About silver loss during soldering with silver containing solders in vacuum

Abstract

The recent emergence of new soldering equipment, which allows the process to be carried out in a high vacuum, and the known volatility of silver in a vacuum, have raised the question of the possibility of soldering structures in such equipment with silver solders. The article provides calculated estimates of the rate of evaporation of silver in a vacuum. For calculations, the equation of the molecular theory of rarefied gases was used. The results of calculations of the loss of silver used as a coating on the soldered part during contact-reactive soldering, as well as silver included in sheet solder, are presented. It has been shown that high vacuum does not prevent defect-free soldering of units with sheet silver-containing solder, and in the case of contact-reactive soldering with solder in the form of galvanic coatings, the condition of a tight fit of the soldered parts must be met.