Limitations of 2D X-Ray Inspection
March 29, 2020 | Jeff Urbanski
X-ray inspection for electronics has been around for decades, but that does not mean it has stayed the same. As the design and manufacturing for electronics shifts to smaller and more compact and dense products, X-ray technology has shifted as well.
For circuit boards that are single-sided or have low component density, traditional 2D X-ray imaging can provide a useful image for inspection to determine a simple pass/fail. A good x-ray inspection algorithm allows an operator or software to qualify solder joints based on the end-use criteria for the products as classified by IPC. Components with hidden solder joints such as BGAs, plated through hole components (PTH), land grid arrays (LGA), column grid arrays (CGA) and quad flat no-leads (QFN) require inspection with X-ray. The high-density and double-sided nature of modern circuitry require a better inspection solution: Laminography.
Laminography’s combination of image reconstruction and x-ray technology allows users to separate the layers of scans to evaluate the presence of solder on a single layer and several planes. Today’s laminography techniques make it possible to reconstruct the complete volume of a single component on a printed circuit board in nearly the same amount of time as several 2D X-ray images.
For evaluating circuit boards today, Yxlon developed 3D laminography, called micro3Dslice, in order to empower users to move beyond the limitations of traditional scans and gain confidence in the quality of their double-sided boards. Our latest description of micro3Dslice illustrates the benefits and capabilities of this type of laminography.
Download our whitepaper to see for yourself.
Limitations of 2D X-ray (pdf)
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