Pin-in-hole reflow (PIHR) and lead-free solder joints
Pin-in-hole reflow
Because the implications of
switching to using lead-free
materials for printed wiring
board (PWB) assembly have
particular impact on the
equipment and capability for
wave soldering, it is attractive
to consider the applicability
of using the pin-in-hole
intrusive reflow technique
as an alternative within the
production environment.
Eliminating wave soldering
can reduce the cost of
implementing lead-free and
some of the common
process defects.
This paper reports on the
results from percentage-fill
measurements of intrusively
reflowed lead-free solder
joints where the same lead-
free alloy has been applied to
boards with different finishes.
The design rules, hole size
and other factors associated
with intrusive reflow defect
elimination will be outlined and
compared with the intrusive
reflow requirements in the
latest IPC 610-D standard.
David Bernard
(d.bernard@dage-group.com),
Dage Precision Industries,
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, UK
and Bob Willis
(bob@bobwillis.co.uk),
Electronic Presentation Services,
Chelmsford, Essex, UK.
This paper was originally published
as “Measurement Variation In
the Fill of Intrusively Reflowed
Lead Free Solder joints With
Different Board Finishes By X-Ray
Inspection” in the Proceedings of the
SMTA International Conference,
Chicago, Illinois, 2005
Keywords: Pin-In-Hole
Reflow, Intrusive Reflow,
Lead-Free, Design
Rules, Board Finish,
Fill-Percentage, X-Ray
Inspection
10
(PIHR) and lead-free
solder joints
Introduction paste. Stencil printing is used traditionally
Pin-in-hole reflow, intrusive reflow, pin-in-paste for depositing solder paste at surface mount
reflow and multi-spot soldering are all terms terminations. For PIHR, solder paste is also
used to describe the same reflow process that screen-printed over the through-hole pads and,
allows through-hole components to be soldered therefore, into the holes. On the ‘Lead-Free
without the need for hand soldering, wave Experience3’ production feature, a tin/silver/
soldering or the purchase of a selective soldering copper solder paste alloy (SAC alloy) was used
system. As such, this technique not only offers and screen-printed through a 0.006” (150mm)
an alternative to traditional production methods thick stencil.
but also allows a simplification in the number of To illustrate the efficiency/quality of the PIHR
process stages during manufacture by permitting process, PTH connectors were used as a practical
surface mount and insertion components to be example of where the PIHR technique can be
processed simultaneously. This is particularly true applied in-process. The pitch of the connector
with the growing interest/requirement in lead- pins and the stand-off features of the connector
free soldering, particularly with many companies body then determines the paste volume printed
in Europe adopting an environmentally friendly on the surface of the board. The thickness of
process. In comparison, wave soldering with lead- the stencil used was ultimately, however, a
free materials is the most demanding of process compromise between the needs of the connectors
challenges that engineers have to face today. and the other fine pitch components on the
The complete pin-in-hole reflow (PIHR) test board used. A good design/selection of the
process has been featured at major electronics connectors to be used allows the paste volume
shows in the last few years so as to assist to be maximised on the surface of the pads and
engineers in evaluating the efficacy of using onto the surface of the solder mask. Guidelines on
the PIHR technique with lead-free materials. paste, stencils, the paste volumes and appropriate
The most recent event was the ‘Lead-Free
Experience3’ held as part of Nepcon UK
exhibition in May 20051. The PIHR process
used at this exhibition is described below.
Thereafter, we will indicate the results obtained
for the quality/quantity of the fill of the plated-
through-hole (PTH) joints manufactured
during the event, where the same lead-free
solder paste was used on boards with different
surface finish and under two different reflow
methods. The solder paste was a SAC alloy.
The board finishes used were immersion gold,
immersion silver, immersion tin and organic
surface preservative (OSP or copper finish).
