| 摘要 |
According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of reflowing a metal plated target area of a conductive contact is provided and includes the steps of: (1) providing a localized heat source, such as a laser; (2) positioning the contact relative to the localized heat source such that energy emitted by the localized heat source is focused on the plated target area of the conductive contact; and (3) operating the localized heat source and focusing the concentrated energy on the target area such that the metal plating in the target area is heated to a reflow temperature which is greater than a melting temperature of the metal plating so as to cause reflow of the metal plating. The use of the localized heat source (e.g., a laser) permits the reflow to be confined to the target area, while one or more adjacent areas are shielded from being heated to the reflow temperature. This procedure is particularly suited for use with pure tin platings where the reflow operation mitigates or eliminates the formation of tin whiskers, while at the same time, preserves the material properties, such as material spring properties, of the adjacent areas, as a result of shielding these areas from the reflow temperatures. |
