The potential expansion of RoHS to include Tetrabromo-Bisphenol-A (TBBPA), which is used in more than 80% of the world's printed wiring board as a flame retardant, has generated substanial interest in Halogen-free printed wiring materials.

The webinar will introduce the halogen-free PCB materials under review and the key thermal, mechanical, chemical and electrical properties of these materials that are being studied. Techniques, procedures and equipment used to obtain the results will also be discussed. Findings of tests conducted on core (pre-lamination) samples of halogen-free PCB materials will be presented. Finally, results of constituent material identification of halogen-free PCB materials with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) will be presented.

About the Presenter: Bhanu Sood is the Director of the Test Services and Failure Analysis (TSFA) Laboratory at the University of Maryland's Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering. He holds Masters Degrees in Advance Materials Processing and Materials Science, and a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering.

His research areas include electronic materials characterization, failure analysis of electronic components and assemblies, printed circuit board materials and conductive filament formation. Prior to joining CALCE in 2005 he worked at U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in the areas of embedded electronics, micro-power sources, Laser assisted micro-fabrication, characterization of electrically conductive polymeric formulations and S advanced materials. His technical publications include papers on embedded electronics, energy storage systems and instrumentation for fatigue studies.