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ID COMPONENT_SHELF_LIFE
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Issue Date: 08/02/2012
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Change History:
5.0 Change TEPS to Lineage Power. Remove Paragraph 4.4 PCB without R. Roessler 07/14/2008
Desiccant and HIC Card. Replace with MPS 179000 Issue 2. Eliminate A. A. Cervone
MPS 179000 Document. Added References. Updated issue of J-STD-033
to B.
6.0 Add Section for Magnetic Components that use PCB Materials. Add R. Roessler 12/17/2009
paragraph to PCB Shelf Life to address Handling of Out of Date PCB
Materials.
7.0 Added Section for PWB Packaging Bag (section 3.1) and updated HIC card A. Shyamsundar 10/27/2011
indication from 50% to 10% in sections 4.2 and 4.4, Chapter 2.
Shelf life Matrix for PWB update: PWB shelf life of ENIG and HASL from
6 months to 12 months. HIC indication changed from 50% to 10%.
Added notes on packaging in summary.
Added Picture of Metal Aluminum Bag
Replace Lineage Power with GE Power Electronics.
8.0 Harmonized with CHK Shelf Life Material Procedure A.A .Cervone 8/2/2012
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Chapter 1
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................................... 5
1.1 Purpose........................................................................................................................................................... 5
2. GENERAL ................................................................................................................................................................................ 5
2.1 References........................................................................................................................................................... 5
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4.12 Metal Fabricated Parts (ex: screws, washers, standoffs, spacers, inserts, studs, rivets, thumbscrews,
clips, clamps, etc) ......................................................................................................................................... 18
Chapter 2
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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 PURPOSE
The intent of this specification is to define the storage requirements for electronic components, printed
wiring boards, connectors and mechanical piece parts and adhesives used in GE Power Electronics
products, covering the Policy for Shelf Life, Testing Requirements, and Storage Bag Requirements. Shelf
life status for all materials must be confirmed prior to kitting to the production floor.
1.2 SCOPE
This specification contains specific requirements for storage of Semiconductor Devices, Printed Circuit
Boards, Passive Components, Sheet-Metal Fabrication, Plastics, Electrical Connectors, Fans and
miscellaneous other components/materials such as adhesives and solders varnishes, accelerators, thermal
compounds and batteries used in or distributed with GE Power Electronics’ products.
This procedure shall be followed by all personnel and outside component distributors dealing with age
sensitive material.
2. GENERAL
2.1 REFERENCES
ISSUE REFERENCES
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2.3.1 ACRONYMS
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2.3.2 DEFINITIONS
2.3.2.1 Controlled Stock Room:
2.3.2.1.1 Temperature: The stock room is to be maintained at a temperature of 20°C ±10 °C. In addition,
temperature variations of more that 10 °C are not permitted in any 24-hour period. Components
that have been exposed to temperature extremes or variations that are outside these limits must
undergo appropriate inspection/test procedures before any use/shipment.
2.3.2.1.2 Humidity: Shall be controlled between 30-60% relative humidity. For optical connectors and
components, it is recommended that humidity levels be lower than 60% due to the hygroscopic
nature of glass fiber and the potential for cracking on the surface of the fiber when handled after
prolonged exposure to humidity..
2.3.2.1.3 ESD Protection: Packaging for all sensitive components needs to be intact, no rips or punctures,
and fully covering the components/finished boards.
2.3.2.1.4 Unit Packaging: Undamaged, with no distortions or sign of impact. SMT reels need to be
coiled, with no loose components. Loose electronic components, i.e. in bags, are not advised.
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Integrated Circuit Components and BGA devices should be in tray or tape & reel. Bags should
not be broken.
2.3.2.1.5 UV Protection: All items must be protected from direct sunlight or UV light at all times.
2.3.2.1.6 Electrical components and boards shall be stored separate from any chemical storage.
2.3.2.1.7 Shock & Vibration: The stock room shall be located away from any source that could induce
shock or vibration ( e.g. stamping presses or high traffic aisles).
