Hi-Rel products have two characteristics that complicate component & die removal:
- they must operate at high temperatures, so materials used to assemble them require even higher temperatures to break down,
- devices in the package will break down if they get too hot.
For many years, manufacturers simply limited rework temperatures to 150C, intended to keep processes within thermal limits. The only problem was, this didn't work. Conductive epoxies designed to hold die onto circuit substrates took a long time to break down at 150C, and in some cases just became tougher and tougher. So operators were left with one option- chipping away with chisels and screwdrivers while their products slowly baked.
In the mid 1980s, Midas Technology worked with AT&T MIcroelectronics on a new approach - HOT Gas Rework. This revolutionary approach used much higher temperatures delivered for a very short time to break down die attachments, without overheating adjacent devices. We introduced this process to industry in a series of high-powered machines, culminating in today's fifth-generation HGRS-V.
Click on to our HGRS Information Page for model history and links to brochures and data sheets.