The Impact of RoHS on Military and Aerospace Applications

"By July 1, 2006, all electrical and electronic items (as defined by RoHS) available in Europe will be required to comply with low-ppm levels for six restricted substances. The major impact is the limit of 1,000 ppm applied to lead content, as this requires a wholesale change to electronic PCB soldering processes and materials. There still are challenges for manufacturers of mission-critical products arising from two trends of lead-free production. First, commercial assemblies need to transition to lead-free. Second, the reflow medium will typically be based on SnAgCu (SAC); therefore, components must be compatible with this material and must retain reverse-compatibility with tin/lead systems that have not yet converted. The ideal, low-cost termination material for passive components meeting the above requirements is matte-tin." Source: smt.pennnet.com