CHAPTER 4

SOLDERING GUIDELINES AND

SMD FOOTPRINT DESIGN

page

Introduction 4-2

Axial and radial leaded devices 4-2

Surface-mount devices 4-3

Philips Semiconductors Discrete Semiconductor Packages

Soldering guidelines and SMD

Chapter 4
footprint design

INTRODUCTION Soldering
There are two basic forms of electronic component • Avoid any force on the body or leads during or
construction, those with leads for through-hole mounting immediately after soldering
and microminiature types for surface mounting. • Do not correct the position of an already soldered device
Through-hole mounting gives a very rugged construction by pushing, pulling or twisting the body
and uses well established soldering methods. Surface
• Avoid fast cooling after soldering.
mounting has the advantages of high packing density plus
high-speed automated assembly. The maximum allowable soldering time is determined by:
• Package type
AXIAL AND RADIAL LEADED DEVICES • Mounting environment
The following general rules are for the safe handling and • Soldering method
soldering of axial and radial leaded diodes. Special rules • Soldering temperature
for particular types may apply and, for these, instructions
• Distance between the point of soldering and the seal of
are given in the individual data sheets. With all
the component body.
components, excessive forces or heat can cause serious
damage and should always be avoided. The maximum permissible temperature of the solder is
260 °C; this temperature must not be in contact with the
Handling joint for more than 5 s. The total contact time of successive
solder waves must not exceed 5 s.
• Avoid perpendicular forces on the body of the diode
• Avoid sudden forces on the leads or body. These forces The component may be mounted up to the seating plane,
are often much greater than allowed but the temperature of the plastic body must not exceed
the specified storage maximum. If the PCB has been
• Avoid high acceleration as a result of any shock, e.g.
preheated, forced cooling may be necessary immediately
dropping the device on a hard surface
after soldering to keep the temperature within the
• During bending, support the leads between body or stud permissible limit.
and the bending point
• During the bending process, axial forces on the body Mounting
must not exceed 20 N If the rules for handling and soldering are observed, the
• Bending the leads through 90° is allowed at any following mounting or process methods are allowed:
distance from the body when it is possible to support the • Preheating of the printed-wiring board before soldering
leads during bending without contacting the body or up to a maximum of 100 °C
weldings
• Flat mounting with the diode body in direct contact with
• Twisting the leads is allowed at any distance from the the printed-wiring board with or without metal tracks on
body or stud only if the lead is properly clamped both sides and/or plated-through holes
between body or stud and the twisting point
• Flat mounting with the diode body in direct contact with
• Straightening bent leads is allowed only if the applied
hot spots or hot tracks during soldering
pulling force in the axial direction does not exceed 20 N
and the total pull duration is not longer than 5 s. • Upright mounting with the diode body in direct contact
with the printed-wiring board if the body is not in contact
with metal tracks or plated-through holes.

Repairing soldered joints

Apply the soldering iron to the component pin(s) below the
seating plane, or not more than 2 mm above it. If the
temperature of the soldering iron bit is below 300 °C, it
may remain in contact for up to 10 s. If it is over 300 °C but
below 400 °C, it may only remain in contact for up to 5 s.

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Soldering guidelines and SMD

