-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueTest and Inspection
Test and inspection methods are undergoing rapid change. In this issue, we consider the influence of AOI, AI, and human eyes. How exactly are these pieces of the puzzle changing the role of test and inspection?
Chips Don't Float
In Europe and the U.S., legislation is under way to revitalize PCB fabrication and packaging. What is the status of this work, and how specifically does this change the industry landscape for EMS companies? What will help keep us afloat?
Flying High With Digital Twin
The opportunity to use manufacturing simulation as a test bed for job planning and process optimization brings continuous improvement into the modern age. This may be an all-or-nothing type of project, but it’s worth the investment.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
Estimated reading time: 1 minute

Tin Whiskers, Part 5: Impact of Testing Conditions
In this installment of the tin whisker series, we'll take a look at the impact of testing conditions, and follow-up with this statement from Part 4: “…all-encompassing tests to confirm or deny the culprits for tin whiskers are prohibitively costly and time-consuming…”
The JEDEC Solid State Technology Association (formerly known as the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council) has published several documents that address and/or are related to the testing of tin whiskers, which are good guidelines with which to start.
- JEDEC Standard No. 201: Environmental Acceptance requirements for Tin Whisker Susceptibility of Tin and Tin Alloy Surface Finishes.
- JEDEC Standard No. 22A12: Measuring Whisker Growth on Tin and Tin Alloy Surface Finishes.
- JEDEC Standard No. 22-A104D: Temperature Cycling.
Primarily, three sets of testing conditions are included in the JEDEC documents: ambient temperature storage, elevated temperature storage and temperature cycling, with the following parameters:
Room Temperature Humidity Storage
30 ± 2°C and 60 ± 3% RH
(1,000 hrs interval inspection/3,000 to 4,000 hours total duration)
Temperature Humidity Unbiased
60 ± 5°C and 87 + 3/-2% RH
(1,000 hours interval inspection/3,000 to 4,000 hours total duration)
Temperature Cycling
Lower end temperature: -55 to -40 (+0/-10)°C
Higher end temperature: +85 (+10/-0)°C
(500 cycles inspection /1,000 to 1,500 cycles duration/air to air/5 to 10 minute soak/three cycles per hour)
Read the full column here.
Editor's Note: This column originally appeared in the May 2014 issue of SMT Magazine.
More Columns from SMT Perspectives and Prospects
SMT Perspectives and Prospects: Pearls of WisdomSMT Perspectives and Prospects: The Role of Bismuth (Bi) in Electronics, Part 7: A Case Study in Fillet-Lifting
SMT Perspectives & Prospects: Creating a Better World Through Engineering
SMT Perspectives and Prospects: Cybersecurity Requires an Active Approach
SMT Perspectives and Prospects: In Search of Wisdom
SMT Perspectives and Prospects: Critical Materials—A Compelling Case, Part 2
SMT Perspectives and Prospects: Critical Materials, A Compelling Case, Part 1
SMT Perspectives and Prospects: Reliability Primer—A Pragmatic SMT Perspective