SummaryFor years, CFC-113-based cleaning agents and displacement drying fluids were the cornerstone of the electronics industry. CFC-113 based cleaners were used in all applications, especially when reliability and field performance was paramount. Similarly, CFC-113 based displacement drying fluids, originally developed to provide post-plated scratch and spot-free surfaces in the jewellery industry, were used in many printed wiring board shops after electroless copper plating. Instead of heated air drying that oxidized the copper, which then required pumice scrubbing prior to photo-polymer primary imaging film lamination, PWBs were water rinsed, CFC-113 displacement dried in an oxygen-free environment and then went straight to yellow room for film lamination. Since the pumice scrubbing step was eliminated, less copper had to be plated onto the PWBs, which cut down on cycle time. In addition, the process was capable of drying even the thickest multilayer via holes quickly and completely. Many of our components cannot be exposed to water, and thus required solvent cleaning. All the testing for hermeticity is normally accomplished with PerFluoroCarbons (PFCs), which are under scrutiny as global warming gases.Today we have a new wave of environmentally preferred fluorosolvents to fill the void left by the Montreal Protocol mandated production shut-down of CFC-113. These solvents include both the HydroChloroFluoroCarbons (such as HCFC-225) and the HydroFluoroCarbons (HFCs), a new class of materials characterized by incorporating hydrogen, fluorine and carbon (but no other halogens, however they may incorporate other elements), possessing zero ozone depleting potentials, short atmospheric life-times and minimal global warming potential.This paper explains the development, commercialization and qualification of these new highly fluorinated compounds, using their physical and chemical properties to predict where they might best serve the needs of the component, printed board fabrication and assembly sectors of the electronics industry in the same way as their CFC-113 counterparts, thus allowing manufacturing to continue to keep pace with the creativity of the design community.