The boards were reflowed under convection
reflow or vapour phase reflow. The reliability
of PIHR joints has been discussed before2, and
in this paper we provide the latest details on
the UK, National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
lead-free joint testing project that shows that
you just can’t break a good through-hole joint
however they are produced! Figures 1 and 2. The screen-printed solder
paste deposits in PIHR maximise the
The pin-in-hole reflow (PIHR) process surface area on the topside of the board as
well as penetrating through the holes of part
The basic PIHR process starts with stencil of a 110-pin connector.
printing the surface of the board with solder
Global SMT & Packaging - October 2007 www.globalsmt.net

inspection criteria are available from the
SMTA bookstore on video, interactive
CD-ROMs and poster sets3.
Successful screen-printing for PIHR
has in the past used a ‘Rheometric’,
sealed print-head on the screen-printer.
This has the benefit of increasing the
penetration capability of the paste into
the hole, as well as minimising the
waste associated with the traditional
blade-printing processes. For example,
the print penetration into the holes in
Figure 2 shows substantial fill, estimated
at better than 80% fill. Standard metal
blade printing can be used successfully for
through-hole parts with a thicker stencil.
A sealed head can markedly improve the
hole filling capability. Sealed heads
Figure 3. Section of a 110-pin row
connector especially designed to
minimise temperature differentials on the
surface of the board during reflow and
remain designed for automatic assembly
Figure 4. This slightly more unusual
view of a har-busHM+ connector is an
x-ray image of the board with the paste
deposit visible on both sides of the
board, and in the hole, prior to reflow.
are available from DEK, MPM and
other suppliers.
After printing, surface mount
components are placed on the surface of the
paste prior to insertion of the connectors
into the pasted through holes. However,
with appropriate connector selection and
design (Figure 3) the connectors may be
inserted first. Historically, it has often
www.globalsmt.net
Pin-in-hole reflow (PIHR) and lead-free solder joints
been difficult for engineers to automate
the odd-form assembly process because
of the need to invest in additional odd-
form equipment. Although, with selected
placement machines now having the
capability to insert all of the popular
surface mount shapes and odd-form parts,
it opens up the opportunity for greater use
of PIHR technology. The printed board
design on the test production line featured
two connectors, 0201 and 0402 chip
components as well as BGA, Flip Chip and
QFP devices.
The two connectors featured in the
Experience3 were a 96-way right-angled
connector and two six-pin IDC sockets.
These can be assembled manually or
assembled using a universal placement
head, for example. Vision checks can be
made on each part to accurately align
the through-hole leads with the plated
through-hole. It should be noted that
accurate insertion requires vision systems to
have the capability to check through-hole
position accuracy, as well as the traditional
fiducial marks associated with surface mount
technology. It is well understood that
drilling and photo imaging of printed boards
can have a large tolerance, the base PCB
materials can change their dimensions by
0.001” per inch.
Ideally all components are provided in
tape and reel formats for production, but
on long parts like the 96-way connector
they can take up valuable feeder space, so
versatility is also important on packaging
selection for odd-form parts. The ideal
packaging options are tape and reel for
the IDC connector and machined plates
for the 96-way edge connectors. As the
plates are used in an automatic tray feeder,
part positions were also provided for the
other connector design so as to give added
flexibility.
Following the automatic assembly, the
board is taken to the reflow process. Here,
the surface mount and the through-hole
joints can be simultaneously reflowed in one
operation. At the ‘Lead-Free Experience3’
event both a convection reflow oven and a
vapour-phase system were available, as both
methodologies have been successfully used
for PIHR in the past.
The necessary size of the reflow
oven for PIHR, in terms of length and
number of zones will be dependent on the
throughput speed required. In production,
a reflow oven is selected for its throughput
requirements and its compatibility to the
product type and the peak temperatures
required. Alternatively, the most popular
lead-free solder pastes can be processed
at 240˚C, or 230˚C with vapour phase
Global SMT & Packaging - October 2007
reflow. If convection reflow is the process
to be used then it is very important to
correctly profile the temperature across the
entire board assembly. This is because the
connector undergoing PIHR may be the
largest component on the surface of the
board, in terms of mass, and so can act as a
local heat sink on the board. Therefore, by
making the through-hole parts one of the
areas to be monitored in the profile, it will
ensure that any differential temperature is
noted and the profile adjusted accordingly.
