Session 1
A reflow soldering retro-design system for rework station based on Q-factor
X.J. Sheng, Han Ding*, Y.H. Yin, Y.P. Wu
Advanced Electronic Manufacturing Center, School of Mechanical Engineering
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, P.R. China
*Correspondingauthor
E-mail address: hding@sjtu,edu.cn
Abstract: Currently reflow soldering is the primary
process used for the assembly of PCBs. There now
have finite difference (FD) and computational fluid
dynamic (CFD) modeling tool, which can establish the
reflow soldering process models and compute out the
detailed representations of the real reflow ovens. This
paper presents the development of a reflow soldering
retro-design system for rework station with the above
modeling tools. Heating factor (Q-factor) is used to
evaluate whether the achieved profile fulfils the
soldering task well despite the real curve different
from the ideal one. The behavior of adjusting the heat
profile to make the feature points meet the
requirements of components and solders
computationally may then get the optimal profile
without any actual reflow running. Meanwhile, the
system introduces the close-loop implementation of
process recipe on the device controller so as to
enhance the execution repeatability. This system is
used to set the bottom and top heater profiles of
Metcal APR-5000 rework station.
Keywords: Reflow soldering, Profile retro-design,
Heating factor (Q,) analysis, computational fluid
dynamics (CFD)
1. INTRODUCTION
Reflow soldering is currently the primary process
used to attach the electronic components to Printed
Circuit Boards (PCBs). Successful reflow soldering
involves operator skills, experience and time in
process set up. Typically one procedure requires the
use of sacrificial product to profile for a number of the
user selected critical points on the printed circuit
assemblies. Most reflow soldering devices, like solder
reflow m a c e s and rework stations, are equipped with
thermocouples which could be attached to the cared
points and monitor the process track. The data logged
includes not only the temperature track of the critical
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points but the control parameters of the device (which
is commonly called “process recipe”) as well. It can
used to guide the adjustment of the bottomhp
convection set points for the rework station zones or
the through-process conveyance speed for the reflow
oven. However, the techniques just provide one
open-loop control system, which means the process
recipe logs the track and the control parameters
independently. The critical point temperature track, in
process set-up, just plays the role of reference to set
the latter. When the reflow soldering is operated, the
device just replays the function according to the
process recipe, not caring the former track on the same
point. It does not guarantee that all the components
stay within the process window, since the number of
monitored points is limited. Some modeling tools have
been introduced to the reflow soldering process setup
for constructing the relations among the feature points.
A number of groups worldwide, such as CALCE
electronic products & systems center of UMCP and
Loughborough University in UK etc, have addressed
the related accomplishments in this field.
The modeling tools typically are applied by
component vendors in optimizing IC packaging
steady-state thermal performance within prescribed
reliability constraints. Standardized approaches are to
characterize package thermal performance as single
valued thermal resistances. Effective modeling
methods, like using unstructured grids in solid
modeling of conductive heat transfer, prescribing
convective heat transfer coefficient at beginning in
convective heat transfer mode or adopting 2-D finite
elements to model the whole 3-D board thermal region
[ 11, offer considerable computational savings,
especially in convective thermal transfer mode
contrasting with Computational Fluids Dynamics
(CFD)-based methods. In addition, considering the
dynamic power operation or varying ambient
conditions, the tools sometime are used to evaluate the
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capability of the electronic parts subjecting to transient
operating conditions in the course of product life.
However, in recent years the majority of
numerically-based thermal analyses performed on
electronic equipment, have been steady-state. This is
essentially attributed to previous reliability prediction
methods, such as MIL-HDBK-2 17F, focusing on
steady-state temperature, as well as design for
continuous operation and prohibitive computational
requirements for transient analysis [2].
With the increasing support from computational
power, the reflow soldering thermal design has been
progressing from basic analytical and semi-empirical
calculation, applicable to simple systems in tandem
with extensive physical prototype characterization, to
a high reliance on virtual prototyping. Power by such
accurate numerical tools, the modeling system has
been used to make the off-line determination of the
most appropriate process and its specific set-up for a
PCA [3]. On this basis, a further-level modeling
system has been developed at Shanghai Jiao Tong
University capabie of offline generating the process
recipe and self-monitoMg its execution. Fig. 1
summarizes the structure of the system.
2. THESJTU REFLOW SOLDERING
RETRO-DESIGN SYSTEM
“Retro-design” means that when the CAD layout
and components list are given, the system can generate
the device process control table (process recipe)
according to the properties of reflow soldering device.
The information flow of this system in the offline
resuk-generating procedure is similar with the
Loughborough thermal process modeling system [3,4].
As the component vendors currently provides details
library of the product, the geometries for the PCBs are
now automatically constructed via an interface to
PROTEL, one ECAD suite. Now Unigrahpics UG nxl
and ANSYS workbench have the capability of
collaborating on parametric design and do
finite-element pre- and post-processing. The
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FLOTRAN CFD package of ANSYS 7.0 also provides
the transient fluid analysis function. UG nxl
constructs the structure of reflow soldering device
modek. The finite-difference solver of ANSYS can
automatically translate the finite-element model into a
finite difference representation. Again, UG nxl is used
to construct the PCB structure model according to the
parameters transferred by PROTEL. ANSYS
assembles the PCB finite element representation
within the former FE model of the reflow soldering
device. The level of geometry and the analysis
complexities are due to the complexity of component
library and the desired computational accuracy, The
spatial temperature gradients, temperature cycle
magnitude, the sustainable absolute temperature of
components and the lamination temperature of PCBs,
the temperature control rate of reflow soldering
devices should be the boundary conditions for the
solving. With the device process samples, the system
will present the recommended recipe (the level of
optimization has not been verified) and the list of
critical points should be monitored. Through post-proc
package the detailed solving history can be browsed.
The reflow soldering device controller should
control the executors according to the process recipe,
meanwhile with the feedback of thermocouple sensors
deployed referring to the list of critical points adjust
the process recipe implementation. This
implementation structure closes tfie loop of the
process recipe running while the typical system just
output the control process parameters without
monitoring the effect.
Meanwhile the profile generator, sampling the
control parameter and storing within one file, collect
the new ones and add into the profile library, which
will help to optimize the reflow soldering device
models or act as the profile sample when solving.
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Component
Libraries
Profile generator
Fig 1 Flow chad of reflow soldering retro-design system
3. APPLYING
THE lWFLOW SOLDERING
RETRO-DESIGN SYSTEM
ON REWORK STATION
The principal of rework station is through process
control and repeatability to replicate the original
assembly thermal process so as to remove the
mal-function components and attachment the new
ones. Reworking one component, like a BGA chip, is
a multi-step process: removal, clean-upipreparation,
stencil printing, placement and reflow.
The reflow soldering process of rework station is
same as that of reflow hrnaces, except the base region
’ on which the heat transfer is implemented (Fig. 2).
The rework station fixes the board on the support
frame and realizes the reflow process in one time slot
while the fumace conveys the board through the whole
oven channel to do that. However, the latter one can
be converted to the former one through divide the
furnace length by the conveyance speed, typically 304,
355, and 381”lmin. Hence, the application of reflow
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soldering retro-design system on rework station is
instructive to the study in other reflow soldering
devices.
Moreover, the specific features of rework station
grants this application study with exceptive meanings.
1) More convenient operation flow is required.
Currently a considerable number of rework
stations are working in some non professional
SMT companies, who use them as one
flexible component attachment device.
Having no enough reliability knowledge on
the surface mount they need more convenient
operation method to achieve the assembly
task. Supposed that the retro-design system
could tackle the process set-up for them, the
rework station vendors would sell more.
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 Session 1

