Atheros Lead-Free Products FAQ

What is RoHS?

RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) is defined in EU Directive 2002/95/EC.  It is a restriction on the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical or electronic equipment sold or used in the European Union after July 1, 2006. These substances are lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).

What is the definition of a lead-free product?

According to RoHS, a lead-free product is one in which lead is not intentionally added but may exist as an impurity up to a concentration of no more than 0.1% by weight.

What are Atheros RoHS-compliant products?

RoHS bans six substances: Lead, Hexavalent Chromium, Cadmium, Mercury, PBB, and PBDE.  Any Atheros product ordered as lead-free is RoHS-compliant.   in addition, with the exception of Lead, the banned substances are not used in Atheros eutectic packages.   

How does Atheros mark lead-free product?

Each lead-free product is marked with a unique suffix code in the part number to distinguish lead-free product from non lead-free product.  Please contact a local Atheros sales representative for lead-free ordering information.

Are all Atheros products available as lead-free?

Yes

What is the definition of a "green" product?

There is no consistent definition for “green,” it is not defined in any international regulation we know of and is therefore subject to interpretation.  Atheros therefore does not attempt to define the term “green” product.

Where is lead used in Atheros non lead-free products?

For non lead-free products, lead is found in solder balls in various BGA packages. For QFN packages, Atheros has converted from a lead finish to Matte Tin, which is backward compatible to a reflow temperature of 240C or 260C. 

Will Atheros terminate non lead-free versions of its products?

Atheros is constantly evaluating its customers’ requests for lead-free product and expects it will eventually make a complete transition to lead-free.  Upon request, Atheros will continue to support leaded products for customers that cannot make the transition to lead-free for an agreed period of time.

How does Atheros verify lead-free and RoHS compliance?

To ensure compliance, Atheros maintains test reports for all of the package materials it uses.  Upon request by customers, Atheros will provide material test reports and material composition reports for each product. Lead-free products are shipped with product labels that identify their contents as lead-free. 

Are non lead-free products backward compatible with the lead-free reflow process?

QFN packages using Matte Tin lead finish are backward compatible to a reflow temperature of either 240C or 260C. As for BGA packages containing lead on solder ball finish, these are not backward compatible with the lead-free reflow process.