Lead-free DDR modules prepare for RoHS compliance

A SMART Modular Technologies product story

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Jan 30, 2004

A new range of lead-free DDR modules will help OEMs meet emerging global requirements banning lead from electronics products.

A new range of lead-free DDR modules will help OEMs meet emerging global requirements banning lead from electronics products.

As a result of recent European legislation, the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), most new electronics products containing lead will be banned from sale in Europe starting in 2006.

Countries such as China, Japan and the USA are considering similar laws.

SMART has implemented a lead-free manufacturing and material assessment process to ensure that designated DDR modules conform to lead-free requirements.

SMART uses a standard lead-free alloy standard, which is made from tin, silver and copper.

SMART's lead-free modules consist of memory devices, printed circuit boards (PCBs), capacitors, resistors and other materials that conform to legislative guidelines governing lead-free status.

Currently, components, including PCBs, are considered lead-free compliant if their lead content is less than 0.1 % by weight, 1000ppm, and meet other temperature and reliability requirements.

Whereas JEDEC requires suppliers to provide test data at 245C for large components and 250C for small components, SMART requires suppliers to provide test data at 260C for all its components.

SMART also requires compliance with additional reliability testing and tin whisker testing for tin-based component coatings.

"Current environmental regulations, such as RoHS, require the elimination of other trace elements such as hexavalent chromium, cadmium and cadmium compounds, mercury and mercury compounds, polybrominate biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominate diphenyl ethers (PBDE) in addition to lead", said Arthur Sainio, SMART's Senior Product Marketing Manager.

"SMART is developing solutions to meet such new restrictions to help customers prepare ahead of the 2006 deadline".

The initial lead-free lineup of SMART's DDR modules includes unbuffered 128, 256 and 512Mbyte PC2700 DIMMs, identified with the "SB" part number prefix instead of SMART's standard module part number prefix of "SM".