Manufacturing Technology Development

Activity Report July - September, 2004

Manufacturing Technology Development..........................................................................1

General..............................................................................................................................2
Development......................................................................................................................2
Stencil Supplier Evaluation: ................................................................................................................... 2
SMT Printer Evaluation: ......................................................................................................................... 2
DFX Program Development: .................................................................................................................. 2
BOM/AVL Neutralization Project (Agile Team) ......................................................................................3
User Group Metrics: SMT Solder .......................................................................................................... 3
Strategic Projects...............................................................................................................3
Industry Networking................................................................................................................................. 3
NEMI................................................................................................................................................... 3
SMTA.................................................................................................................................................. 4
EMSF.................................................................................................................................................. 4
Lead Free Process Development............................................................................................................ 4
Plexus Lead-free Process Characterization........................................................................................ 4
NEMI Lead Free Wave Assembly....................................................................................................... 5
NEMI Surface Finish for Lead Free ................................................................................................... 5
Technology Transfer..........................................................................................................5
Wave Solder and Wave user group......................................................................................................... 5
Wave support.......................................................................................................................................... 5
Standard Solder Materials ..................................................................................................................... 6
Direct Support....................................................................................................................6
B5............................................................................................................................................................ 6
Siemens Ultrasonic ........................................................................................................................... 6
Juniper Networks ............................................................................................................................... 6
Boise ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Boston ................................................................................................................................................... 6
Chicago................................................................................................................................................... 6
Zonare ............................................................................................................................................... 6
Nypro .................................................................................................................................................. 7
Airvana. .............................................................................................................................................. 7
Mexico .................................................................................................................................................... 7
Elster ................................................................................................................................................. 7
Penang ................................................................................................................................................... 7
Harmonic ............................................................................................................................................ 7
Seaside ............................................................................................................................................. 7

Page 1 of 7
MTD Activity Report 404
 Manufacturing Technology Development
Activity Report July - September, 2004

General
A focus for 2005 is to add and develop more resources for the Cost Center so that we may better support
Sites and Corporate Initiatives. Part of the strategy to meet this goal is to develop MTD resources located
in Penang for regional as well as global development and support activities. Offers have been accepted
to two people who will start next quarter. More details on their assignments and goals will be provided in
future reports.

Figure 1. Time allocation forecasts.

MTD Time Allocation Oct, 2004 MTD Time Allocation June, 2004
Successi Successi
on Customer
Tech Xfer on
4% 12%
6% 17%
Dir. Customer
Support 29%
9% Tech Xfer
10%

Developm Developm
Dir.
ent ent
Support
52% 39%
22%

Development

Stencil Supplier Evaluation:

The SMT Solder User Group has completed Phase II of the stencil evaluation. In Qtr 1 FY05, Plexus will
convert one site to validate the supplier performance. With a month trail, all sites will be begin a
transition process. An expected cost reduction of this project is estimated to be $120,000 annually for all
Plexus sites. (Van Dreel)

SMT Printer Evaluation:

Completed the final report out of the Phase I paper study. This phase eliminated EKRA from the
evaluation. For Phase II a DEK and MPM machine will be brought in house and evaluated on four
criteria:
1) 2D Inspection Performance
2) Print Repeatability
3) Maintenance requirements
4) Training and Support capabilities
The machines in Qtr 1 FY05 will be placed in B4 for side by side production trials. Attached are the
protocols to be used for the last 4 phases. (Van Dreel)
Test Protocols

DFX Program Development:

Made several presentations on status of DFX offerings at Plexus and competitive analysis to EA groups,
TG and SCM’s Managers. Completed CapEx for phase 1 DFX software procurement. Completed Phase
2 program plan and initiated discussions with Valor Computerized Systems (Solution Provider).
Completed generation of Phase 1 assembly ERF’s in support of Juniper Networks DFX Project
requirements. (Lee)

Page 2 of 7
MTD Activity Report 404
 Manufacturing Technology Development
Activity Report July - September, 2004

BOM/AVL Neutralization Project (Agile Team)

Made arrangements for installation and training of Valor BOM Manager evaluation licenses for evaluation
as part of BOM/AVL neutralization project. Initial results from the team are very favorable. (Lee)

Intelligent Database Generation:

Worked with CIM/CAM group to generate intelligent data files for support of AOI and flying probe
equipment program generation from Gerber, BOM and netlist files for Tempo customer. Coordinated with
Valor-US California operations for generation of intelligent database files form gerber, netlist & BOM/AVL
information. Generation was successful for supporting AOI program generation and minimal for flying
probe tester due to incomplete customer data set.

