KYZEN is pleased to announce that Dr. Mike Bixenman will present the paper titled QFN Design Considerations to Improve Cleaning A Follow on Study at the upcoming SMTA International exhibition. The presentation will be held during Session SMT2, titled Minimizing Voids Under QFNs, BGAs and Discrete Components, and will take place Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2014 from 4-5:30 p.m. in Room 47 at the Donald Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. The paper was co-authored by Dale Lee, Plexus, Bill Vuono, TriQuint Semiconductor, and Steve Stach, AAT.

The purpose of the follow on research is to place non-plated via holes within the QFN streets four quadrants. Learning from the 2013 research data findings, the research hypothesis for this study predicts that the non-plated via holes will allow to air to penetrate and exhaust during reflow, resulting in less residue under the bottom termination. The major benefit is that less residue prevents flux bridging. With an open flow channel under the component, cleaning fluids penetrate at a faster rate, which allows for reduced cleaning time and more consistent cleaning.

Dr. Mike Bixenman, CTO of KYZEN, has 20 years of experience in the design of electronic assembly cleaning materials and process integration. He was the chair of the 2008 IPC/SMTA Cleaning Symposium and is the current chair of the IPC Cleaning Handbook Task Group. Dr. Bixenman holds four earned degrees including a Doctorate in Business Administration.

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