Chapter 4
footprint design

SURFACE-MOUNT DEVICES Reflow soldering process

Since the introduction of surface mount devices (SMDs), There are three basic process steps for single-sided PCB
component design and manufacturing techniques have reflow soldering, these are:
changed almost beyond recognition. Smaller pitch, 1. Applying solder paste to the PCB
minimum footprint area and reduced component volume
2. Component placement
all contribute to a more compact circuit assembly. As a
consequence, when designing PCBs, the dimensions of 3. Reflow soldering.
the footprints are perhaps more crucial than ever before.
APPLYING SOLDER PASTE TO THE PCB
One of the first steps in this design process is to consider
which soldering method, either wave or reflow, will be used Solder paste can be applied to the PCBs solder lands by
during production. This determines not only the solder one of either three methods: dispensing, screen or stencil
footprint dimensions, but also the minimum spacing printing.
between components, the available area underneath the Dispensing is flexible but is slow, and only suitable for
component where tracks may be laid, and possibly the pitches of 0.65 mm and above.
required component orientation during soldering.
With screen printing, a fine-mesh screen is placed over the
Although reflow soldering is recommended for SMDs, PCB and the solder paste is forced through the mesh onto
many manufacturers use, and will continue to use for some the solder lands of the PCB. However, because of mesh
time to come, a mixture of surface-mount and through-hole aperture limitations (emulsion resolution), this method is
components on one substrate (a mixed print). only suitable for solder paste deposits of 300 µm and
The mix of components affects the soldering methods that wider.
can be applied. A substrate having SMDs mounted on one Stencil printing is similar to screen printing, except that a
or both sides but no through-hole components is likely to metal stencil is used instead of a fine-mesh screen. The
be suitable for reflow or wave soldering. A double sided stencil is usually made of stainless steel or bronze and
mixed print that has through-hole components and some should be 150 to 200 µm thick. A squeegee is passed
SMDs on one side and densely packed SMDs on the other across the stencil to force solder paste through the
normally undergoes a sequential combination of reflow apertures in the stencil and onto the solder lands on the
and wave soldering. When the mixed print has only PCB (see Fig.1). It does not suffer from the same
through-hole components on one side and all SMDs on the limitations as the other two printing methods and so is the
other, wave soldering is usually applied. preferred method currently available.
To help with your circuit board design, this guideline gives It is recommended that for solder paste printing, the
an overview of both reflow and wave soldering methods, equipment is located in a controlled environment
and is followed by some useful hints on hand soldering for maintained at a temperature of 23 ±2 °C, and a relative
repair purposes, and the recommended footprints for our
humidity between 45% and 75%.
SMD discrete semiconductor packages.

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Soldering guidelines and SMD

Chapter 4
footprint design

The amount of solder paste used must be sufficient to give

handbook, halfpage squeegee reliable soldered joints. This amount is controlled by the
solder paste
stencil stencil thickness, aperture dimensions, process settings,
solder land and the volume of paste pressed through the apertures by
the squeegee.

,, ,,
,,,,,,,,,
,,,, board
The downward force of the squeegee is counteracted by
the hydrodynamic pressure of the paste, and so the
machine should be set to ensure that the stencil is just
‘cleaned’ by the squeegee.
Suitable aperture dimensions depend on the stencil
thickness. The solder paste deposits must have a flat part
on the top (Fig.2, examples 4 and 5), which can be
achieved by correct process settings. The footprints given
in this book were designed for these correct deposit types.

,,,,,,,,,
,,,,
filling Stencil apertures that are too small result in irregular dots
on the lands (Fig.2, examples 1 to 3). If the apertures are

,,,,,,,,,
too large, solder paste can be scooped out, particularly if a
rubber squeegee is used (Fig.2, example 6).

MSB904

1 2 3 4 5 6
levelling

,,,,,,,,,
,,,,
Fig.2 Shapes of solder deposits for increasing
stencil apertures (left to right).

Ideally, the deposited solder paste should sit entirely on

the solder land. The tolerated misplacement of solder
paste with respect to the solder land is determined by the
most critical component. The solder paste deposit must be

,,,,
,,,,,,,,,
release deposited within 100 µm with respect to the solder land.

,,,,,,,,,
Furthermore, the tackiness (tack strength) of the solder
paste must be sufficient to hold surface-mount devices on
the PCB during assembly and during transport to the
MSB905 reflow oven. Tack strength depends on factors such as
paste composition, drying conditions, placement pressure,
Fig.1 Applying solder paste by stencilling.
dwell time and contact area. As a general rule, component
placement should be within four hours after the paste
printing process.