Wash Equipment Evaluation:

Conducted site, equipment, and process performance assessments of finalist wash equipment suppliers.
Final selection is pending final testing of test vehicles and price negotiations. (Barthel)

User Group Metrics: SMT Solder

The SMT Solder UG has been meeting for the past quarter, with a strong focus on the documentation.
The result of this effort has been a re-write of SOP 79, WI 361 and WI 270 to include updates for file
storage.

Stencil Guideline Enhancement:

A standard ordering form has been developed and implemented to support the new release of revision E
of the stencil guidelines. (Van Dreel)
Stencil Guidelines Revisions
Standardized Order Form

SMT Solder Metal Load:

Completed testing of the 89.5%, 90%, and 90.25% metal loading in SMQ-92J to establish a standard on
the 90% metal load. Additionally, transitions in Mexico and Nampa where coordinated with Indium.
(Van Dreel)
Metal Load White Paper

Strategic Projects

Industry Networking

NEMI
Board Assembly Roadmap
Completed the development of the NEMI roadmap for 2004 For the 2004 roadmap the board assembly
TWG places the priority on the following research and development needs:
1) Defining the next generation of solder materials to replace the high cost silver containing alloys.
2) New interconnect technologies deploying nano-materials to support decrease pitch and increase
interconnect frequencies.
3) Development of automated printing, dispensing, placement, and rework equipment capable of the
pitch requirements for SiP package assembly at current process speeds.

The entire roadmap will be published at APEX 2005. (Van Dreel)

NEMI Board Assembly Technology Needs Overview Presentation
NEMI Board Assembly Roadmap 2004

NEMI Technical Committee

Worked with Committee members to prioritize lead free projects including the need to evaluate SAC BGA
reliability issues. Reviewed all Technology Roadmaps. (Barthel)

Page 3 of 7
MTD Activity Report 404
 Manufacturing Technology Development
Activity Report July - September, 2004

SMTA
International Conference
Supported the Surface Mount Technology Association International Conference in Chicago and 20 th
Anniversary celebration. Dale Lee, Kirk Van Dreel, and Bill Barthel served as Session Chairs.

Board of Directors
Bill Barthel has been elected to the Board of Directors and will serve a 3 year term. He is a member of
the Planning Committee chartered with developing the strategic plan for the association and the
Certification Committee which leads efforts to establish and improve a program which certifies process
professionals in the industry.

EMSF
The lead free component position paper will be revised to include wave solder components with input
from the following EMS participants: Celestica, Flextronics, Jabil and Sanmina-SCI. A new revision of the
lead free component position paper was released in June. (Jean)

Pick & Place Equipment Strategy

Phase 1 results were compiled and finalists were notified. The agreement with Universal Instruments
Corporation was resolved with a plan to upgrade all machines purchased under the 2000 terms. Plans for
the upgrade logistics were devised and regular reviews with UIC were performed. The final schedule has
not been established but the order of the upgrades has been set: Appleton, B5, B4, Boston, and Chicago.
(Barthel)

Lead Free Process Development

Plexus Lead-free Process Characterization

The inspection of the lead free test boards (AOI and Xray) and rework were performed in Neenah (B5).