A
Sn-3.8Ag-O.7Cu SoIder reflow plot on rework
("C)

275(M)

220(M)
-
I
315(M)

220(M)
4 350 M

i 260(H)h
~
m
300(M)

:2451 (H)
i j 100(H) ~

j !
1 ;
; j
b

2) Principal method of heat transfer is different.
Currently most reflow furnaces still use
radiative heating while most rework stations
use forced convective way.
3) More flexible. Rework station tackles many
small-batch process tasks, which require the
rework more flexible.
Certainly there have some special features in solder
reflow ovens, like more utilizing time and more
components should be analyzed, which means more
boundary conditions. The detailed differences of
system applying methods will be described elsewhere.
4. REPRESENTATIVE MODEL OF REWORK
STATION HEATING EXECUTORS
Current rework stations consist of two
programmable heat sources, top nozzle (Fig. 3) and
bottom heater bowl (Fig. 4), that are coupled together
(Fig 5 ) to provide the energy input to reflow the solder
on the PCBs so as to remove the mal-functional
component and attach a good one. Generally the
temperature and the hot air flux of the two energy
sources are adjusted to achieve the anticipated process
profiles. One rework station normally tackles one
component in one specific period, not like solder
reflow ovens which handle several hundred
components attached to the board. Certainly it would
be almost impossible due to limitations in computer
processing and disk storage space to model the whole
device at the same level complexity, since the heater
bowl can contain tens of top nozzles. It has been
evaluated by Eveloy et al. [ 5 ] that CFD analysis could
play an important role in providing critical boundary
conditions for component electrical and
thermo-mechanical behavior analyses requiring
transient boundary conditions. Reflow soldering
retro-design system adopts UG nxl to build the
geometrical structure and uses ANSYS Flotran CFD to
do the analysis to compute the component surface heat
flux and temperature history. The modeling method is
introduced to study METCAL APR-5000 device
model, and the top heat nozzle is NZA 350-350.
Partial detailed modeling procedure and results refer
to Fig 4,7.
In order to construct the rework station model more
accurately, the system require comparing the
simulated heating response with the actual thermal
track on the same location under the same input. The
original tests are carried on the FR4 PCBs without any
components to verify the modeling accuracy. This step
is also able to calculate the convective heat transfer
coefficient from semi-empirical correlations and
ultimately offer considerable computational savings
Fig 8.
5. THEREFLOW PROCESS OPTIMIZATION
CRZTERION FOR SOLVING
There have a series of boundary conditions for the

