S O LD E R I N G FLU X E S

SESSION 2008-2012

SUBMITTED BY:

Asif Ali E09-311

DEPARTMENT OF METALLURGY & MATERIALS ENGINEERING COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES UNIVERSITY OF THE PUNJAB, LAHORE, PAKISTAN

SOLDERING FLUXES
Successful soldering is largely dependent on the ability of the solder to wet and spread on component surfaces. A major barrier to wetting is presented by stable nonmetallic films and coatings on the surfaces, in particular oxides and carbonaceous residues. Fluxes are chemical agents that are used to remove these oxide and carbonaceous layers and thereby promote wetting by the molten filler. In order to be effective in exposing a bare metal surfaces, a flux must be capable of fulfil ling the following functions: Removal of oxides and other films that exist on surfaces to be joined by either chemical or physical means, often involving reaction of the flux with surface oxides to form metal salts, which are then dissolved by the flux Protection of the cleaned joint from oxidation during the joining cycle Wetting the joint surfaces, but being displaced by the molten solder as the latter spreads A flux can be introduced to the joint in a number of ways, the most common of which are: 1. In the form of a powder, paste, or liquid immediately prior to the heating cycle. 2. Together with the filler metal as a perform and the assembly heated to the bonding temperature. 3. Together with the filler into a joint already held at the bonding temperature, in the form of fluxcored solder wire. 4. Together with the filler, prior to the heating cycle, in the form of pastes and creams, which are normally proprietary formulations. Fluxing mechanisms can be classified according to whether they remove the nonmetallic surface coating by physical or chemical means. A flux can chemically remove a surface oxide coating by: Dissolving the coating Reacting with the coating to form a product that is unstable at the bonding temperature Reducing the oxide to metal in an exchange reaction A surface coating can also be physically removed. This usually occurs through erosion of the underlying metal. In this mechanism, the flux does not react with the surface coating itself, but is able to percolate through it and react with the underlying metal, thereby causing detachment of the coating. Soldering fluxes generally are of two types: 1. Fluxes that require cleaning 2. No clean soldering fluxes

Fluxes that require cleaning

Conventional soldering fluxes contain at least four basic ingredients, each of which has an identified role: Acids or halides to provide the cleaning action (the active constituents) An ingredient that is liquid at the soldering tempe rature that seals and protects the cleaned surfaces against reoxidation A surfactant that promotes wetting of the joint surfaces by the active and sealing constituents A rheological additive to suit the application method In practice, commercial fluxes often contain more than these four ingredients in order to meet the requirements of the soldering process. The higher the activity of a flux, the greater is its ability to remove surface oxides from metal components, but so is the corrosiveness of the flux and its residues. The active ingredient of a solder flux can be either an inorganic acid (HCl is commonly used) or an organic acid (e.g., carboxylic acids). By using a mixture of salts, the activation temperature of the flux and its corrosiveness can be adjusted over a wide range. In all cases, the residues are highly corrosive. The flux constituent that protects the clean metal surface from reoxidation usually also serves as the carrier for the other ingredients. It need only be effective for a few seconds in many soldering processes. Alcohols, oils, esters, glycol, and even water are capable of fulfilling this function at the relatively low temperatures used for most soldering operations (<250 C, or 480 F). Surfactants are added to lower the surface tension of the liquid flux. The effect of minute additions of detergents, soaps, and soluble oils to water is well known, and these are often added to water-based fluxes to ensure satisfactory wetting when either oil or grease are likely to be present on the component surfaces. The surfactant needs to be inert toward the other constituents of the flux and also to the clean metal surface. A common commercial designation of fluxes used for soldering is: R : rosin RMA: rosin mildly activated RA: rosin activated OA: organic acid IA: inorganic acid WS: water soluble SA: synthetically activated

No clean soldering fluxes

These fluxes have been formulated with a wide range of chemical ingredients, but all share the characteristics of leaving residues that are judged to be benign and so can be left on the assemblies. No-clean fluxes mostly contain an alcohol solvent carrier and a small percentage of active ingredients, which may comprise resins or simply organic acids. Some of the newer noclean fluxes are water-based and are totally free of VOCs, including alcohols. The need to clean is obviated by diluting the activators to low levels. Therefore, these fluxes contain a much lower content of rosin, or halides referred to simply as solidsthan do traditional fluxes. The solids content of no-clean fluxes is normally in the range 2 to 3 wt%, as compared with 25 to 35 wt% for normal rosin based fluxes.

