Japan Electronics Development

Unitika Ltd. of Osaka, Japan has developed a hydrolysis-resistant polylactic acid which, when combined with a nanoclay filler, is said to have sufficiently good mechanical and thermal properties to be targeted at computer, electronic and automotive parts. 

Among the various lead-free solder alloys, the National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI) recommends Sn-3.9Ag-0.6Cu ( 0.2%) for reflow soldering (Ref 1), while JEITA (Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association) recommends Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu. Under most typical use conditions, Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) alloy in general exhibits a greater resistance to creep as compared to Pb-Sn alloy and hence creeps 10 to 100 times slower (Ref 2). The microstructure, the plastic and creep behavior, and the failure mechanism in Sn-Ag-Cu solder are vastly different compared to Pb-Sn solder, and therefore, it is important to develop appropriate thermomechanical predictive models for Sn-Ag-Cu solder. 

Microprobe analysis was initially developed at the University of Paris by R. Castaing, who fitted an X-ray spectrometer to a converted electron microscope in the early 1950s, and the first commercial instrument, developed in France by the Cameca company, appeared in 1958. The following years saw commercial instruments produced in the UK, USA and Japan. 

Ebara [Electron beam ammonia reaction] A dry process for removing sulfur and nitrogen oxides from flue-gas. A beam of high energy electrons is injected into the gas, to which a stoichiometric quantity of ammonia has been added. The product, a mixture of ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate, is collected downstream by an electrostatic precipitator or a bag filter. Developed by Ebara Corporation, Japan, and piloted in Indianapolis in 1986. 

Figure 13 shows typical results of the degradation of crystalline Si solar cells having a back surface field and reflector structure (Si-BSFR), which were qualified by National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) for space usage, when irradiated by 10-MeV protons and 1 -MeV electrons. The pn junction of the cell samples, with a size of 2 cm x 2 cm X 50 pm, was fabricated by phosphorus (P) doping to a depth of 0.15 pm into boron... 

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