Stencil printing Squeegee

The printing process must be able to apply the solder The squeegee can be either metal or rubber. A metal
paste deposits to the PCB: squeegee gives better overall results and so is
• In the correct amounts recommended, however with step stencils, a rubber
squeegee has to be used. The footprints given in this
• At the correct position on the lands
chapter were designed for application by both types of
• With an acceptable height and shape. squeegee.

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Soldering guidelines and SMD

Chapter 4
footprint design

Stencil apertures Suitable solder paste types have the following

compositions:
Stencil apertures can be made by either:
• Sn62Pb36Ag2
• Etching
• Sn63Pb37
• Laser cutting
• Sn60Pb40.
• Electroforming.
Of the three methods, etching is less accurate as the COMPONENT PLACEMENT
deviation in aperture dimensions with respect to the target
The position of the component with respect to the solder
is relatively large (target is +50 µm at squeegee side and
lands is an important factor in the final result of the
0 µm at PCB side).
assembly process. A misaligned component can lead to
Laser-cut and electroformed stencils have smaller unreliable joints, open circuits and/or bridges between
deviations in dimensions and are therefore more suitable leads.
for small and fine-pitch components (see Fig.3).
The placement accuracy is defined as the maximum
permissible deviation of the component outline or
handbook, halfpage
component leads, with respect to the actual position of the
A
solder land pattern belonging to that component or
component leads on the circuit board (see Fig.4).
stencil

MSB906
B handbook, halfpage
actual mounted position
A = B +0/−30 (µm).
≤Pcpcu
B = X ±30 (µm).
X = nominal apertures size.

Fig.3 Specifications of laser-cut stencil apertures

for discrete and passive components.

A useful method of controlling the stencil printing process

during production is by monitoring the weight of solder
paste on the board which may vary between 80% and
target position ≤Pcpcu
110% of the theoretical amount according to the target related to copper pattern MSB954
(designed) apertures. Smearing and clogging of a small
aperture cannot be detected with this method.
Fig.4 Component placement tolerances.
Solder paste
Reflow soldering uses a paste consisting of small nodules
of solder and a flux with binder, solvents and additives to A maximum placement deviation (P) of 0.25 mm is used in
control rheological properties. The flux in the solder paste these guidelines, which relates to the accuracy of a
can be rosin mildly activated or rosin activated. low-end placement machine. A higher placement accuracy
is required for components with a fine pitch. This is given
The requirements of the solder paste are: in the footprint description for the components concerned.
• Good rolling behaviour Besides the position in x- and y-directions, the z-position
• No slump during heat-up with respect to the solder paste, which is determined by
• Low viscosity during printing the placement force, is also important. If the placement
force is too high, solder paste will be squeezed out and
• High viscosity after printing
solder balls or bridges will be formed. If the force is too low,
• Sufficient tackiness to hold the components physical contact will be insufficient, leads will not be
• Removal of oxides during reflow soldering. soldered properly and the component may shift.

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Soldering guidelines and SMD

Chapter 4
footprint design

REFLOW SOLDERING single-sided reflow soldering and the first side of

double-sided print boards. It's important to note that this
There are several methods available to provide the heat to
profile is for discrete semiconductor packages. The actual
reflow the solder paste, such as convection, hot belt, hot
framework for the entire PCB could be smaller than the
gas, vapour phase and resistance soldering. The preferred
one shown, as other components on the board may have
method is, however, convection reflow.
different process requirements.
Convection reflow Reflow soldering can be done in either air or a nitrogen
atmosphere. If soldering in air, the temperature (Tp) must
With this method, the PCBs passes through an oven
not exceed 240 °C on the first side of a double-sided print
where it is preheated, reflow soldered and cooled (see
board with organic coated solder lands. This is because
Fig.5). If the heating rate of the board and components are
peak temperatures greater than 240 °C reduce the
similar, however, preheating is not necessary.
solderability of the lands on the second side to be
During the reflow soldering process, all parts of the board soldered. This peak temperature can rise to 280 °C when
must be subjected to an accurate temperature/ time soldering the second side with organic coated solder lands
profile. Figure 5 shows a suitable profile framework for in air.

