IONIC CONTAMINATION TEST SYSTEMS

The Ionic Contamination Test (also known as the "Ionic Cleanliness Test") is used to measure the conductivity (or resistivity) of a sample which can be related to the amounts of ionic materials present. The resistivity of the solution decreases as the level of ionic contamination increases. There are two types of contaminants – ionic and non-ionic. Ionic contaminants are typically flux residues or harmful materials that are picked up or left behind during the process. They are generally water-soluble organic or inorganic acids or salts. They contain molecules or atoms that are conductive when in solution which can disassociate into either positively or negatively charged species and increase the overall conductivity of the solution. These ionic contaminants can degrade the reliability of the electronic components and assemblies as they contribute to current leakage between the circuitry, promote dendrite growth, and increase the risk of corrosion.

Ionic contamination is a useful process control tool especially to assess if a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) conforms to the user’s cleanliness specification. Our line of ionic contamination equipment meets all the standards established for PCB fabrication and assembly.

For manufacturers driven to deliver quality products, our ionic contamination testing systems are the industry standard, delivering accuracy and performance in a range of configurations.