Test Services

Electronics manufacturing, especially semiconductors and printed circuit boards (PCBs), requires ultra-pure water (UPW) and surfaces free of ionic contaminants. Even tiny amounts of ions like sodium (Na⁺), chloride (Cl⁻), or sulfate (SO₄²⁻) can cause corrosion, electrical leakage, or defects in microelectronics. IC is used to detect and quantify these trace ions.

Key applications include

Ultra-Pure Water (UPW) Monitoring

• Ensures water used in wafer cleaning or chemical processes meets parts-per-billion (ppb) purity standards.
• Detects ions such as Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Cl⁻, NO₃⁻, and SO₄²⁻.

Surface and Process Contamination Analysis

• Checks for residual ionic contamination on wafers, substrates, or PCB surfaces.
• Helps prevent defects like short circuits or corrosion during manufacturing.

Chemical Reagents Quality Control

• Ensures acids, solvents, or plating solutions used in processes are low in ionic impurities.

Failure Analysis

• Investigates device failures caused by ionic residues that may trigger corrosion or leakage currents.

Ionic contamination refers to residues of ions (charged particles) left on the surface or in the materials of electronic devices that can interfere with their performance. Even very tiny amounts—often measured in micrograms per square centimetre (µg/cm²) or parts per million (ppm)—can cause serious problems.

What are the potential sources of Ionic Contamination?

• Flux residues from soldering
• Cleaning agents or process chemicals (acids, solvents, plating baths)
• Environmental contamination (dust, moisture, airborne salts)
• Handling and packaging (fingerprints, perspiration, metal ions)

Once you have detected ionic contamination, what are the next steps?

• Ion Chromatography (IC): For quantitative analysis of cations/anions.
• Surface insulation resistance (SIR) tests: Indirectly indicate contamination by measuring leakage currents.
• Resistivity of extracted solutions: Extracting residues from the PCB surface into water and measuring conductivity.

Solderability testing is a method used to evaluate the ability of a metal surface (like PCB pads or component leads) to form a reliable solder joint. Ensuring adherence to IPC standards such as IPC J-STD-002 for solderability.

It checks if the surface wetting with solder is complete, uniform, and strong.

Typical methods include:

• Dip-and-look test – dipping the component or pad in molten solder and visually inspecting.
• Wetability test / Solder spread test – measuring how well solder spreads over the surface.
• Wetting balance test – quantitatively measuring the force and speed of solder wetting.

Who would benefit from solderability testing;

• PCB manufacturers – to verify surface finishes and plated pads.
• Electronic component manufacturers – to ensure component leads are solderable before shipment.
• Assembly houses / contract manufacturers – to prevent defective boards and improve yield.
• Quality assurance and testing labs – to certify compliance with industry standards.

FTIR is an analytical technique used to identify chemical compounds and molecular structures by measuring how a material absorbs infrared (IR) light at different wavelengths.

• Molecules absorb IR light at specific frequencies, causing their bonds to vibrate (stretch, bend, or twist).
• The resulting absorption spectrum acts like a chemical “fingerprint” for the material.
• Fourier Transform is a mathematical method that converts raw IR data into a readable spectrum.

Surface Insulation Resistance (SIR) Testing is a method used to evaluate the electrical resistance of a PCB surface between conductive elements (like traces or pads) when subjected to humidity and voltage stress.

• It measures the ability of the PCB surface to resist leakage currents caused by ionic contamination or moisture.
• Typically performed under controlled environmental conditions, often high temperature and high humidity, to simulate long-term stress.
• Ensures PCB manufacturing processes (cleaning, soldering, coating) leave surfaces sufficiently clean.
• Supports quality control and reliability testing for critical electronics like aerospace, automotive, and medical devices.

CAF (Conductive Anodic Filament) Testing is a method used to detect the formation of tiny, conductive filaments in the insulation between copper layers in PCBs.

• CAF occurs when moisture, ionic contamination, and an applied voltage cause metal ions to migrate through the PCB laminate, forming a conductive path.
• Over time, CAF can lead to short circuits, leakage currents, or catastrophic failures, especially in high-density, multilayer PCBs.