Sn-Zn eutectic alloy soldering in a low oxygen atmosphere

Since lead-free soldering is strongly required, the application of various alloys has been attempted. Among such solders, tin-zinc alloy is one of the most promising materials, because the eutectic point of this binary system (199/spl deg/C) is close to that of tin-lead binary system (183/spl deg/C). However, the wetting property of tin-zinc alloy is said to be inferior to that of tin-lead alloy. We found that tin-zinc alloy shows good wettability in a low oxygen atmosphere and favorable mechanical properties. Moreover, this alloy can be applied to flow soldering in a low oxygen atmosphere.