,,,,,,,,,
preheating soldering cooling
handbook, full pagewidth

,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,, MLC735
belt

handbook, full pagewidthtemperature MSB976

PCB damage
Tp max
organic finish
affected
Tp min

TR

TE

tE tR
tM

α α

time

α ≤ 10 °C/s. tE ≤ 1 min, if possible (else ≤ 5 min).

TE ≤ 160 °C. tM = 2 to 30 s.
TR = 180 °C. tR ≤ 70 s.
TPmin = 205 °C.
Tpmax = 240 °C for soldering the first side of a double-sided
board with organic finish.
TPmax = 280 °C for all other cases.

Fig.5 Convection reflow soldering method (top), process requirements for reflow soldering (bottom).

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Philips Semiconductors Discrete Semiconductor Packages

Soldering guidelines and SMD

Chapter 4
footprint design

If soldering in a nitrogen atmosphere, a peak temperature Volume of adhesive

of 280 °C is allowed for double-sided print boards or
There must be enough adhesive to keep components in
single-sided reflow soldering. Soldering in a nitrogen
their correct positions while being transported to the curing
atmosphere results in smoother joint meniscus, smaller
oven. This means that the deposited adhesive must be
contact angles, and better wetting of the copper solder
higher than the gap between the component and the board
lands.
surface. Nevertheless, there should not be too much
The profile can be achieved by correct combinations of deposit as it may smear onto the solder lands, where it can
conveyor speed and heater temperature. To check affect their solderability. The gap between a component
whether the profile is within specification, the coldest and and printed board depends on the geometry of the board
hottest spots on the board have to be located. and component (see Fig.6).
To do this, you should dispense solder paste deposits
regularly over the surface of a test board and on the
component leads. Set the oven to a moderate temperature
with maximum conveyor velocity and pass the test board b1
through. If too many solder paste dots melt, lower the b2
oven's temperature. Continue passing test boards through
the oven, while lowering the speed of the belt in small h1
h2 h3
steps.
The deposit that melts first indicates the warmest location,
the one that melts last indicates the coldest location. Paste MSB903

dots not reflowed after two runs must be replaced by fresh

dots. Thermocouples have to be mounted at the coldest
h1 = component stand-off height.
and warmest location and temperature profiles measured. h2 = solder resist (and track) height on PCB.
h3 = copper height on PCB.
Double-wave soldering process b1 = gap between solder lands on the PCB.
b2 = gap between metallization of the component.
There are four basic process steps for double-wave
soldering, these are:
1. Applying adhesive
Fig.6 Available space for adhesive between
2. Component placement component and PCB (unmarked area).
3. Curing adhesive
4. Wave soldering process.
Table 1 gives guidelines for volumes of adhesive dots per
package. The spreading in volumes should be within
APPLYING ADHESIVE
±15%.
To hold SMDs on the board during wave soldering, it is
necessary to bond the component to the PCB with one or Table 1 Guidelines for volumes of adhesive dots
more adhesive dots. This is done either by dispensing,
stencilling or pin transfer. Dispensing is currently the most NUMBER OF VOLUME PER
COMPONENT
popular technique. It is flexible and allows a controlled DOTS DOT (mm3)
amount of adhesive to be applied at each position. SOD106 1 0.65
Stencil printing and pin transfer are less flexible and are 1 0.5
mainly used for mass production. The component-specific SOD80C, SOD87
2 0.08
requirements for an adhesive dot are:
SOD110, SOD323 2 0.065
• Shape (volume) of the adhesive dot
SOT323 (SC70-3) 2 0.045
• Number of dots per component
SOT23, SOT143,
• Position of the dots. 2 0.06
SOT 346 (SC59)
SOT89 2 0.3
SOT223 2 0.70