2.3.2.1.8 Atmosphere (including Dust and Contamination): Environment should reduce the impact of
corrosion and dust. Please note that the use of the ESD Intercept bag (see Table 1) will protect
against the environment.
2.3.2.3.1 The manufacturing date marked on the component, reel or box (lowest packaging level where it
fits).
2.3.2.5 Bags:
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Metalized shielding bags have either a metal film embedded into the bag film construction or
coated onto an existing layer. This metal film acts as an electrical shield against electrical
discharges from the outside of the bag. Depending on the energy and duration of the discharge
and the thickness of the metal film, an ESD event is typically spread out over the outer surface
of the metal film and if fully enclosed, i.e. the bag is sealed, then the charges current from the
ESD event is contained to the outside (outer surface) of the metal film, i.e., providing a region of
no electrostatic fields within the bag, thereby protecting the contents within. This effect is
known as the Faraday Cage Effect and is commonly used in controlling ESD via metalized
shielding bags, conductive bags and the conductive tote box with a cover.
2.3.2.5.4 Moisture Barrier Bags (MBB)
A Moisture Barrier Bag is designed to minimize the transmission of water vapor and used to
pack moisture sensitive devices. The bags should be ESD safe, flexible, and puncture resistant.
o
Water vapor transmission rate should be <= 0.002 g/100 sq.in. in 24 Hours at 40 C after flex
testing per condition E of ASTM F 392-93.
2.3.2.4.5 ESD bags should be inspected before reuse by an internal statistical sampling plan as they
typically have a finite reuse life.
2.4.1 Receiving Inspection (R/I) personnel are responsible for the identification and
marking of age sensitive material.
2.4.2 Stock Room personnel are responsible for ensuring that the age sensitive items
with expired dates are not issued.
2.4.4 Age sensitive materials shall be stored in the same stock area for ease of control.
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2.4.5 QA is responsible for performing random audits on a monthly basis of the items
in stock requiring shelf life controls. The audit will be based on the controlled
list of shelf life control part numbers and all parts shall be audited/ verified.
2.4.6 The end user is responsible for assuring that material with an expired shelf life
label is not used on deliverable products.
2.5 PROCEDURE
2.5.1 Whenever age sensitive materials are received, Receiving Inspection personnel will indicate
the expiration date on each, outer container and each individual inner container large enough
to accept the label by means of using the appropriate date stamp and shelf life label. The
expected expiration dates will be determined by one of the following methods:
2.5.5.1 If the date indicated on the label is expired, then Stock Room personnel will contact
Manufacturing Engineering (M.E.) for evaluation of the items. If the M.E. approves
the use of this material, they will place their initial and date on the part umber label
within the expiration date stamp.
2.5.5.2 If not approved by the M.E., then the material will be turned over to the MRB for
disposition (usually to scrap) as per the applicable procedures.
2.5.6 When numerous items (such as small tubes or adhesive bottles) are inside a large
container/box with the part number label, Stock Room personnel must keep the original
container until all contents have been used up. If however, the original container must be
discarded due to space limitations, then the original label must be carefully removed and
placed on the new (smaller) container. A shelf life label must always be on the outermost box
in the stock room. Inner items with different expiration dates cannot be stored in the same
container.
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2.5.7 Whenever material with a shelf life label is broken down into smaller containers, the smaller
container must have a shelf life label indicating the same expiration date as the original.
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typically located on the caution or bar code label. The MBB expiration date is typically one year
from the bag seal date, but this is not always the case. Manufacturers are allowed to specify an
MBB expiration date, which may be longer than 1 year. If there is no expiration date on the outside
of the MBB use 1 year from the manufacture date to determine what additional steps maybe
required.
3.1.2 If stored in CSR beyond 12 months, solderability tests must be carried out per Section 5.
3.1.3 If stored in a CSR and the MBB expiration date has not expired:
3.1.3.1 For components issued to the shop floor, floor life should not be exceeded. If floor life is exceed,
J-STD-033B, or later version, must be followed to reset shelf life and repackaging.
3.1.3.2 Inspect the MBB for damage such as holes, gouges, tears, punctures, openings of any kind, or
excessive wear.
