Several industries have identified needs for solders that perform reliably at ever-higher temperatures, temperatures which approach the melting point of the industry-standard tin-lead eutectic alloy (T_m = 183 deg C). For instance, automotive under-the-hood microelectronics are subject to higher ambient temperatures due to low hood profiles (less air circulation) and the need to place assemblies, such as engine control modules, near the point of application to reduce wiring harnesses. Such harsh environment applications require solders with melting points higher than that of tin-lead eutectic in order to achieve the required reliability. In addition, recent legislative and marketing pressures in Europe and Japan have pushed U.S. manufacturers to pursue lead-free solders for all microelectronics applications, leading to the double challenge of developing high temperature, Pb-free solders.
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