Schlumberger Technologies, Inc.

J Martin Tenenbaum

Neil D Hunt

H Keith Nishihara

P A Crossley

An improved lead for surface-mounted electronic components is described. The improved lead includes an opening through the portion of the lead to be placed in contact with the printed circuit board for soldering. The opening, having a diameter approximately equal to the thickness of the lead, enables the detection of correctly-soldered joints using automated inspection equipment. When the lead is correctly soldered, solder is drawn by capillary action into the opening where it forms a meniscus. By automatically detecting the curvature of the meniscus, the quality of the solder joint may be determined.

Growing community of inventors

Portola Valley, CA, United States of America

J Martin Tenenbaum