With a double-sided surface mount
assembly, the connector side of the board
would be processed second. However, it
is also possible to process connectors and
other through-hole components on both
sides of the board, if required. Figures 5
and 6 are typical examples of solder joints
produced with the PIHR assembly process
on a har-busHM+ and 96-way right-
angled connector.
The solder joint strength and long
term reliability are no different than with
Figures 5 and 6. Typical joints
produced after PIHR.
conventional wave or manual soldering
operations4. The PIHR joints also meet
the visual requirements for national
and international standards, such as in
IPC 610-D. This has been shown by
the UK National Physical Laboratory
(NPL) in Teddington, London who ran
a lead-free soldering project that allowed
customers to compare the results from
lead-free production to that from long-
term reliability testing. NPL has also been
running a UK Government funded (DTI)
project in collaboration with industry
to evaluate the solder joint reliability of
various lead-free solders for many years.
11
Pin-in-hole reflow (PIHR) and lead-free solder joints
Reports of their work can be obtained from
www.npl.co.uk/ei.
The NPL test board also featured the
same 96-way connector used at the ‘Lead-
Free Experience3’ and it too was processed
using PIHR. The NPL reliability project
consisted of 145 boards with mixtures of
the following lead-free alloys SnAgCu,
SnAgBiCu, SnCu, SnPbAg and a standard
tin/lead control. That test board consisted
of a wide selection of surface mount
components, as well as the connector.
To date, the samples have been through
2200 cycles of thermal testing (-55∞C to
+125∞C) with dwell times of 40 minutes.
None of the test boards have exhibited
electrical failure. A further feature of the
NPL pin-in-hole reliability project involved
the use of different stencil apertures in the
printing process to obtain a range of solder
joint volumes. A copy of the report is
available from www.npl.co.uk/ei.
By producing solder joints with varying
volumes, the NPL project allows a fair
representation of joints to be produced
that may be likely in production. It also
covers the basic range of criteria of the
IPC 610-D. As a result, this makes the
final reliability results of the NPL report
more meaningful when compared to the
visual joint quality used in the industry.
Quantifying fill
percentage by x-ray
IPC 610-D section 7.5.5.1 indicates that
the target for solder vertical fill within
supported holes is to be 100%. The
acceptable level for classes 1, 2 and 3 is
to be at least 75% fill and anything less is
deemed as unacceptable. Confirming the
actual fill level optically of anything less
than 100% fill is almost impossible as you
cannot see down the joint to get a level
(Figure 2). The alternative technique to
qualify the joint strength, and by extension
have a measure of the fill in the joint, is
to pull the pin in a controlled manner
and detect the force required until it is
removed from the hole. Unfortunately,
this latter method requires destruction of
the sample. Therefore, x-ray inspection
not only offers a way of non-destructively
investigating the PIHR joints but also,
by using developments made in the x-ray
inspection technique over recent years,
allows the fill percentage of these joints to
be calculated. The recent developments in
x-ray inspection are:
• The increased use of open-style x-ray
tubes in x-ray systems for electronic
applications has allowed much greater
magnification to be available for joint
inspection compared to using closed
12 Global SMT & Packaging - October 2007
x-ray tubes5.
• Recent x-ray system design permitting
oblique angle views of joints
without compromising the available
magnification - by tilting the detector
and not the sample6.
• The provision of digital x-ray imaging
as standard within x-ray systems
enabling far better visual separation
of similarly dense features. This can
dramatically assist fault diagnosis in
areas such a non-conductive die-attach,
voids in packages, micro-via inspection
and enhanced analysis of BGAs by
showing the joint interfaces between
solder ball and the pad as well at the
solder ball and the device7,8.
• Simple to use operator interfaces on the
x-ray equipment but giving enhanced
software capabilities that can be
applied to the x-ray images and provide
measurement of the fill percentage at
angular views.
Together, these x-ray developments allow
a relatively inexperienced operator to
quickly assess and quantify the PIHR
quality within production. They are able
to see the individual PIHR joints at good
magnification, resolution and contrast
sensitivity. Achieving all this at an angular
view is vital for PIHR investigation, as
only looking from above will not show
Figure 7. X-ray view of
through-hole joints.