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Soldering guidelines and SMD

Chapter 4
footprint design

Number, position and volume of dots per component adhesive dots compared with those for other components.
SOD80C and SOD87 packages can have one large
Figure 7 shows the recommended positions and numbers
adhesive dot (recommended) or two smaller adhesive
of adhesive dots for a variety of packages. SOD106,
dots.
SOT89 and SOT223 packages require much larger

handbook, halfpage handbook, halfpage

MSB901 MSB896

a. SOD106. b. SOD80C, SOD87.

handbook, halfpage handbook, halfpage

MSB897
MSB898

c. SOD110. d. SOD80C, SOD87.

handbook, halfpage
handbook, halfpage

MSB899
MSB900

e. SOD323. f. SOT23, SOT143, SOT323 (SC70-3)

SOT346 (SC59).

P P
handbook, halfpage handbook, halfpage

MSB902 MSC093

g. SOT89 (P = 4.4 mm). h. SOT223 (P = 6.0 mm).

For optimum power dissipation, the SOT89 requires a good thermal contact (i.e. good solder joint) between the package and the solder land.
During wave-soldering, however, flux may not always reach the total soldering area beneath the component body, which in turn can lead to an
incomplete solder joint. If the SOT89 is double-wave soldered, therefore, power derating must be applied.

Fig.7 Position of adhesive dots. Pitch between two small dots is 1.0 mm.

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Philips Semiconductors Discrete Semiconductor Packages

Soldering guidelines and SMD

Chapter 4
footprint design

Nozzle outlet diameter

Depending on adhesive type and component size, the
nozzle outlet diameter of the dispenser can vary between
0.6 and 0.7 mm for the larger dots, and between
0.3 and 0.5 mm for the smaller dots.
As the rheology of the adhesive is temperature dependent,
MSB977
the temperature in the nozzle must be carefully controlled temperature
before dispensing. The required temperature depends on
the adhesive type, but is usually between 26 °C and 32 °C Tmax

to maintain the adhesive's rheology within specification

during dispensing. Thermally curing epoxy adhesives are
normally used. Tmin
tC
Adhesives α

Beside the nozzle diameters, different adhesive types are

also used for different component sizes. Small
components can be secured during assembly and wave time
soldering with a thin (low green strength) adhesive, which
can be dispensed at high speeds. For larger components
(such as QFP and SO packages), a higher green strength
adhesive is required.
Tmax ≤ 160 °C.
Tmin ≥ 110 °C.
COMPONENT PLACEMENT tC ≥ 3 minutes.
Positioning components on the PCB is similar in practice α ≤ 100 °C/min (some adhesives allow higher heating rates).
If Tmin > 125 °C, tC may be <3 min, depending on adhesive
to that of reflow soldering. specification.
To prevent component shift and smearing of the adhesive,
board support is important while placing components. This
is particularly important when placing the SOD106 Fig.8 Process requirements for curing
package. thermosetting adhesives.

CURING THE ADHESIVE

To provide sufficient bonding strength between
component and board, the adhesive must be properly Bonding strength
cured. Figure 8 gives general process requirements for The bonding strength of glued components on the board
curing most thermosetting epoxy adhesives with latent can be checked by measuring the torque force. For small
hardeners. The temperature profile of all adhesive dots on components the requirements are given in Table 2.
the PCB must be within this framework. It's important to No values are specified for larger packages.
note that this profile is for discrete semiconductor
packages. The actual framework for the entire PCB could Table 2 Bonding strength requirements
be smaller than the one shown, as other components on
the board may have different process requirements. MINIMUM TARGET
BONDING BONDING
To check whether the profile is within specification, the COMPONENT
STRENGTH STRENGTH
temperature of coldest and hottest spots must be
(cNcm) (cNcm)
measured. The coldest spot is usually under the largest
package: the hottest spot is usually under the smallest SOD323, SOD110,
110 250
package. SOT323 (SC70-3)
SOD80C, SOD87 200 350
The adhesive can be cured either by infrared or hot-air
convection. SOT23, SOT346 (SC59),
150 250
SOT143

