Hmmmmm...... Nano-particle technology has tremendous promise in all sorts of areas including solder replacement. In solder replacement most effort so far has centred on high temperature alloy replacement for die attach apps, where a high service temperature, low cost process is needed. Just about everything has been tried in this zone, including doing away with all material problems by not having any, but I think it would be fair to say that no outright winning technology has so far emerged. I'm not sure that I would place PCB soldering ahead of die attach. For PCB soldering there are simpler alternate alloy processes. Die attach is proving more difficult. Beneath the headlines the actual hard information seems scant, but I have to say it doesn't seem qualitatively different from hundreds of other similar nano announcements - including copper based technology - I have read in the last couple of years. They all announce potential benefits based on some preliminary study, go on to say actual delivery between 2 and 5 years, just a few things to sort out (bond strength is admitted for this). The ones that have arrived so far haven't completely delivered, most having process issues such as high pressures and/or long process times and/or bond quality The significant difference if any on this announcement is that it is not a pleas for cash. It does have some relatively serious funding in place already, so perhaps I more serious. So watch this space, but I suggest not to hold your breath whilst doing so. Best Wishes Mike-----Original Message----- From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bev Christian Sent: Sunday, April 07, 2013 5:40 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [TN] copper nanosolder--fyi Harvey, What about rework? Bev -----Original Message----- From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of harvey Sent: Saturday, April 06, 2013 9:16 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [TN] copper nanosolder--fyi Biltmore Santa Clara for dinner (or non-dinner) June 12, 2013. Dr. Zinn's bio and abstract are at the end. Lockheed's nano-copper solder is an answer to the lead-free solder fiasco. Remember "the non-solution to the non-problem", that is, until we get rid of most solder altogether, most solder paste, anyhow. Speaker: Alfred Zinn, Lockheed Martin Space System Company ATC, Senior Scientist Abstract: NanoCopper Materials Platform for Electronic Packaging and Printed Electronics with 200 °C Processing Temperature The Advanced Technology Center of the Lockheed Martin Corporation has developed a nanocopper-based material that can be fused to bulk copper around 200 °C taking advantage of the rapidly decreasing fusion temperature with decreasing particle size at the nanoscale. The nanocopper material has the potential to replace tin-based solder to eliminate whisker growth and mechanical reliability concerns encountered with current lead-free solder. Fully optimized, the fused copper is expected to exhibit 10-15x electrical and thermal conductivity improvements over tin-based materials currently in use. The materials platform is enabled by our scalable Cu nanoparticle fabrication process employing a low cost solution-phase chemical reduction approach. A proprietary mixture of surfactants controls particle size and size distribution as well as stabilizing the particles preventing particle growth and oxidation, which would otherwise degrade its activity. We have demonstrated assembly of fully functional LED test boards using a paste formulated with nanocopper that exhibits a consistency very similar to standard tin-based solder paste. To date, we have demonstrated 26-pin through-hole connector assembly and a variety of surface mount components. We demonstrated feasibility of drop-in solder replacement using standard stencil and pick & place packaging equipment as well as demonstrated feasibility of using the material for printed electronics applications. Dr. Zinn received his Doctor of Science degree in Chemistry in 1990 from the Philipps University, Marburg, Germany. Following completion of his graduate studies, Dr. Zinn spent five years at UCLA as a lecturer and conducting postdoctoral research on low-temperature CVD for interconnect, diffusion, and migration barrier deposition, as well as magnetic nanomaterials design and synthesis. In 2004, he joined Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company Advanced technology Center in Palo Alto, CA developing high-temperature materials systems, nanostructured functional materials (electrical, thermal, thermoelectric), modeling quantum/superlattice structures and devices, high performance energy conversion devices (solar, high & low quality heat conversion). He holds seven patents in materials, structures and processing, two THz technology patents, with ten additional patents pending (multiple international filings) as well as four trade secrets. He has authored or co-authored over 20 archival journal publications, including book chapters in "The Chemistry of Metal CVD" as well as the "Encyclopedia of Inorganic Chemistry. ______________________________________________________________________ This email has been scanned by the Symantec Email Security.cloud service. For more information please contact helpdesk at x2960 or [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ This email has been scanned by the Symantec Email Security.cloud service. For more information please contact helpdesk at x2960 or [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ This email has been scanned by the Symantec Email Security.cloud service. For more information please contact helpdesk at x2960 or [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________