3.1.3.3 If there is no damage, no further inspection is necessary.
3.1.3.4 If the bag is damaged or shows signs of excessive wear open the MBB by cutting the top of the
bag near the sealed edge and discard.
3.1.3.3.1 Remove the HIC card and verify that the 10% dot is blue the parts have not been
exposed and may be repackaged per J-STD-033B or later version. NOTE:
When repackaging these devices if the exposure is less than 30 minutes the parts
are to be resealed in a new MBB with a fresh HIC and desiccant. A tracking
label must accompany the sealed bag indicating the date and time opened, the
date and time resealed, and the new MBB expiration date that is one year from
the reseal date.
3.1.3.3.2 If the 10% dot on the HIC is not blue (meaning it is any stage of transition from blue to pink)
this indicates the moisture level has been exceeded and the parts must be baked per J-STD-033B
or later version.
3.1.3.4 Please refer to J-STD-033B, or later version, for more detailed instruction.
3.1.4 If stored in a CSR and the MBB expiration date has been exceeded:
3.1.4.1 Inspect the MBB for damage such as holes, gouges, tears, punctures, openings of any kind or
excessive wear.
3.1.4.1.1 If the MBB shows any signs of damage or excessive wear it is to be discarded.
3.1.4.2 Open the MBB by cutting the top of the bag near the sealed edge.
3.1.4.2.1 Remove the HIC card and verify that the 10% dot is blue the parts have not been
exposed and may be repackaged per J-STD-033B or later version. NOTE: When
repackaging these devices if the exposure is less than 30 minutes the parts are to
be resealed in its existing MMB with a fresh HIC and desiccant. A tracking label
must accompany the sealed bag indicating the date and time opened, the date and
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time resealed, and the new MBB expiration date that is one year from the reseal
date.
3.1.4.2.2 If the 10% dot on the HIC is not blue (meaning it is any stage of transition from blue to pink)
this indicates the moisture level has been exceeded and the parts must be baked per J-STD-033B
or later version.
3.1.5 If baking is required the cumulative bake time when temperature is >90°C and up to 125°C shall not
exceed 48 hours. If baking temperature is <90°C, there is no limit on baking time.
3.1.6 If baked, a tracking label must accompany the sealed bag indicating the date and time opened, the
date and time resealed, the temperature and cumulative duration of the baking cycle(s) and the new
MBB expiration date that is one year from the reseal date.
3.1.7 Parts should be repackaged immediately after the baking cycle or stored in a 5% RH dry cabinet
until being repackaged according to IPC J-STD-033B or later version.
4.1.1 SMT integrated circuits and opto-isolators should have an MSL rating (typically 1) and as such
may not be shipped in an MBB by the manufacturer. Since these packages do absorb moisture,
they can exhibit “pop-corning” during reflow. This phenomenon can lead to die cracking or may
result in higher field risk of failure due to a number of mechanical stresses applied to the die.
Such stresses may result in die cracking, die delamination from the plastic causing tensile stresses
on the bond wires or any number of other reliability affecting phenomena.
4.1.2 The following photograph shows plastic package “pop-corning” effects, after reflow, as exhibited
by plastic package bulging and cracking.
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Crack and bulge also found at the Delamination observed over the
Package overview showed the bottom package. die and several leads during the
gross bulging and cracks on the top scan.
top package.
4.1.3 It is recommended that non-dry-packed SMT IC’s be stored in CSR. The shelf life of these
components can be extended to 2 years. Beyond 2 years, a solderability test is required as
per manufacturer’s recommendations.
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4.2.1.2 Therefore, it is recommended that all high voltage power transistors be stored in CSR. The
shelf life of these components can be extended to 12 months. Beyond 1 year, a solderability
test is required as per manufacturer’s recommendations.
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Example of Diode Bond-wire Separation Resultant from Moisture Absorption and Reflow
4.3.1.3 Therefore, it is recommended that all high voltage/high current power diodes be stored in
CSR. The shelf life of these components can be extended to 12 months. Beyond 1 year, a
solderability test is required as per manufacturer’s recommendations.
