of ionic contamination.

The Zero Ion G3, a dynamic resistivity of solvent extract (ROSE) testing system, is a cost-effective and easy to use method of detecting ionic contamination on bare boards and printed circuit assemblies, allowing potential failures to be avoided.

Process and Traceability Data

IPC-001 and IPC TM650 recognize ROSE testing as an approved method of determining the cleanliness of circuit assemblies. Zero-Ion meets IPC's and other industrial cleanliness specification's including MIL-STD-2000A (in which the Zero Ion is specifically cited), MIL-P-28809, IPC-TM-650, and ANSI/J-STD-001B, IPC-TM650.

Usable as a daily process monitoring tool, the Zero-Ion G3 can be operated by entry-level staff with minimal training.

Zero-Ion G3's built-in SPC data recording captures all relevant testing data. Cleanliness results may be stored for later viewing, saved as a PDF on the hard drive or over a network, or sent to any Windows-compatible printer. The cleaning results database can be searched by date range, recipe name, board serial number and other details. Connect the Zero-Ion G3 to the company's network for remote viewing of SPC data.

Additionally, real-time process information can be viewed during testing on the system's 18.5" LCD display.

No-Clean (and All Other Flux Types) Capability

Static-based cleanliness testers suffer from what's called the "saturation limit effect," making them less effective in evaluating assemblies that have been assembled with no-clean solder paste. Zero-Ion G3 uses a dynamic filtering technology to ensure that all flux types can be tested.

With Zero-Ion's dynamic filtering technology, test solution is filtered and re-deionized during the test, resulting in greater solubility/sensitivity that allows for enhanced detection of the weak ion activators commonly found in no-clean fluxes.

Immersion Spray Action Eliminates Test Inaccuracies

Open-air spray systems can cause carbon dioxide adsorption, which leads to test inaccuracies. With the Zero-Ion, the assembly or bare board under test is submerged in test solution. Dozens of submerged jets then agitate the test solution, allowing all soluble contamination to be stripped off the assembly or bare board and measured. It is this immersion spraying action that gives the Zero Ion G3 system its superiority in ionic contamination detection.

Ambient Testing for Cost-Effective Operation

Because the Zero-Ion G3, unlike many other systems, is able to perform all tests at ambient test solution temperature, no test solution heater is needed. This provides a savings on several fronts: reduced power consumption, reduced machine startup times, and reduced test solution evaporation. It also eliminates safety concerns associated with heaters.