Figure 8. Oblique x-ray view of the
same through-hole joints. Variation in
fill level is quickly and easily seen.
detail through the hole (Figures 7 and 8). In
addition, these x-ray developments enable
other aspects of the quality of the lead-free
process to be further investigated8,9.
In the ‘Lead-free Experience 3’ tests a
digital x-ray inspection system was used
for analysis. This system had an open
x-ray tube with sub-micron resolution that
provided 16-bit greyscale sensitivity with
an x-ray image size of 1.3 Mpixels. The
x-ray images were acquired at 25 frames
per second. The system was able to provide
oblique angles of up to 70˚ at any point
360∞ around any position on the test
board without compromising the available
magnification. This is achieved through
tilting the x-ray detector instead of tilting
the board. Software was available on this
x-ray system to provide a measurement of
the fill percentage of the PIHR joints. An
example of how this is achieved is shown
in Figures 9 and 10. Cursors are placed
on-screen that highlight the through-hole
joint and additional lines can be added
at different percentage levels through the
hole. In this example 0, 50, 75 and 100%
levels are shown but as many extra levels
as required can be added. The operator
then has a quick and simple task to identify
what percentage level the fill has achieved.
In this example, the partially filled joint
is substantially less than 50% filled and
therefore would be unacceptable against
the IPC610-D criteria. The software allows
for the fill cursors to automatically change
Figures 9 and 10. Fill percentage
measurement on two through-
hole joints in the same connector.
The partially filled joint has
substantially less than 50% fill, as
shown against the scale.
www.globalsmt.net






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Pin-in-hole reflow (PIHR) and lead-free solder joints
their orientation in agreement with a
change in the oblique angle view selected,
as well as change their relative size as
the magnification is altered. In this way,
analysis could be made at different oblique
views if, for example, other components on
the board would interfere with the view of
the joint under investigation.
An x-ray navigation map of the test
board can be seen in Figure 11. This
shows the layout of the connectors and
other components as well as being used to
locate the positions of any failures if found
through a location rectangle superimposed
on this map (Figure 12).
Results
Test boards with all four finish types and
Figure 11. X-ray navigation map
of test board used.
Figure 12. X-ray image of two pins in
one of the IDC six-pin connectors on
an immersion gold finish board that
had undergone convection reflow.
The pin location is shown by the
small highlighted rectangle on the
navigation map.
reflowed under either convection reflow
or vapour phase reflow were investigated
by x-ray examination. Images of the
connectors were taken at oblique angle
views (Figures 12, 13, 14 and 15). The
plan was then to calculate the variation
in fill percentage for each joint in the
smaller connectors and in a representative
sample of joints in the 96-way connector.
It was then hoped that there might be
some correlation between any variation
of fill percentage in the PIHR joints and
the board finish and/or the reflow method
used. Unfortunately for the authors, the
14
results of all boards tested showed 100%
fill for all PIHR joints of all the connectors
whatever the finish, whatever the reflow
method. Therefore, no measurements of
any variation could be taken! In some
joints there was a little more voiding than
in others but this was not consistent across
all of the joints in the same device (see
the top of the left-most joint in Figure 13
for example) and so specific conclusions
cannot be reliably drawn about this matter.
Conclusions
Although the sample set was very small,
all the PIHR joints made were shown to
have 100% fill percentage, irrespective of
the board finish or the reflow method used.
Figure 13. Oblique x-ray view of
equivalent connector seen in Figure
12 but on a vapour phase reflow
board with immersion tin finish.
Figure 14. Part of 96-pin connector
on OSP finish board after convection
reflow, centre contact row not fitted.
Figure 15. Part of 96-pin connector
on immersion silver finish board after
convection reflow, centre contact
row not fitted.
Global SMT & Packaging - October 2007
Therefore, perhaps the best conclusion
that can be reached from this work is that
if you consider using the PIHR technique
as part of your production then it would
appear to be a robust process and provide
good results. We feel this is a reasonable
comment in view of the fact that the
‘production line’ at the exhibition was
set up in a matter of hours, in non-ideal
conditions, but we were still able to
achieve consistent results even as the
board finish and reflow method changed.
This consistency of result may well have
been caused by our considering and
implementing the following check list for
PIHR as part of the process used on the
line. We hope it provides you with the
same success.
