SEMIPCB

Reflow soldering is the most widely used method of attaching surface mount components to printed circuit boards (PCBs). The aim of the process is to form acceptable solder joints by first pre-heating the components/PCB/solder paste and then melting the solder without causing damage by overheating. The key aspects that lead to an effective reflow soldering process are as follows:

Suitable machine 
Acceptable reflow profile 
PCB/component footprint Design 
Carefully printed PCB using well designed stencil
Repeatable placement of surface mount components 
Good quality PCB, components and solder paste

Reflow soldering is a process in which a solder paste (a sticky mixture of powdered solder and flux) is used to temporarily attach one or thousands of tiny electrical components to their contact pads, after which the entire assembly is subjected to controlled heat. The solder paste reflows in a molten state, creating permanent solder joints. Heating may be accomplished by passing the assembly through a reflow oven or under an infrared lamp or by soldering individual joints [unconventionally] with a desoldering hot air pencil. 

Reflow soldering with long industrial convection ovens is the preferred method of soldering surface mount components to a printed circuit board or PCB. Each segment of the oven has a regulated temperature, according to the specific thermal requirements of each assembly. Reflow ovens meant specifically for the soldering of surface mount components may also be used for through-hole components by filling the holes with solder paste and inserting the component leads through the paste. Wave soldering however, has been the common method of soldering multi-leaded through-hole components such as through-hole connectors or highly application specific through-hole components, onto a circuit board designed for surface-mount type components. 

When used on boards containing a mix of SMT and PTH components, through-hole reflow, when achievable by specifically modified paste stencils, may allow for the wave soldering step to be eliminated from the assembly process, potentially reducing assembly costs. While this may be said of lead-tin solder pastes used previously, lead-free solder alloys such as SAC present a challenge in terms of the limits of oven temperature profile adjustment and requirements of specialized through-hole components that must be hand soldered with solder wire or cannot reasonably withstand the high temperatures directed at circuit boards as they travel on the conveyor of the reflow oven. The reflow soldering of through-hole components using solder paste in a convection oven process is called intrusive soldering. IPC currently considers intrusive soldering as a defective soldering method with a relatively high incidence of non-wetting or bridging defects, mainly because temperature profiles remain contingent upon individuals and trial-and-error methods. 

The goal of the reflow process is for the solder paste to reach the eutectic temperature at which the particular solder alloy undergoes a phase change to a liquid or molten state. At this specific temperature range, the molten alloy demonstrates properties of adhesion. Molten solder alloy behaves much as water, with properties of cohesion and adhesion. With sufficient flux, in the state of liquidus, molten solder alloys will exhibit a characteristic called "wetting." 

Wetting is a property of the alloy when within its specific eutectic temperature range. Wetting is a necessary condition for the formation of solder joints that meet the criteria as "acceptable" or "target" conditions, while "non-conforming" is considered defective according to IPC. 

The reflow oven temperature profile is suited for characteristics of a particular circuit board assembly, the size and depth of the ground plane layer within the board, the number of layers within the board, the number and size of the components, for example. The temperature profile for a particular circuit board will allow for reflow of solder onto the adjoining surfaces, without overheating and damaging the electrical components beyond their temperature tolerance. In the conventional reflow soldering process, there are usually four stages, called "zones", each having a distinct thermal profile: preheat, thermal soak (often shortened to just soak), reflow, and cooling.