Medical ultrasound transducers with SAC soldering technology: A new accelerated life model

Abstract

Medical Equipment manufacturers are strongly interested in evaluation of the life of new soldering lead-free material used for the implementation of electronic parts. In fact, in the next few years, they will have to inform the Notified Body of RoHS conformity assessment of the medical instruments so produced. In particular, in the case of lead-free solders, the Notified Body will require evidence that such solders are equally reliable as tin-lead solders, for the proposed use and lifetime of the product. In order to support new International Standard on Medical Equipment and fill the technology knowledge gap, the paper presents a new accelerated life model able to evaluate the life of tin-silver-copper alloy under cycling climatic test. The use of new soldering material is taken into consideration in the design of ultrasound array transducer, which is the core of a linear phased array probe used for monitoring the cardiac muscle.