4.4 CAPACITORS:
4.4.1.1 If in CSR: For components that are greater than 2 years from Manufacturer’s Date Code that are
slated for demand, please contact GE Power Electronics for disposition prior to performing
solderability testing, bake out and reforming component (apply voltage to reform component).
4.4.2 Tantalum/Film/Ceramic/etc: 2 years
4.4.2.1 If in CSR: Any deviation from this guideline will have to be backed up with a solderability test
as defined by the manufacturer.
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4.5.1.3 Metal parts are typically post-plated or pre-plated to increase the corrosion resistance. The
coatings are anodic to the base metal corrode preferentially thereby protecting the underlying
metal, like zinc over steel. In addition the zinc is further protected by a chromium conversion
coating. The examples of cathodic coatings are tin, copper, chromium, silver, gold, and nickel on
steel, accelerate the corrosion of the underlying material if a break in the film develops and
electrolyte is present.
4.5.1.4 Protect metal parts by packaging. Keep metal parts in a controlled environment for storage.
4.5.5 If beyond 1 year, visually inspect metal parts for oxidation, corrosion, and/or damage. Sample shall
be submitted to Quality Dept. for inspection. It may be possible to use this material based on this
inspection and subsequent 1 year.
4.6.2.2 If beyond 4 years, a sample can be submitted to the Quality department for inspection. It
may be possible to use this material based on this inspection and subsequent 6 month
sample inspections.
4.6.2.3 Plastic components coated with metal for shielding purposes: 3 years.
4.6.2.4 If beyond 3 years, a sample can be submitted to the Quality department for inspection. It
may be possible to use this material based on this inspection and subsequent 6 month
sample inspections.
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4.8.2 All electrical connectors are recommended be stored in CSR to prevent moisture, mildew or other
potential deterioration of the external packaging materials.
4.8.3 It is highly recommended that connectors are stored in original manufacturer’s packaging.
4.8.4 If beyond 1 year, test connectors for solderability per IPC/EIA J-STD-002A Category I. In addition
to performing the solderability examination, at the discretion of the component engineer,
examination such as cross-sections and/or suitable alternative may be appropriate. It may be
possible to use this material based on this inspection and subsequent 90 days if this material pass the
solderability test.
4.9.2 All electrical fuses are recommended be stored in CSR to prevent moisture or other potential
deterioration of the external packaging materials.
4.9.3 It is highly recommended that fuses are stored in original manufacturer’s packaging. Do not expose
fuses to corrosive gas, sea breeze, visible dust, direct sun rays, and pressure that can cause
deformation and/or degradation of product.
4.9.4 If beyond 1 year, test connectors for solderability per IPC/EIA J-STD-002A Category I. . In
addition to performing the solderability examination, at the discretion of the component engineer,
examination such as cross-sections and/or suitable alternative may be appropriate. It may be
possible to use this material based on this inspection and subsequent 90 days if this material pass the
solderability test.
4.9.5 After 1 year from the date of manufacturing, check for any change in the electrical characteristics
described in the specification.
4.10 LABELING:
4.10.1 Label: 12 months.
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4.10.2 The shelf life of labels is approximately 1 year if they are stored unopened, in their original plastic
wrapping, free from exposure to direct light, in a clean area which has an ambient temperature of
16 to 30 degrees Celsius, maximum 50 percent relative humidity.
4.10.3 Labels shall not be subjected to direct sunlight, high humidity, and or high temperature.
4.10.4 After 1 year from the date of manufacturing, check for label adhesive strength described in the
specification or consult with the manufacturer.
4.11 FANS
4.11.1 Fan: 1 year
4.11.2 All fans are recommended be stored in CSR to prevent moisture or other potential deterioration of
the external packaging materials.
4.11.3 It is highly recommended that fans are stored in original manufacturer’s packaging.
4.11.4 Fans don’t last forever; bearing lubricants dry out under unfavorable environmental conditions
therefore reducing the life of the bearing. After 1 year from the date of manufacturing, check for
any change in the characteristics described in the specification or consult with the fan
manufacturer.
