Lead Frame Contamination - SiliconFarEast.com Gallery

SiliconFarEast.com Gallery: Lead Frame Contamination

Figure 1. Lead Frame Contamination

Contamination of fresh lead frames can result in field failures, which is why incoming lead frames must be subjected to quality assurance inspection prior to use in production.

Figure 1 shows low-magnification (left) and high-magnification (right) SEM photos of contaminants on the lead finger of a fresh lead frame.

EDX analysis needs to be performed on samples such as this to identify the elements present in the contamination. The presence of foreign elements such as Cl, S, and P can lead to corrosion, and must therefore be considered as a possible ground for rejecting the affected batch of samples.