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Lead-free Transition for the European Space Sector

Project description

Lead-free electronics shaping the future of the European space sector

The transition to lead-free electronics is posing challenges to the space industry. The sector is increasingly using electrical, electronic and electromechanical parts with lead-free finishes. This is true despite the availability of equivalent leaded versions and the sector’s exemption from some restrictions. The EU-funded LETTERSS project will examine the barriers preventing the wider use of commercial off-the-shelf components in space projects and evaluate the reliability of two promising lead-free solders. The switch to lead-free electronics also raises the risk of catastrophic satellite failure due to whisker growth, a problem previously mitigated by using tin-lead solders. The basic research conducted by LETTERSS will advance the state-of-the-art on whisker growth with the ultimate purpose of developing accelerated tests that will ensure manageable and acceptable risk levels.

Objective

Due to the overall transition of the Electronics industry worldwide to a Pb-free realm, the Space Industry is more and more confronted with a situation where they cannot avoid using EEE (Electrical, Electronic and Electromechanical) parts with Lead-free finishes and they need to manage the associated risks. The growing use of commercial components (COTS), notably for the expanding market sector of constellations, means that European Space Industry is already using large amount of components with lead-free finishes even when the equivalent leaded high-reliable version is available. Even though the Space Sector is exempted from RoHS restrictions (Restriction on the use of certain Hazardous Substances), market pressure may also result on potential future difficult availability of leaded solder paste.

This project addresses the main challenges of the Pb-free transition for the European Space Sector that were described in the Roadmap delivered in 2020 by the ESCC Task Force created to that end. First, we will study the obstacles that hinder today the wider use of COTS components in space projects using existing qualified assembly processes based on leaded solders. Second, we will launch a comprehensive evaluation of two lead-free solders that show promise for the Space Sector including reliability model development.

Sn-solders were alloyed with lead at the beginning of the electronics era mainly to inhibit the growth of whiskers, therefore going to lead-free electronics creates a serious risk for space projects that may result in catastrophic failure in the satellite due to whiskers growth. The Space sector has developed mitigation approaches but the real challenge is to obtain accelerated tests that will give confidence that, for a given mitigation used and for the duration of the project, the risk is managed and acceptable. For that we propose to perform basic research to advance the state-of-the-art on our knowledge of whisker growth, leading to the determination of the pertinent activation energies that can be used in the design of accelerated tests.

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HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL4-2023-SPACE-01

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Coordinator

SCALIAN OP
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 200 000,00
Address
417 L'OCCITANE
31670 Labege
France

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Region
Occitanie Midi-Pyrénées Haute-Garonne
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
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Total cost

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Participants (10)

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