4.11.5 Fans that are beyond the manufacturer’s warranty period should not be used.
4.12.3 Metal parts are typically plated to increase the corrosion resistance. Some metal parts are un-
plated, like stainless steel.
4.12.4 Protect metal parts by packaging.
4.12.5 If beyond 1 year, inspect metal parts for oxidation, corrosion, and damage. Sample shall be
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submitted to Quality Dept. for inspection. It may be possible to use this material based on this
inspection and subsequent 1 year.
5. TESTING REQUIREMENTS
5.1 SOLDERABILITY TESTING:
When material is identified as beyond shelf-life, this procedure will be used for determining if it is
acceptable to be used to complete assembly requirements.
IPC/EIA/JEDEC J-STD-002A (Component Leads, Terminations, Lugs, Terminal Wires) and J-STD-
003A (PWBs) shall be followed for solderability testing.
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5.1.1.2 No product should be in inventory for more than one (1) year.
5.1.1.3 Moisture uptake is a function of surface exposed, time, and relative humidity. All plastics are
sensitive to some degree.
5.1.1.4 Solderability is a function of the thickness and integrity of the solder finish applied to the PWB.
A thickness of 200 microinches of tin or tin based finish will provide a one (1) year shelf-life, if
stored properly. See Figure 2 (below) for thickness vs. solderability expectation. The parts plated
at 200 microinches will have areas thicker (faces) and thinner (edges). The User must make sure
the plating distribution is known and acceptable.
5.1.1.5 Solderability Graph for Shelf-Life vs. Plating Thickness [tin (Sn) plated systems only]. This is a
Guideline Reference.
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5.1.2.1 Baking can cause oxidation and excessive intermetallic growth on the terminations (J-STD-033B
Section 4.2.7.1). The IPC standard specifies that the cumulative bake time at temperatures >90 C
SHALL NOT exceed 48 hours. This section of the standard defines the acceptable amount of
baking that can be performed before discarding components. The standard also discusses the need
to perform solderability testing when needed.
5.1.2.2 It should be noted that excessive intermetallic growth can degrade solderability more severely than
mere oxidation of the surface finish. Fluxes can effectively reduce many surface oxides and allow
proper wetting and subsequent solder joint formation. However, intermetallic layers are thicker
than most oxide layers, are relatively stable, and are impervious to fluxes. If baking causes the
surface finish to be consumed by intermetallic growth, the resulting surface is not solderable.
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Note: Fine pitch gullwing leads (spacing < 20 mils) cannot be tested adequately with the dip & look
method. Also, dip & look is inappropriate for BGA’s.
5.1.3.1 IPC/EIA/JEDEC J-STD-002B (Component Leads, Terminations, Lugs, Terminal Wires)
and J-STD-003 (PWBs) shall be followed.
6.1.1 Storage bag materials shall provide a moisture barrier (MBB as defined in IPC/JEDEC J-STD-033)
and be electrostatic dissipative.
6.1.2 Material shall exhibit a surface resistivity >105 and <1012 Ohms/Square.
6.1.2.1 Static-safe material test specifications are defined in EIA 541 “Packing Materials Standards for
Protection of Electrostatic Discharge Sensitive Devices,” from the Electronic Industries
Association.
6.1.2.2 All packaging materials must be initially qualified and periodically re-qualified based on local
needs.
6.1.3 Material shall be non-contaminating and have non-volatile construction.
6.1.4 Material shall not contain amines, amides, or ammonia compounds
6.1.5 Material shall provide protection from sulfur and chlorine atmospheric corrosive gases as required.
6.1.6 Moisture vapor dry packaging shall have a water vapor permeation rate <=0.002g/100sq.in. /24hrs.
7.1 Purchasing of material from brokers or unapproved foreign distributors is discouraged. If the
need for such procurement arises, as in line down situations, the Commodity Manager shall
obtain approval from the appropriate Component Engineer.
7.2 Under these circumstances, the following information is required prior to approval request:
7.2.1.1 Manufacturing date code of the material
7.2.1.2 Environmental conditions where the material is stored
7.2.1.3 A digital photograph of the material showing the packing and storage
conditions.