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Philips Semiconductors Discrete Semiconductor Packages

Soldering guidelines and SMD

Chapter 4
footprint design

WAVE SOLDERING PROCESS During the fluxing process, the solder side of the PCB
(including the components) are covered with a thin layer of
After applying adhesive, placing the component on the
solder flux, which can be applied to the PCB either by
PCB and curing, the PCB can be wave soldered. The wave
spraying or as a foam. Although several types of solder
soldering process is basically built up from three
flux are available for this purpose, they can be categorized
sub-processes. These are:
into three main groups:
1. Fluxing
• Non-activated flux (e.g. rosin-based fluxes)
2. Preheating
• Mildly activated flux (e.g. rosin-based or synthetic
3. (Double) wave soldering. fluxes)
Although listed here as sub-process they are in practice • Highly activated flux (e.g. water-soluble fluxes).
combined in one machine. All are served by one transport
The choice for a particular flux type depends mainly on the
mechanism, which guides the PCBs at an incline through
products to be soldered.
the soldering machine. It's important to note that the PCB
must be loaded into the machine so that the SMDs on the Although there is always some flux residue left on the PCB
board come into direct contact with the solder wave (see after soldering, it's not always necessary to wash the
Fig.9). boards to remove it. Whether to clean the board can
depend on:
• The type of flux used (highly activated fluxes are
corrosive and so should always be removed).
• The required appearance of the board after soldering.
• Customer requirements.

Preheating
After the flux is applied, the PCB needs to be preheated.
This serves several purposes: it evaporates the flux
solder MSC029
solvents, it accelerates the activity of the flux and it heats
the PCB and components to reduce thermal shock.
The required pre-heat temperature depends on the type of
Fig.9 Double-wave soldering.
flux used. For example, the more common low-residue
fluxes require a pre-heat temperature of 120 °C
(measured on the wave solder side of the PCB).
In principle, two different systems of PCB transports are
available for wave soldering: (Double) wave soldering
• Carrier transport The PCB first passes over a highly intensive (jet) solder
PCBs are mounted on a soldering carrier, which moves wave with a carefully controlled constant height. This
through the soldering machine, taking it from one ensures good contact with the PCB, the edges of SMDs
sub-process to the next. The advantage of carrier and the leads of components near to high non-wetted
mounting is that the board is fixed and warpage during bodies. The greater the board's immersion depth into this
soldering is reduced. first wave, the fewer joints will be missed.
• Carrierless transport If the PCB is carrier mounted, the first wave’s height, and
PCBs are guided through the soldering machine by a thus the board's immersion depth, can be greater.
chain with grips. This method is more convenient for Carrierless soldering is more convenient for mass
mass production. production, but the height of the wave must be lower to
avoid solder overflowing to the top side of the board. The
Fluxing height of the jet wave is given in Table 3 along with an
indication of soldering process window. This information is
Fluxing is necessary to promote wetting both of the PCB based on a 1.6 mm thick PCB.
and the mounted components. This ensures a good and
even solder joint.

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Philips Semiconductors Discrete Semiconductor Packages

Soldering guidelines and SMD

Chapter 4
footprint design

Table 3 Process ranges for carrierless and carrier double wave soldering
CARRIERLESS CARRIER
Preheat temperature of board at wave solder side (°C) 120 ±10
Heating rate preheating (°C/s) ∆T/∆t ≤ 3
First (jet) wave:
wave height with respect to bottom side of board (mm) 1.6 +0.5/−0 3.0 +0.5/−0
Second (laminar) wave (double sided overflow):
height with respect to underside of the board (mm) 0.8 +0.5/−0
relative stream velocity with respect to the board 0
Solder temperature (°C) 250 ±3
Contact times (s):
first (jet) wave 0.5 +0.5/−0
second (laminar) wave 2.0 ±0.2 (plain holes); 2.5 ±0.2 (plated holes)
PCB transport angle (°) 7 ±0.5
Solder alloys Sn60Pb40; Sn60Pb38Bi2

