Technical Report: A Reliability Examination Of Lead-Free Quartz Crystal Products Using Surface-Mount Technology Engineered For Harsh Environments

By Todd H. Treichel, CQE, Wi2Wi LLC

As the electronics industry moves toward the implementation and use of lead-free solders, very little is known about the reliability of quartz crystal controlled products of lead free construction. Such products include quartz controlled crystals, filters, and oscillators which demand high reliability in a variety of space, military, automotive, and commercial applications. Quartz crystal products are used in numerous space and military applications, which mandate compliance to specified military test profiles. Therefore, reliability test profiles were selected from MIL-STD-202 and MILSTD-883 test documents in an effort to apply stress conditions that accelerate potential failure mechanisms and to gain a better understanding of any detected failure modes.