7.2.1.4 In any case, the material is subject to all shelf life requirements as set forth
in this document. Including, but not limited to, moisture protection, proper
packing, solderability testing, etc.
7.2.1.5 Certificate of Authenticity with traceability back to the manufacturer. This
certificate should, among other things, stipulate:
7.2.1.5.1 Assurance that the factory boxes are sealed.
7.2.1.5.2 Assurance that the labels are consistent with the manufacturer
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8.1 SCOPE:
In certain circumstances, components must be retained for product no longer available from GE Power
Electronics. This section defines the storage and procurement process for this category of components.
8.2 PROCEDURE:
Upon Discontinued Availability (DA)/Last Time Buy status of a product, a material review should take
place for all stranded material.
All products purchased with the intent of storing beyond Shelf Life limits need to be tested for
Solderability (Dip and Look, Wetting Balance, and Steam Age) to extend solderability shelf life 6
months. Test is performed at the end of each shelf life period to extend solderability life.
8.3.1 Review at time of Product discontinuance and Component Last Time Buy:
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Unit DA
Are
Buy reasonable
components Y
quantity based on
available in
shelf life
market?
Notify customer no
repair or support is
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Repair unit
received
Required
components in stock Y Use for repair
meet shelf life
policy?
Are
components Buy reasonable
Y
quantity based on
still available in
shelf life
market?
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Chapter 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.OBJECTIVE ............................................................................................................................................................................ 27
2.INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................... 27
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1 Objective
GE Power Electronics manufacturing is currently experiencing sporadic occurrences of Printed
Wiring Board (PWB) delamination. This document is intended to make engineering community aware of
affects of moisture on PWB delamination and provides recommendations on storage and baking to
minimize occurrence of these failures.
2 Introduction
PWB laminate material among other components consists of epoxy resin which is hygroscopic in
nature. The microscopic structure of the material has a strong capillary action that absorbs moisture from
the surrounding atmosphere. GE Power Electronics uses two kinds of laminate materials, viz., Dicy-
cured and Non-Dicy cured. Dicy-cured materials by property absorb moisture much more readily than
the Non-Dicy cured materials.
Laminate materials in general quickly absorb moisture up to 0.08% to 0.1% by weight right after
processing. With prolonged storage, when moisture contents reach 0.18% to 0.20%, a vapor pressure of
8-10 bar is reached during reflow process, which leads to delamination. Target time for storing PWB’s
should be limited to moisture contents <0.14%, which typically means storage time no greater than six
months in vacuum sealed packaging at the recommended storage ambient conditions.
The following are the recommendations on PWB storage and departmental responsibilities
for efficient PWB material management:
PWB`s should be stored in dry rooms. Constant low humidity is necessary until before the boards
are run through the reflow process. Laminate manufacturers and PWB manufacturers recommend storage
conditions at 23 °C (+/-2 °C) and < 60% RH. The boards must remain vacuum sealed in polyethylene
packages up until before use. Note that polyethylene bags allow diffusion and so do not provide complete
protection from moisture. These storage conditions apply to all PWB’s in inventory irrespective of the
type of surface finish (OSP, ENIG, & HASL) used.
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Packaging Bag shall be a Moisture Barrier Bag. The Water Vapor Transmission Rate (WVTR) must
meet EIA 583 Class I, which has Maximum WVTR < or = 0.01g/100in2/24hr. The bag must meet the
requirements of Mil_PRF-81705, Type I for flexibility, ESD protection, mechanical strength and puncture
resistance. The puncture resistance of the bag must be greater than 15 pounds. The bag should be heat
sealable with the HIC card and Desiccant inside. The MBB shall be the Silver Aluminum Metallized Bag.
4 Department Responsibilities
4.1 Receiving Responsibilities:
GE Power Electronics incoming records the receive date of the PWB’s in SAP. A hard copy
containing received date and quantity per shipped box will be printed and attached to the packing slip of
each box. We will refer to this hard copy as “Age Sheet” going forward.