The second, smoother laminar solder wave completes Assessment of soldered joint quality
formation of the solder fillet, giving an optimal soldered
The quality of a soldered joint is assessed by inspecting
connection between component and PCB. It also reduces
the shape and appearance of the joint. This inspection is
the possibility of solder bridging by taking up excessive
normally done with either a low-powered magnifier or
solder.
microscope, however where ultra-high reliability is
To reduce lead/tin oxides and possibly other solder required, video, X-ray or laser inspection equipment may
imperfection forming during soldering, the complete wave be considered.
configuration can be encapsulated by an inert atmosphere
Both sides of the PCB should be carefully examined: there
such as nitrogen.
should be no misaligned, missing or damaged
components, soldered joints should be clean and have a
Hand soldering microminiature components
similar appearance, there should be no solder bridging or
It is possible to solder microminiature components with a residue, and the PCB should be assessed for general
light-weight hand-held soldering iron, but this method has cleanliness.
obvious drawbacks and should be restricted to laboratory
Unlike leaded component joints where the lead also
use and/or incidental repairs on production circuits:
provides added mechanical strength, the SMD relies on
• Hand-soldering is time-consuming and therefore the quality of the soldering for both electrical and
expensive mechanical integrity. It is therefore necessary that the
• The component cannot be positioned accurately and the inspector is trained to make a visual assessment with
connecting tags may come into contact with the regard to long-term reliability.
substrate and damage it Criteria used to assess the quality of an SMD solder joint
• There is a risk of breaking the substrate and internal include:
connections in the component could be damaged
• Correct position of the component on the solder lands
• The component package could be damaged by the iron. • Good wetting of the surfaces
• Correct amount of solder
• A sound, smooth joint surface.

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Philips Semiconductors Discrete Semiconductor Packages

Soldering guidelines and SMD

Chapter 4
footprint design

POSITIONING
If a lead projects over the solder land too far an unreliable
joint is obtained. Figures 10 to 12 show the maximum shift
allowed for various components. The dimensions of these
solder lands guarantee that, in the statistically extreme
situation, a reliable soldered joint can be made.

,,,,,,
GOOD WETTING solder lands

,,,,,,
handbook, halfpage
This produces an even flow of solder over the surface land
and component lead, and thinning towards the edges of

,,,,,,
the joint. The metallic interaction that takes place during

,,,,,,
soldering should give a smooth, unbroken, adherent layer
of solder on the joint.

CORRECT AMOUNT OF SOLDER MSB963 J

A good soldered joint should have neither too much nor too
little solder: there should be enough solder to ensure
electrical and mechanical integrity, but not so much that it
causes solder bridging.

SOUND, SMOOTH JOINT SURFACE

The surface of the solder should be smooth and
continuous. Small irregularities on the solder surface are
Fig.10 J ≥ 0.3 mm.
acceptable, but cracks are unacceptable.

,,,, ,,,,,,,
printed board

,,,,
printed board
handbook, halfpage Ocpcu

0.25 mm
0.25 mm
,,,,,,,
J>0.1 mm
Lp cucp>0.1 mm
MSB964
extreme pos. nom. pos.

MSB955

Fig.11 J ≥ 0.1 mm; solder land > Lp. Fig.12 Oc > half lead width.

