FAQ

RoHS is the acronym for the EU Directive 2002/95/EC and its amendments. The official name is Restriction of the Use Of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment.

EU RoHS Compliance - For the purposes of the RoHS Directive, a maximum concentration value not greater than 0.1% by weight in homogeneous materials for lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBB and PBDE and not greater than 0.01% by weight in homogenous materials for cadmium will be permitted in the composition of new Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE). A product may also be RoHS compliant with lead (Pb) in excess of 0.1% if the application is exempted in the RoHS Directive or its amendments.

EU RoHS includes exemptions for certain uses of lead (Pb) within semiconductor products. Freescale packages such as flip chip (with Pb bumps), high power (with high Pb solder die attach), and sensors (with Pb frit die) that have RoHS exemptions for Pb will use the exemptions for RoHS compliant products. RoHS compliance will be "Yes" because of exemptions for the Pb and Pb Free will be "No" because these packages contain lead greater than the RoHS maximum allowable concentration values.

Freescale might use any of the following RoHS exemptions for RoHS compliant semiconductor devices:

5. Lead in glass of cathode ray tubes, electronic components and fluorescent tubes.

6b. Lead as an alloying element in aluminum containing up to 0.4% lead by weight.

6c. Lead as an alloying element in copper containing up to 4% lead by weight.

7a. Lead in high melting temperature type solders (i.e. lead-based alloys containing 85% by weight or more lead).

7c. Lead in electronic ceramic parts (e.g. piezoelectronic devices).

15. Lead in solders to complete a viable electrical connection between semiconductor die and carrier within integrated circuit Flip Chip packages.

Freescale has a majority of its products qualified and is shipping RoHS compliant and high temperature process products in high volumes. Freescale will announce product transition plans via our standard Freescale Product Change Notification (PCN) process as the final transition dates are determined.

For leadframe packages, the primary RoHS compliant plating finish is matte Sn. Other lead free finishes may be used on specialty packages.

The type of tin (Sn) finish on leadframe products makes a difference in whisker growth. Several industry standard development organizations reject the use of shiny (or bright) tin. A matte tin finish is less susceptible to whisker growth. Freescale uses matte finish for tin plated leadframe products.

Yes. The lead-free plated peripheral leadframe packages (such as SOIC, PLCC, QFP, etc.) are backward compatible with the conventional SnPb solders and board attach process.

It is possible to attach the SnPb package using the Pb Free board attach process if the qualified Package Peak Temperature (PPT) is not exceeded. However, Freescale does not advise using this process.

No. While lead-free BGA products can be soldered with traditional SnPb solder paste, they need higher than the typical 205°C-220°C package peak temperatures commonly used with the SnPb solder processes.

No. The lead-free plating of Freescale product does not impact the physical, functional or electrical characteristics of the device.

Yes. Freescale maintains different part numbers for RoHS compliant packages.

Yes. Most Freescale products will indicate lead-free status, RoHS compliance status, Moisture Sensitivity Level (MSL) and Package Peak Temperature (PPT) on shipping labels. The termination finish will also be shown for lead-free products using the JESD97 standard e1 through e7 codes. The part number is also marked on packing labels.

Freescale has adopted the JESD201 Sn Whisker Qualification Standard for test durations and whisker length limits.

Click http://www.freescale.com/files/product/doc/ENV_MSLPPT.pdf to download the Freescale recommendation.

Freescale targets a PPT of 260°C with an MSL of 3 or better, however, some products may not be able to meet this target. Freescale provides the PPT and MSL level for each part number via web access or by special request.

All Freescale lead-free integrated circuits are qualified to withstand up to 3 reflows within lead-free solder convection reflow systems per the industry standard J-STD-020. All Freescale integrated circuits will meet or exceed those requirements specified in J-STD-020. All 3 reflows are allowed, provided the integrated circuits have not exceeded the MSL rated "time out of dry pack".

All Flip Chip BGA packages contain lead (Pb) in the first level interconnects (the die bumps). All lead (Pb) contained in this interface has been exempted from EU RoHS by Annex Exemption # 15, "Lead in solders to complete a viable electrical connection between semiconductor die and carrier within integrated circuit flip chip packages." Lead could also be contained in solder flux, capacitors, or capacitor-attach solder. Refer to the IPC1752 Product Content Declaration for specific part numbers to determine RoHS compliance.

Yes. Lead-free solders used in the board-level assembly processes require a higher temperature to complete a reliable solder joint. Customers may also require tighter temperature controls in their assembly process. Higher processing temperatures may entail additional dry packing and a shorter time that components are allowed outside of dry pack. Products intended for lead-free board assembly should meet the following criteria:

The solder joints connecting semiconductor components to a board must reach a minimum solder joint temperature to ensure a reliable solder joint. This minimum temperature is higher for lead-free solders than for existing tin-lead (SnPb) solders.

The package peak temperature (PPT) is higher than the solder joint temperatures for surface mount devices during soldering processes. Components are qualified for maximum PPT ranging from 245°C to 260°C compared to historical range of 220°C to 245°C.

The semiconductor components are certified to be robust enough to withstand this increased temperature stress without degrading product reliability or quality. Some components may require changes to moisture sensitivity levels (MSL) to maintain the same quality level.

No. The shelf life remains the same as for traditional products. Moisture sensitivity levels may change.

A copy of JESD97 is available at http://www.jedec.org/download/search/JESD97.pdf. JESD97 defines the following categories:

e1 - SnAgCu (shall not be included in category e2)

e2 - Sn alloys with no Bi or Zn excluding SnAgCu

e3 - Sn

e4 - Precious metal (e.g., Ag, Au, NiPd, NiPdAu) (no Sn)

e5 - SnZn, SnZnx (no Bi)

e6 - contains Bi

e7 - low temperature solder (? 150 deg C) containing Indium (no Bi)

e0, e8, e9 symbols are unassigned at this time.

Freescale is shipping many products with either leaded or lead free terminations. Using its standard portfolio management procedures, Freescale will issue a Global PCN to announce End of Life or product transition schedules before discontinuing any part number.

These terms are not defined in the RoHS regulations. They have various definitions depending on the user. Although Freescale does not certify its products as RoHS 5 or 5/6, Freescale semiconductor devices that are not certified as RoHS compliant will only contain lead (Pb) in solders or RoHS exempt applications. Refer to the IPC1752 Product Content Declaration for specific part numbers to determine RoHS compliance.

Yes. Freescale provides a signed letter for Freescale RoHS compliant semiconductor products. In addition, Freescale provides part number specific RoHS certificates with 100% material composition in the IPC1752 format. Click http://www.freescale.com/files/product/doc/ENV_ROHS_STD_RSP.pdf for a copy of the letter.

Freescale adopted a balanced risk based approach to banned substance compliance. Freescale established the banned substances and maximum concentration values in the Freescale Eco-Design Substances Disclosure Specification (12MWS00047B). Freescale requires all materials to be compliant to this specification at the homogenous material level. Freescale calculates material content reports and determines compliance of its products using a combination of the measured weight data for piece parts within a package and the material content reports for those piece parts from the suppliers. Based on risk, materials are analyzed to confirm that disclosure data and calculations are accurate and materials are compliant.

No. Freescale products do not intentionally contain these substances, including octa, penta, and deca DBE compounds.

No. Freescale products do not intentionally contain these substances.

Yes. The material content declarations and RoHS compliance status for most standard products can be found through a Part Number Search at www.Freescale.com. Information may be requested for other devices by sending an email request to EPPANLST@Freescale.com.

Yes. Freescale banned Deca-BDE in September 2006.