Ion Chromatography

Analytical servicesIon Chromatography

Ion chromatography provides both a quantitative and qualitative resolution of the ions. This method makes it possible to detect weak organic acids on printed circuit boards or soldered assemblies that can cause temporary leakage currents enabling a risk assessment to be made.

Ion chromatography enables the identification of critical hygroscopic ions such as chloride, bromide, or sulphate. These ions can extract moisture from the ambient air onto the assembly, potentially causing field malfunctions including electrochemical migration or corrosion.

When and where is ion chromatography useful?

• Ion chromatography is suitable for post-soldering proof of purity, verifying surface quality following cleaning, and prior to subsequent coating or bonding processes

• Qualitative and quantitative determination of the anions, cations and weak organic acids on your assemblies in g/cm2 and μg/in2 units, which allows for an initial risk assessment

• Predictive assessment of potential fault patterns such as leakage currents, dendrite formation and corrosion of contact surfaces

• Application to define internal quality standards, particularly in the case of high-reliability assemblies

• Continuous monitoring of quality through regular, sample-based measurement

We offer:

Qualitative and quantitative determination of the anions, cations and weak organic acids (WOA) using two different analytical methods. The evaluation is adheres to standards such as IPC CH-65B/ IPC 5704 or can be customized with customer-specific specifications. A full board analysis according to the test method IPC TM-650 2.3.28, as well as an investigation of a local position of the board, by means of the so-called C3- extraction, is possible. At the conclusion of the analysis a technical report is generated presenting the results (detection limit > 0.05 μg/cm²).