Whiskers

Tinned surfaces sometimes generate the growth of needle crystals caused by internal stress of the metal due to passage of time, thermal stress, or external mechanical stress. Such needle crystals are called whiskers, which can cause a short circuit between electrodes. In order to lessen the generation of whiskers, a reflow process is performed after tin plating. Recently, with electronic components such as connectors becoming finer and pitches becoming narrower, the prevention of whiskers has become more and more important.