Influence of Element Lead (Pb) Content in Tin Plating on Tin Whisker Initiation/Growth

The implementation of the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) European Union (EU) Directive in 2005 resulted in the introduction of pure tin as an acceptable surface finish for printed circuit boards and component terminations. A drawback of pure tin surface finishes is the potential to form tin whiskers.  Tin whiskers are a metallurgical phenomenon that is associated with tin rich/pure tin materials and has been a topic of intense industry interest. The acceptance and usage of pure tin by the electronics industry component fabricators is understandable as the pure tin surface finishes are inexpensive, are simple plating systems to operate and have reasonable solderability characteristics. However, high performance/harsh environment electronics typically have product life cycles that are measured in decades and therefore are much more susceptible to the potential long term threat of tin whiskers. The GEIA-STD-0005-2 “Standard for Mitigating the Effects of Tin Whiskers in Aerospace and High Performance Electronic Systems” established the definition of the term “Pb-free tin” as :  “Pb-free Tin is defined to be pure tin or any tin alloy with <3% lead (Pb) content by weight. A functional definition of “pure tin” was necessary so that the electronics industry could establish tin whisker risk protocols against a known acceptable target value in terms of soldering materials and processes. An investigation was conducted to determine the influence of 1% - 5% elemental lead (Pb) content in tin plating on tin whisker initiation and growth. The investigation results were used in the revision of the GEIA-STD-0005-2 “Standard for Mitigating the Effects of Tin Whiskers in Aerospace and High Performance Electronic Systems” specification technical discussions.