Table. Classification of soldering fluxes using the method adopted by the International
Organization for Standardization

Flux type 1 Resin 2 Organic

Flux basis 1 Rosin 2 Resin 1 Water soluble 2 Not water soluble

Flux Activation 1 Not Activated 2 Halogen activated 3 Not Halogen activated 1 With NH4 Cl 2 Without NH4 Cl 1 Phosphoric acid 2 Other acids 1 Ammonia and/or other amines

Flux form A Liquid

B Solid

3 Inorganic

1 Salts 2 Acids 3 Alkalis

C Paste

Fluxes for Unsolderable Metals

Aluminum, chromium, and some other metals are often classified as unsolderable because they are not wetted by lead-tin solders using common fluxes. Aluminum soldering fluxes: Special fluxes have been formulated for use with aluminum alloys. These have to be particularly effective in protecting the metal surface from oxidation before the solder melts and spreads. The fluxes used for soldering of aluminum and its alloys are of two types: 1. Organic fluxes 2. Chloridebased fluxes Organic fluxes contain amines, fluoborates, and a heavy metal compound in an organic carrier. They come in the form of viscous liquids or powders. A typical example of this type of flux has the composition: 83% triethanolamine, 10% fluoboric acid, and 7% cadmium fluoroborate (a viscous liquid). Its operating range is 180 to 280C (355 to 535 F). Chloride-based fluxes contain zinc or tin chlorides with ammonium chloride and fluoride and are generally applied as a water-based slurry or paste to precleaned component surfaces. An example of such a flux has the formulation: 88% tin chloride, 10% ammonium chloride, 2% sodium fluoride (powder) with a working range of 300 to 400 C (570 to 750 F). Stainless Steel soldering fluxes: Stainless steel is not an easy material to solder for two reasons. Firstly, it is covered with an extremely stable (self- repairing) oxide layer, Secondly, for a metal it has an unusually low thermal conductivity. A solution of zinc chloride in hydrochloric acid constitutes the chemically active ingredients of fluxes for stainless steel. Phosphoric acid is also extremely effective as a flux on stainless steel. Multicomponent, lead free, solders based on bismuth-tin have been devised for soldering to stainless steel using phosphoric acid flux. Magnesium soldering fluxes: Because this organic compound melts at 83 C (181 F), it offers a route whereby indium-tin solder (melting point 120 C, or 248F) could be used to wet the exposed metal on the substrate.

Table. Relative solderability of selected metals and alloys

Parent material Easy Intermediate Difficult Undesirable

Aluminum Aluminum alloys Be Brass Cr Cu Cu-Ni Gold Invar/Kovar Lead Mg Nichrome Nickel Palladium Platinum Silver Stainless Steel Steel Tin Ti Zn

------X --X --X --X ------X X X ----X -----

----X ------X ----------X --------X ----X

X --------------X ----X --------X ---------

--X ----X ----------X ----------------X ---

High Temperature Fluxes

Fluxes for soldering at high temperatures (in the range 250 to 450 C, or 480 to 840 F) are formulated differently to fluxes designed to work with lead-tin eutectic solder and alloys of similar melting point. There are three reasons for this: First, the higher process temperature means that there is more thermal activation available so that the active constituents need not be as chemically aggressive. Second, these fluxes are usually used with high- lead solders or gold-tin eutectic solder. The final consideration is that the flux needs to provide significantly more protection to the filler metal and component surfaces against oxidation, because higher process temperatures usually mean that the duration of the process cycle is longer. For these reasons, high-temperature fluxes tend only to be mildly active and are based predominately on high- molecular-weight hydrocarbons. The long-chain molecules are very viscous at room temperature, and these fluxes are very difficult to dispense, especially on a cold morning. To overcome this problem, the flux is usually thinned with a lower molecular weight species. On heating, the lighter fraction of the mixture progressively volatilizes as the viscosity of the high- molecular-weight hydrocarbon declines, so ensuring that the fluidity of the flux remains essentially constant throughout the working temperature range. Higher temperature fluxes are available in all of the modern designations including water soluble and no-clean. Reference: Principles of Soldering, Giles Humpston and David M. Jacobson, ASM International (2004)