What is Brittle Fracture Failure (BFF)?

Solder ball joint integrity has always been an issue, but never more so than with the introduction of lead-free solder. Research has noted that lead-free joints can be particularly susceptible to brittle fracture at the ball-to-pad interface. These failures can occur over the full life-cycle of a solder joint from manufacture to test and handling and finally, through its life as an end-product.

With the introduction of lead-free solder alloys, brittle fracture failures have increased and many electronics industry assemblers and OEMs have acknowledged that urgent attention is required to address the issue. Though the change to lead-free solders has brought more attention to the brittle fracture failure mode, it is a demonstrated reliability concern with many other solder alloys and pad surface finishes.