The preliminary results

- 3 tombstoning on 0402 over 23040 placements
- X-ray found 70 pins with insufficient solder on QFP208 over 59904 pins, the insufficient pins were all
oriented in the same axes. 66% of the insufficient solder was attributed to the Cookson solder paste.
- AOI and Xray found 18 solder bridges on QFP’s, 5 on 0.5mm QFP208 and 13 on 0.4mm QFP 120.
88% of the solder bridges were attributed to Senju solder paste.
- No BGA defects were reported, the 0.5mm CSP had the most voiding. However, the voiding was less
than 20%.
- The majority of the SMT defects were related to the placement equipment
- The design rules of the wave pallet for selective wave soldering will need to be revised to address
bridging issues and wall clearances to components.
- Immersion silver boards had 100% hole fill at the wave solder process regardless of the number of
reflow cycles.
- Entek 106A+ HT boards with double reflow cycles had poor hole fill at the wave process.
- SMT pad design and DFM for wave soldering process will need to be revised to minimize wave
soldering defects (bridging and open). Component direction, component clearance and solder
thieving will need to be revised for lead free wave soldering process.
- PCB Design reviews are needed for selective wave process for issues such as component spacing,
i.e. SMD to through-hole spacing.
The AOI had difficulty inspecting the lead free test vehicles (the lead free solder paste was reflowed in air
atmosphere) with the current lighting scheme and algorithm setup. The bright top surface of the concave
solder joints appears to be a major contributor to the increased false call rate for 0402 Chip, 0.4 mm
Gullwing, and J-lead devices. Further exploration will be required to optimize the efficiency and
effectiveness of this inspection process.

Page 4 of 7
MTD Activity Report 404
 Manufacturing Technology Development
Activity Report July - September, 2004

The Xray (5DX) evaluation has determined that alternate calibration tables for the lead free material will
be required and solder joints nominal values will need to be relearn for lead-free assembly.

Wave solder equipment for lead free

Only 55% of the wave solder systems at Plexus can be retrofitted for lead free application. The wave
solder systems that can be retrofitted are as follows:
Electrovert Vectra, retrofit kit cost $24,000
Electrovert Electra, retrofit kit cost $24,000
Soltec Deltamax, retrofit cost between $40,638 and $50,888*
*Automatic back plate adjustment
The above pricing does not include the installation labor (typically around $3500) and the solder material
(vary between $14,300 for Electrovert and $16,400 for Soltec). In addition, the Soltec Deltamax preheat
configurations are not able to handle the use of selective pallets. The Soltec Deltamax pre-heater
configuration needs to be evaluated and potentially retrofitted. The pre-heater retrofit is estimated to
$9500 (price is included in the above retrofit cost). The Electrovert retrofit kit is from a third party. (Jean)

NEMI Lead Free Wave Assembly

The project objective was to characterize the impact lead free alloys has on the wave soldering process
and identify the impact this has on product reliability. There is a recognized gap in the entire industry
regarding lead free soldering and the wave process.

The wave solder process will be divided in two phases:

Phase 1:
Using the Cookson test vehicle to optimize and reduce some of the variable for phase 2. The
Cookson test vehicle was modified by Dale Lee to add different types of thermal relieves. The
boards are planned to run in December or January time frame. The DoE draft is done and 3
solder alloys will be evaluated on this phase (SAC305, SACX, SnCuNi) and 4 boards surfaces
finishes (OSP, SAC 305 HASL, SACX HASL, SnCuNi HASL), other variable on DoE’s are Flux
type, flux deposition, dwell time, solder temperature, PCB thickness and preheat.
Phase 2:
Using the Plexus design test vehicle. The layout in final phase and shall be released for
fabrication by the end of November or early December. The design team is waiting from the BOM
team (Bill Of Material) to finalize the design. The draft of phase 2 DoE shall be completed by the
end of November.

NEMI Surface Finish for Lead Free

Supported preliminary planning for a project aimed at evaluating a number of PCB surface finished for
lead free assembly. Official project agreement and start is expected next quarter. (Lee)

Technology Transfer

Wave Solder and Wave user group

 Pallet standardization (Mark Seybold, Jamie Bonk & Denis Jean) Completed, send out for ballot.
 Guidelines on where to use pallet (Dan Herring, Mark Seybold & Denis Jean) Completed, send
out for ballot.
 Wave verification pallet (Jamie Bonk, Steve Walsh & Denis Jean) This project is completed is
released to the user group, documentation send out for approval.
 Wave User group meeting participation.
 An average of 60% participation overall. B5, Chicago, Xiamen, and Boise, are always
participating Penang, B4, Boston, Mexico, and occasionally participated for this quarter.