Pin In Hole/Intrusive
Reflow Check List
1. Are your through-hole components
compatible with reflow soldering
temperatures? Do they meet the
minimum requirement of the IPC/
IEC component compatibility
standards of 250˚C for lead-free?
2. Can you obtain the through-
hole components in packaging
suitable for automatic assembly?
Manual assembly is always possible
but automation will improve
consistency.
3. Have you calculated your through-
hole and lead-to-hole ratio for
automatic and manual insertion?
You may have to do this if you
normally group holes to reduce
the number of drill sizes in printed
board manufacture. Lead size plus
0.010” is normal.
4. What standoff height do you have
on the components, where are the
component standoff feet located and
will they contact your paste deposit?
A minimum standoff height should
be 0.010”.
5. Have you tested your solder resist
with your solder paste during
reflow? Does it cause solder
balling? It is often necessary to
print paste on to the resist to
obtain the correct volume of solder
to fill the hole after reflow.
6. Have you calculated the stencil
thickness required to fill your plated
through-holes with solder after
reflow? The following calculation is
one of the basic references available:
Volume of Paste = (Volume of PTH -
Volume of pin) x 2
www.globalsmt.net
 Pin-in-hole reflow (PIHR) and lead-free solder joints

X-ray Inspection for BGA, Flip Chip in lead-free assembly”, Proceedings of

7. Have you told your stencil SMTA International, Chicago, 2004
and CSP Analysis”, Proceedings of
manufacturer that through-hole
APEX, Anaheim, CA, 2004.
apertures are required on your new
[8] Bernard, D., Hoo, N. and Lodge,
stencil? Normally we tell the stencil
D., “Use of digital x-ray imaging as
supplier to take them out, don’t we?
a process control tool for lead-free
Also have you shown your supplier
PWB assembly”, Proceedings of
a connector, he may have a lot of
SMTA International, Chicago, 2004
experience with PIHR?
[9] Bernard, D and Bryant K., “Does
8. Have you discussed changes to
PCB pad finish affect voiding levels
your soldering standards for pin-
in-hole reflow assembly with
your quality department and your
customer? You can achieve 100%
fill but positive fillets are more
difficult. The joints will also look
different but it is easy to meet the
requirements of IPC 610-D!
9. Have you specified your component Reference Books
lead lengths and can you control
them? Lead length control is crucial
and should ideally give a protrusion
by Dr. Jennie Hwang
of 1-1.5mm below the board.
10. Do you know how strong solder
wave and hand soldered joints are?
In fact, they are no different than
through-hole reflowed joints but TO ORDER:
remember, someone will ask you ! Online: www.LeadFreeService.com Fax: 216-896-0405
Dr. Hwang’s upcoming Lead-free lectures/seminars
References Visit: www.LeadFreeService.com
[1] Results from Hands-on Lead-free
Experience held at Nepcon UK,
Brighton, England in 2003, 2004 and
2005. See www.smartgroup.org for
more details.
[2] Wickham M., Brewin A., Zou L.
& Hunt C.P., “Report MATC (A)
141: Code of Practice for the Use of
Electronic Components and PCBs
in Lead-Free Processing”, available
from United Kingdom National
Physical Laboratory, www.npl.co.uk.
[3] www.smta.org, www.smartgroup.org
and www.leadfreesoldering.com.
[4] Dusek, M., Wickham, M. & Hunt,
C., “Report MATC (A) 156: The
impact of thermal cycle regime on
the shear strength of lead-free solder
joints”, November 2003 available
from United Kingdom National
Physical Laboratory, www.npl.co.uk.
[5] Bernard D., “X-ray tube selection
criteria for BGA / CSP X-ray
inspection”, Proceedings of
SMTA International, Chicago,
September 2002
[6] Bernard D., “Selection Criteria
for X-ray Inspection Systems
for BGA and CSP Solder Joint
Analysis”, Proceedings of Nepcon
Shanghai, 2003
[7] Bernard, D. and Ainsworth, S.,
“Comparing Digital and Analogue

www.globalsmt.net Global SMT & Packaging - October 2007 15