September 2004 4 - 12
Philips Semiconductors Discrete Semiconductor Packages

Soldering guidelines and SMD

Chapter 4
footprint design

Footprint definitions In contrast to the tracks, which must be entirely covered,

solder lands must be free of solder resist. Because of this,
A typical SMD footprint, is composed of:
the cut-outs in the solder resist pattern should be at least
• Solder lands (conductive pattern) 0.15 mm or 0.3 mm larger than the relevant solder lands
• Solder resist pattern (for a photo-defined and screen printed solder resist
pattern respectively). The solder resist cut-outs given with
• Occupied area of the component
the footprints in these guidelines are sketched and their
• Solder paste pattern (for reflow soldering only) dimensions can be calculated by using the above rule.
• Area underneath the SMD available for tracks Consult your printed board supplier for agreement with
• Component orientation during wave soldering. these solder resist cut-outs.

SOLDER LANDS (CONDUCTIVE PATTERN) OCCUPIED AREA OF THE COMPONENT

The dimensions of the solder lands given in these A minimum spacing between components is necessary to
guidelines are the actual dimensions of the conductive avoid component placement problems, short circuits
pattern on the printed board (see Fig.13). during wave or reflow soldering and dry solder joints during
These dimensions are more crucial for fine-pitch wave soldering caused by non-wettable component
components. bodies. These problems can be avoided by placing the
components so the occupied areas do not overlap (see
Fig.14).

,,,,,,,,
design width (+0.04. . . −0.4)
handbook, halfpage
design width (0. . . −0.07)

,,,,,,,, MSB956
solder land width

WRONG

The solder land dimensions are designed to give optimum soldering

results. They do not take into account the copper area for optimum
power dissipation. If an extra area is required to improve power
dissipation, it should be coated with solder resist. This is especially
important for power packages such as SOD106, SOT89 and
SOT223.

Fig.13 Requirements of solder land dimensions. MSB958

SOLDER RESIST PATTERN CORRECT

The solder resist on the circuit board prevents short
circuits during soldering, increases the insulation
resistance between adjacent circuit details and stops
Fig.14 Minimum spacing required (bottom)
solder flowing away from solder lands during reflow
between components.
soldering.

September 2004 4 - 13
Philips Semiconductors Discrete Semiconductor Packages

Soldering guidelines and SMD

Chapter 4
footprint design

SOLDER PASTE PATTERN COMPONENT ORIENTATION DURING WAVE SOLDERING

It is important to use a solder paste printer which is optical Where applicable, footprints for wave soldering are given
aligned with the PCBs copper pattern for the reflow with the transport direction of the PCB. This is given as
footprints presented here. This is because, for these either a ‘preferred transport direction during soldering’ or
footprints, the solder paste deposit must be within a ‘transport direction during soldering’.
0.1 mm tolerance with respect to the copper pattern.
Components with small terminals and non-wettable
To ensure the right amount of solder for each solder joint, bodies, have a smaller risk of dry joints, especially when
the stencil apertures must be equal to the solder paste using carrierless soldering as the components are placed
areas given by the footprints. according to the ‘preferred orientation’.
Components have no orientation preference for reflow
AREA AVAILABLE FOR TRACKS (CONDUCTIVE PATTERN)
soldering.
Tracks underneath leadless SMDs must be covered with
solder resist. However, as solder resist can sometimes be
RECOMMENDED FOOTPRINTS
thin or have pin holes at the edges of tracks (especially
when applied by screen printing), an additional clearance The recommended footprints for most of our discrete
for tracks with respect to the actual metallization position semiconductor packages are given on the following pages.
of the mounted component should be taken into account For their dimensional outline drawings, refer to Chapter 2:
(see Fig.15). Package outlines.

handbook, halfpage component

solder resist

clearence
tracks

MSB957

Fig.15 Clearance required underneath component

between metallization and tracks.

For components that need the additional clearance, the

footprints on the following pages give the maximum space
for tracks not connected to the solder lands
(clearance ≥ 0.1 mm), for low-voltage applications.
The number of tracks in this space is determined by the
specified line resolution of the printed board.

September 2004 4 - 14