Mounting, Soldering, Storage and
Mechanical Precautions
The volume of solder applied to the chip capacitor can influence the reliability
Knowles Precision Devices' MLCCs are compatible with all recognized soldering/
mounting methods for chip capacitors.
of the device. Excessive solder can create thermal and tensile stresses on the
component, which can lead to fracturing of the chip or the solder joint itself.
Insufficient or uneven solder application can result in weak bonds, rotation of the
device off line or lifting of one terminal off the pad (tombstoning). The volume of
solder is process and board pad size dependent.
MECHANICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR MOUNTING MLCCS
Due to their brittle nature, ceramic chip capacitors are more prone to excesses of
mechanical stress than other components used in surface mounting.
One of the most common causes of failure is directly attributable to bending the printed
circuit board after solder attachment. The excessive or sudden movement of the flexible
circuit board stresses the inflexible ceramic block, causing a crack to appear at the
weakest point, usually the ceramic/termination interface. The crack may initially be quite
small and not penetrate into the inner electrodes; however, subsequent handling and
rapid changes in temperature may cause the crack to enlarge. This mode of failure is
often invisible to normal inspection techniques as the resultant cracks usually lie under
the capacitor terminations, but if left, can lead to catastrophic failure. More importantly,
mechanical cracks, unless they are severe, may not be detected by normal electrical
testing of the completed circuit, failure only occurring at some later stage after moisture
ingression. The degree of mechanical stress generated on the printed circuit board
is dependent upon several factors, including the board material and thickness; the
amount of solder and land pattern. The amount of solder applied is important, as an
excessive amount reduces the chip’s resistance to cracking.
Soldering methods commonly used in industry are Reflow Soldering, Wave
Soldering and, to a lesser extent, Vapor Phase Soldering. All these methods
involve thermal cycling of the components and therefore the rate of heating and
cooling must be controlled to preclude thermal shocking of the devices. Without
mechanical restriction, thermally induced stresses are released once the capacitor
attains a steady state condition. Capacitors bonded to substrates, however, will
retain some stress, due primarily to the mismatch of expansion of the component
to the substrate; the residual stress on the chip is also influenced by the ductility
and hence the ability of the bonding medium to relieve the stress. Unfortunately,
the thermal expansion of chip capacitors differs significantly from those of most
substrate materials. Large chips are more prone to thermal shock as their greater
bulk will result in sharper thermal gradients within the device during thermal
cycling. Large units experience excessive stress if processed through the fast
cycles typical of solder wave or vapor phase operations.
It is Knowles’ experience that more than 90ꢀ are due to board depanelization, a
process where two or more circuit boards are separated after soldering is complete.
Other manufacturing stages
REFLOW SOLDERING SURFACE MOUNT CHIP CAPACITORS
Knowles recommends reflow soldering as the preferred method for mounting
MLCCs. KPD MLCCs can be reflow soldered using a reflow profile generally
as defined in IPC/ EDEC J-STD-020. Sn plated termination chip capacitors
are compatible with both conventional and lead-free soldering, with peak
temperatures of 260ºC to 270ºC acceptable. The heating ramp rate should
be such that components see a temperature rise of 1.5ºC to 4ºC per second to
maintain temperature uniformity throughout the MLCC. The time for which the
solder is molten should be maintained at a minimum, so as to prevent solder
leaching. Extended times above 230ºC can cause problems with oxidation of Sn
plating. Use of inert atmosphere can help if this problem is encountered. PdAg
terminations can be particularly susceptible to leaching with lead-free, tin-rich
solders and trials are recommended for this combination. Cooling to ambient
temperature should be allowed to occur naturally, particularly if larger chip
sizes are being soldered. Natural cooling allows a gradual relaxation of thermal
mismatch stresses in the solder joints. Forced cooling should be avoided as this
can induce thermal breakage.
that should be reviewed include:
1) Attaching rigid components such as connectors, relays, display panels, heat sinks, etc.
2) Fitting conventional leaded components. Special care must be exercised when rigid
terminals, as found on large can electrolytic capacitors, are inserted.
3) Storage of boards in such a manner that allows warping.
4) Automatic test equipment, particularly the type employing “bed of nails” and
support pillars.
5) Positioning the circuit board in its enclosure, especially where this is a “snap-fit”.
Knowles was the first MLCC manufacturer to launch a flexible termination to significantly
reduce the instances of mechanical cracking. FlexiCap™ termination introduces a certain
amount of give into the termination layer, absorbing damaging stress. Unlike similar
systems, FlexiCap™ does not tear under tension, but absorbs the stress, so maintaining the
characteristics of the MLCC.
SM PAD DESIGN
WAVE SOLDERING SURFACE MOUNT CHIP CAPACITORS
Knowles conventional 2-terminal chip capacitors can generally be mounted using
pad designs in accordance with IPC-7351, Generic Requirements for Surface Mount
Design and Land Pattern Standards, but there are some other factors that have been
shown to reduce mechanical stress, such as reducing the pad width to less than the
chip width. In addition, the position of the chip on the board should also be considered.
3-Terminal components are not specifically covered by IPC-7351, but recommended
pad dimensions are included in the Knowles catalog/website for these components.
Wave soldering is generally acceptable, but the thermal stresses caused by the
wave have been shown to lead to potential problems with larger or thicker chips.
Particular care should be taken when soldering SM chips larger than size 1210 and
with a thickness greater than 1.0mm for this reason. 0402 size components are
not suitable for wave soldering. 0402 size components can also be susceptible
to termination leaching and reflow soldering is recommended for this size MLCC.
Wave soldering exposes the devices to a large solder volume, hence the pad size
area must be restricted to accept an amount of solder that is not detrimental to the
chip size utilized. Typically the pad width is 66ꢀ of the component width, and the
length is .030" (.760mm) longer than the termination band on the chip. An 0805
chip that is .050" wide and has a .020" termination band therefore requires a pad
SOLDERING SURFACE MOUNT CHIP CAPACITORS
Please see application note AN0028 “Soldering/Mounting Chip Capacitors, Radial
Leaded Capacitors and EMI Filters” located at: http://www.knowlescapacitors.com/
Resources.
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