KEVIN HANNIGAN
PhD Research Postgraduate (2006-2009)

e: kevin.hannigan@itcarlow.ie

t: +353-59-9170504

Kevin Hannigan graduated from the University of Limerick in 1997 with a 2.1 honours degree in Electronics Manufacturing. His first role in 3COM Technologies as an NPI Engineer involved taking new computer network products from prototype stage to full volume production. From there, he was employed by Schaffer Ltd. to oversee the manufacturing transfer of electronic measurement instruments from Schaffner H.Q. in Switzerland to a new facility in Limerick. He has also worked as a Quality Engineer in Molex Ltd. investigating customer complaints and general quality issues. Since 2001, he has been employed by I.T. Carlow to lecture in Electronic Manufacturing and Avionics related subjects.

PhD Project Title: Corrosion of Pb-free Board Finishes

Background: The context for this research is the European Union’s ban on hazardous substances in electronic equipment which will be imposed in mid-2006. The ban will stipulate the removal of lead from solder interconnections, a requirement which has significant implications for the design and manufacture of electronic equipment. Printed Circuit Board (PCB) finishes are particularly critical, as reliability depends on good electrical contact between components and the solder-coated vias or pads on PCBs. New Pb-free board finishes such as Organic Solderability Protection (OSP), Immersion Silver, Immersion Tin, Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold (ENIG) and Hot-Air Surface Leveling (HASL) can indirectly affect interconnection reliability, particularly in harsh operating environments. There is an imperative to better understand the ability of all Pb-free board finishes to withstand corrosive field environments – specifically because of the increased deployment of telecomms equipment in developing countries. There is great concern about corrosion products forming on PCB finishes as a potential failure mode in environments with high levels of temperature, relative humidity and pollutants. There is a clear need to characterisation the behaviour of different Pb-free board finishes under corrosive conditions.

The objective of the research is to analyse the response of the different board finishes mentioned above after exposure to Mixed Flowing Gas (MFG) tests. The tests involve exposure to a mixture of pollutant gases in a controlled temperature and humidity environment in order to accelerate failure mechanisms seen during a product’s long-term use in an office, light industrial, moderate industrial, or heavy industrial setting. <Here you should add some specific information about the materials characterisation and failure analysis techniques which will be involved>. The anticipated outcomes of the research will be a fundamental understanding of the corrosion of different finishes, and physics-of-failure models for each finish to determine the performance under corrosion stimuli.

This project is conducted in collaboration with Bell Labs New Jersey and is a part of the Centre for Telecommunications Value-Chain Research (CTVR).