Wave support
Several DoE’s were performed in B5 on the Soltec Deltamax fluxer. Base on the results of the DoE’s we
were able to achieve one fluxer setup for conveyor speeds between 76mm/minute to 120 mm/minute. The

Page 5 of 7
MTD Activity Report 404
 Manufacturing Technology Development
Activity Report July - September, 2004

flux is drying out at the nozzle after only a couple of hours of operation. A nozzle cleaning procedure will
be incorporated in the WI. The WS375 OA flux is attacking the stainless steel nozzle and the Soltec flux
pump; the WI instruction will be updated for flushing the fluxer system with DI water immediately after
use.
Assessment of the wave solder equipment in Mexico was performed in July. In general the waves are
clean (house keeping) but the Site needs training in wave process and wave adjustments. They did not
start the wave flux transition. They still have 4 Econopak wave solder units which Electrovert does not
support anymore. Third party service and support has been identified and will be assessed next quarter.
The Plexus Soltec Deltamax equipment specification was revised to meet our current requirements. The
equipment spec change will result a savings of $65,388 per system. (Jean)

Standard Solder Materials

Completed transition for all Phase 2 customers and set plans for remaining Phase 3 customers. Still
need to support Boston with transition to no-clean, Mexico’s application of wave solder flux, and eliminate
use of nitrogen in several sites. (Barthel)

Direct Support

B5

Siemens Ultrasonic
Performed DFX analysis report of new MCM-L PCBA design. Several recommendations were made to
improve PCB fabrication and assembly problems. Reviewed DFX analysis results with customer during
business review and provided additional DFM/DFT support when requested. Coordinated DFX support
and development of preliminary microelectronics DFX guidelines with project team. (Lee)

Juniper Networks
With team, successfully launch Phase 1 DFX analysis capability on schedule that met or exceeded
customer expectations. Completed training of Juniper Networks DFX team on operation and
interpretation of Valor 2D DFX analysis results. Made several presentations to Juniper Networks
personal on DFX system capabilities and results. Provided weekly status reports on DFX program
implementation status with Juniper team personnel. (Lee)

Boise
Transferred the GE Sherlock Project to Chuck Woychik and the Boise Microelectronics Team. Continue
to support product specification definition. (Van Dreel)

Boston
Work closely with the Boston engineering team to determine the source of solderability issues. This work
resulted in identification of solder mask on the pad locations. The layer of the mask is so thin that it can
not be identified by visual inspection and standard analytical testing. The results of this analysis was to
a change to the Plexus DFM guidelines which will be incorporated in the next release, to not recommend
perform post surface finish masking. As stated in today’s’ guidelines as the preferred method, masking
of vias should be done prior to the final finish processes through encroached via method. (Van Dreel)

Chicago

Zonare
Introduction of the solid solder deposition with a no clean tacky paste flux to resolve the 0402 solder
beading requirements. (Jean)

Perform panelization optimization analysis on multiple designs and generated a report that made several
recommendations that would provide for significant PCB cost savings (greater than 25%) while improving
assembly manufacturability. (Lee)

Page 6 of 7
MTD Activity Report 404
 Manufacturing Technology Development
Activity Report July - September, 2004

Nypro
Heat seal connector (HSC) process. 12.5% intermittent LCD segment failures were reported from the
customer. The failure was induced during the heat seal process. The customer requested the LCD cable
seal between the pads and the solder mask. We determined the polymer silver carbon conductor on the
LCD flex cable was cracking at the pad-solder mask interface. The interposer is forcing the LCD cable to
a sharp bend at the pad-solder mask interface, causing the polymer conductor to open. A DoE was
performed and determined when the cable is sealed over the solder mask some of the LCD segments
were opening disappears during the heat seal process and returning to normal after the heat seal
process. This phenomenon did not appear when the LCD cable was bonded only on the pad. Through the
DoE the heat seal parameters were changed to lower values and still the LCD segment fails during heat
seal bonding. More investigation is still pending and Universal Instrument Lab will assist us in the failure
analysis. (Jean)

Airvana.
Performed multiple DFX analysis reports for several new PCBA designs. Several recommendations were
made to improve PCB fabrication and assembly problems. Report was well received by Arivana and
several conference calls were conducted to incorporate recommendations into the designs. Set up online
access for Airvana to Plexus’s DFX Guidelines. (Lee)

Mexico

Elster
Began long-term reliability testing to validate wash rework process. (Barthel)

Penang

Harmonic
Reviewed quality issues, performed process audit, and participated in regular quality reviews with
customer. (Barthel)

Seaside
Supported Juniper Audit in July. Reviewed Seaside process controls. (Barthel)

Page 7 of 7
MTD Activity Report 404