Tin Whiskers

Why electronic components fail:

Whisker (metallurgy)

Whiskers can cause short circuits and arcing in electrical equipment. The phenomenon was discovered by telephone companies in the late 1940s and was addressed with the addition of lead to tin solder. Elimination of hazardous substances in electrical components is driving the development of replacement alloys for pure tin and tin/lead alloys that resist whisker growth. Others have focused on the development of oxygen-barrier coatings to prevent whisker formation. Unlike zinc whiskers, tin whiskers don't have to be airborne to damage equipment, as they are typically already growing in an environment where they can produce short circuits. Tin whiskers caused the failure of the Galaxy IV satellite in 1998

Kathee and I watched a program on the History Channel tonight about this. Interesting