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modeling solving to generate the process recipe.

Among these conditions, the solder ideal reflow curve Qq = (T(9 - T, )df (1)

is the'most difficult one to evaluate. Others like the Where T(t) is the measured temperature, (tl - t2) is the
flux of hot air, the specific device has the control length of time above the melting point.
limitations. For the instance of APR-5000, there has a
definition on the three levels as Table 1 , which gives
other boundary conditions derived from device
features.

Table 1 BC derived from device features

flow
24 lpm
Max. Reflow Head I 450 "C
Max. Pre-Heater 350 "C

Rework Area 229" x 305"

Max. Thickness

Heating factor (Q,,, Eq.l), which is defined as the

integral of the measured temperature over the dwell
time above liquidus, has been proposed to evaluate the
reliability of the micro-ball grid array (micro-BGA)
package [ 6 ] .

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Fig 5 nozzle and bowl to input energy Fig 6 the CFD modeling for the rework heater

Fig 7 the CFD model solving result for the rework heater
The research carried by EPA Center, City University it would success in other component assembly, the
of Hong Kong, shows that the fatigue lifetime of the study of baIling on flex board has shown that the
micro-BGA assemblies firstly increases and then parameter can be applied in a specific domain [7]. In
decreases with increasing heating factor. The greatest this retro-design system, the heating factor is used to
lifetime happens at Q,, near 500 ST. The optimal Q,, be an optional boundary condition for the solder
range is between 300 and 750 ST. Although the reflow curve.
success of Q,, applying in micro-BGA is not equal that

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I I
I
I
I
I
I
\
LI-r
Fig 8 the reflow soldering retro-design system for rework station
6. THECLOSE-LOOP IMPLEMENTATION OF
PROCESS RECIPE
The retro-design system carried at Shanghai Jiao
Tong University is different from the Loughborough
thermal process modeling system at the former one
having close-loop implementation of process recipe.
With the RS-232 communication port, the rework
station controller can adjust the controlling parameters
to near the desired reflow curve. This is especially
important in case of reflow soldering device models
changing or the models susceptible to the ambient.
1) Device aging or mal-function, which could
lead to the device executor uncontrolled. For
instance, the heater power decreases.
2) The ambient model changes. It is very
common for the rework station. The ambient
temperature affects the forced convection of
rework station greatly.
Meanwhile, the close-loop implementation can
generate the real process profile automaticalIy, which
is beneficial to the offline model optimization of
reflow soldering devices. Since the close-loop requires
the online monitoring the process recipe
implementation.
7. CONCLUSION
The reflow soldering retro-design system is an
extension of the current thermal process modeling
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CFD &Thermal
- 11
-
system. It requires the device controller to implement
the process recipe in close-loop mode, which will
increase the system robustness. Meanwhile, the online
monitoring grants the upper level, the of€Iine model
optimization, with continuously updated profile
library.
The application on rework station adopts the
propriety software, like ANSYS Flotran CFD
packages, to construct the device models and do the
pre- and post-processing, which is verified to have a
very high accuracy, but time-consuming contrast to the
steady-state model method. Considering that the
rework station can only work on one component each
time, the time is acceptable and worthwhile. In
summary, the reflow soldering retro-design system is
an effective tool for the rework station. With the
firther development, it can assist the operator to
realize the PCB rework or flexible SMT reliably and
consequently lead to a big product market.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research was supported by the National
Science Foundation of C h a (Grant No.: 50390060)
and the Science and Technology Commission of
Shanghai Municipality (Grant No.: 03XD14008).
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REFERENCE
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3. Farhad Sarvar, P.P.Conway, “Effective Modeling
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