Solderability and its measurement

The ease with which molten solder wets and spreads on the appropriate metallic surfaces of electronic component assemblies during the manufacturing process is referred to broadly as the solderability of the component or printed circuit board. Two needs are evident: a traceable solderability measurement method giving reproducible data that predict process performance, and an agreed level of solderability which, for a given manufacturing process, will deliver an acceptably robust solder joint. This paper describes briefly present understanding of the mechanisms that govern solderability and the measurement methods most likely to prove acceptable to the electronics assembly industry