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GE Power Electronics incoming inspection will review the Certificate of Compliance (CoC)
information provided by the supplier and confirms “fit-to-use” after performing GE Power Electronics
standard First Article Inspection (FAI) procedures. At this stage, incoming will also inspect and verify
the following:
1. Condition of Packaging. Packaging shall not exhibit any damage such as tears and/or punctures.
Damaged Packaging - package is not Aluminum MBB and it has tear in corner
2. Humidity Exposure Levels on HIC card. HIC card must not indicate greater than 10% RH exposure.
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3. Vacuum Seal and Desiccants: PWB’s received from suppliers shall be vacuum sealed with at least
two units of desiccants in each package.
Manufacturing order triggers material pull from storage. Storage personnel will pull quantity as needed
from the boxes based on FIFO (First-In First-Out) system. A copy of the “Age Sheet” will follow the
product to Manufacturing. Unused PWB`s must be vacuum sealed, packed, and stored in a controlled
environment immediately. SAP will be updated accordingly based on remaining material quantity in
storage. The “Age Sheet” will be manually updated and attached to the packing slip of the box to
reflect the quantity remaining in the box.
Manufacturing personnel will review the “Age Sheet” and determine if PWB’s need to be baked
prior to using them in production. Manufacturing personnel will bake the PWB’s if the receive date of the
PWB is greater than six months from the intended use date and the HIC card indicates greater than 10%
humidity exposure. The following are the recommendations for baking and the tests that follow
Baking of PWB’s is done to drive the moisture out from the laminate material. All GE Power
Electronics PWB’s have a solder resist coating on the surfaces (Solder Mask). The moisture ingress or
egress occurs from the sides where the laminate is exposed to surrounding environment. The baking time
is dependent on a number of factors, such as, number of layers in the board, inner layer copper layout
(design), board thickness and the type of laminate material used.
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In general, the following baking (drying) time and temperatures are recommended:
PWB panels in the baking oven must be horizontally stacked up to an inch height. The baked boards must
be used in assembly immediately afterwards. It is recommended that the boards be used within 48 hours
after baking to avoid the risk of moisture absorption and delamination.
Drying temperature and time are critical steps here and one must ensure the oven doors are not opened
intermittently while PWB’s are being baked. PWB’s must not be baked more than once in order not to
degrade surface finish and laminate material.
It is recommended to use two samples of “baked” panels to perform the tests in order to establish
confidence in the product. One panel for Paste-Print and reflow test and the other for Solder Float
Delamination test.
1. “Paste-Print and Reflow” Solderability Test: The panel is paste printed on first side and then run
through reflow oven without placing any components. The panel at the end of the line is inspected for
consistent pad wetting. The process is repeated for the second side.
2. “Solder Float” Delamination Test: At least three circuits must be used for this test. The test needs to
be performed per test method IPC-TM-650 2.4.13.1. Dicy-cured laminate material must pass 3X solder
float at 288°C. While Non-Dicy cured material must pass 6X solder float at 288°C. Inspection for
delamination is visual and is usually seen as discoloration on the PWB surface. Note that paste-print
and reflow test also gives an opportunity to visually inspect for delamination.
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5 Summary
5.1 Shelf Life Matrix
PWB Shelf Life
Ambient Storage
Condition
PWB Finish Type PWB Shelf Life Baking Required
°C After 6 Months?
% RH
(+/- 2°C)
Electroless Yes
Nickel/Immersion Gold [If HIC indicates >10%
< 60 23 12 Months
(ENIG) RH exposure. No baking
[Lead or Lead free] required if HIC < 10%]
Hot Air Solder Level Yes
(HASL) < 60 23 12 Months [If HIC indicates >10%
RH exposure. No baking
[Lead or Lead free] required if HIC < 10%]
Yes
Organic Solderability < 60 23 6 Months [If HIC indicates >10%
Preservative (OSP) RH exposure]
Note:
• HIC indicator must read Less than 10% when opening the bag. Greater than 10% will require
Baking or return to PCB supplier
• MBB requirement is for Aluminium Metalized Bag
• WVTR is 0.01g/100in2/24hr
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(delam)
IPC-6011 Generic Performance Specification of PWB's
IPC-6012 Qualification and Performance of Rigid PWB's
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