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InFORMS® are reinforced solder preforms that help maintain the required bondline and promote good solder wetting. During the soldering process, the copper does not melt, ensuring that the bondline is maintained across the entire solder joint. This results in:
In testing, InFORMS® have shown to improve the reliability of the interconnect to at least 3500 thermal cycles, which exceeds the typical reliability specification of 1500 passive thermal cycles for -55/+150 °C.
InFORMS® offer dramatically improved handling when compared to conventional solder alloys or indium-based sheets, foils, ribbons, or large preform materials. InFORMS®® also offer increased tensile and compressive strength via the substrate materials, while retaining the unique attributes of the outer layer metal (e.g., the softness, ductility, and other advantages of indium).
InFORMS® provide engineers with an enhanced material for the development of new, or the improvement of existing, applications. They can be used in cryogenic or vacuum seals, EMI and RFI shielding, ground straps, stand-offs, thermal mismatch devices, or backplane assembly washers. While a number of metals may be used, indium metal should be considered for many applications because of its unique attributes. For example, indium readily wets glass, quartz, and glazed ceramics. When compared to conventional solders, indium-based solders significantly reduce scavenging and leaching of gold and other precious metals.
InFORMS® can be produced from a wide range of metal and non-metal substrates, depending on the needs of the application.
