Inadequate specification of cleanliness requirements is a major cause of defects in electronic products. The problem has not diminished today, with components and circuits becoming smaller and smaller. In addition, many of the electronics companies in Scandinavia export to countries with a different climate, which can lead to additional requirements for the cleanliness of the products to avoid degeneration of the product due to e.g. electromigration.

It is important that manufacturers are aware of significant factors such as the end use environment of the finished product (ships, offices, cars, wind turbines, etc.), the expected product lifetime, the technology used (high frequency, power supply, etc.) and the consequences of defects.

The course provides knowledge about the issues that are essential in order to specify the requirements for cleanliness on electronic products. The standards IPC-CH-65, IPC-A-610 and J-STD-001 are used as a basis.

The course will, among other subjects, be focusing on these main topics:

• When is the product clean or contaminated?
• How clean does the PCB need to be?
• How is cleanliness measured?
• When is a contamination acceptable or harmful?
• Pass/fail limits
• Analytical test methods
• Accelerated life test, e.g. SIR test
• At what stage of the production process should the test be performed?
• Contaminating packaging materials
• Residues/contamination after the soldering process
• Quality requirements according to IPC and other applicable standards

The course is aimed at employees in production, PT and development departments.