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To optimize the printed circuit board design and assembly processes to minimize defects in the assembly of 01005 size chip resistors.

A test board was designed with a range of pad sizes, pad shapes, pad spacings and pad orientations. This test board was used in a series of designed experiments to optimize the printing, placement and reflow processes. Assembly defects were analyzed as a function of board design and assembly processes.

An electroformed, 76 μm stencil yielded a robust paste printing process and higher process capability indices (C_p) compared to a 102 μm stencil. Nitrogen reflow was required to achieve good solder wetting due to the high surface‐to‐volume ratio of the solder deposits. With regard to bridging defects, no defects were observed if the pad‐to‐pad spacing for parallel resistors was 150 μm or larger. Rectangular pads with no vias‐in‐pad and designed at 90 percent of nominal pad size (pad size type 2) with the ramp profile, independent of 0° or 90° resistor orientation yielded the lowest number of defects. Given the undersized pads on the actual board, the 90 percent pad average width was 170 μm (versus a design value of 183 μm) and the measured width of the 01005 chip resistor was 180 μm. Thermal cycle reliability testing of the solder joints with this pad size showed no failures after 1,000 thermal cycles.

The results of this work provide a set of design and assembly processes recommendations for those who must implement 01005 size component assembly in production.

The problems facing many US health care organizations may prove critical for survival for many of them. Outlines the nature of the problems: increased patient demand, tensions among personnel, technological innovation, cost‐conscious purchasers of care, the need to improve cost‐efficiency, and barriers to change within organizations. This last presents a number of problems that may often seem intractable and are peculiar to this type of organization.

This study examines how Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), as tax practitioners, interpret and apply the ethical tax standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), using a hypothetical situation. Although the authors attempt to determine if CPAs are more likely to apply the substantial authority standard given certain factors affecting both the CPAs and their tax clients, one-dimensional standard threshold applications leave us to interpret only whether these factors affect the CPAs’ decision to sign a tax return upholding an ambiguous position. The authors find that an aggressive CPA (self-reported) is more inclined to sign the return than an unaggressive CPA. The authors also find that favorable prior dealings with the IRS, and awareness that the IRS is not pursuing a contrary position to a certain tax position, both contribute significantly to the CPA’s willingness to sign the return. While an aggressive tax client also fosters willingness to sign, it appears that tax clients with a refund pending (as opposed to a payment pending) are more apt to trigger a signed return. Study results indicate that ambiguities in the tax code, in concert with mitigating CPA/client factors, may lead to significant discrepancies in interpretation and application.

Organizations may fail to innovate because receivers exhibit bias against adopting creative ideas. This paper explores many motivational, cognitive, and affective factors that can cause receivers to hinder the creativity–innovation process. In particular, receivers may engage in motivated reasoning and skepticism against creative ideas, face barriers to recognizing creative value, and experience negative affect when receiving creative ideas. Each creative adoption decision point during the creativity–innovation process is an opportunity for bias to derail progress. This helps explain why innovation can be so difficult. Understanding the biases that hinder the creativity–innovation process allows individuals and organizations to take action to mitigate them.

The solder joint reliability of ceramic chip resistors assembled to laminate substrates has been a long time concern for systems exposed to harsh environments. In this work, the thermal cycling reliability of several 2512 chip resistor lead‐free solder joint configurations has been investigated. In an initial study, a comparison has been made between the solder joint reliabilities obtained with components fabricated with both tin‐lead and pure tin solder terminations. In the main portion of the reliability testing, two temperature ranges (−40‐125°C and −40‐150°C) and five different solder alloys have been examined. The investigated solders include the normal eutectic Sn‐Ag‐Cu (SAC) alloy recommended by earlier studies (95.5Sn‐3.8Ag‐0.7Cu), and three variations of the lead‐free ternary SAC alloy that include small quaternary additions of bismuth and indium to enhance fatigue resistance.

The journey of novelty – from the moment it arises to the time it takes hold – is as fascinating as it is problematic. A new entity, to be recognized as such, needs to be differentiated from what existed before. However, novelty poses cognitive challenges that hamper its appreciation since it is difficult to form expectations about and make sense of something genuinely new. And since novel ideas, products, technologies, or organizational forms often violate existing practices and social structures, they are usually met with skepticism and resistance. In this introductory piece, we take stock of research into the challenges of generating, recognizing, and legitimating novelty. We review each paper in this volume and highlight the new perspectives and insights they offer about how individuals, teams, and organizations search for novelty, see novelty, and sustain novelty. Finally, we outline several research themes that, we believe, are worthy of further scholarly attention.

Studies immersion gold over electroless nickel, immersion gold over electroless palladium, immersion gold over electroless palladium over electroless nickel, immersion gold over immersion silver and immersion silver. In the palladium finishes, two palladium thicknesses were evaluated: 10‐12μin. and 18‐20μin. Multiple plating chemistry suppliers provided plated test vehicles. HASL and OSP test vehicles were included as control samples. In total, 14 finishes were evaluated in the test matrix. The test vehicle was a daisy chain of zero ohm 1,206 chip resistors that could be monitored individually. Test vehicles were assembled using 63Sn/37Pb eutectic solder paste on an automated assembly line. The thermal cycle range was ‐40°C to 125°C with 30‐minute transition times and 15 minutes at each extreme in a single chamber air system. For each test matrix cell, 120 zero ohm resistors (40 from three boards) were continuously monitored for electrical failure (>100ohms). In addition, resistors were sheared from test vehicles and the shear force at failure was recorded. A decrease in shear force did occur with thermal cycling due to crack initiation and growth in the solder joints. Solder joint cracks have also been examined.

A recent meeting involved co‐operation with the organisers of the Canadian High Technology Show and the local Chapter of the SMTA. The programme included an inspiring keynote address by Mr Frank J. Pipp, Xerox Corporation. The topic of the address was ‘Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Control and the Evaluation of Total Quality Control in Xerox Corporation.’