Application Note

Assembly Precautions for the Nichia
NFMW48xAR Series LEDs
Table of contents
1. LED Outline Dimensions/Tape Dimensions ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ 2
2. Handling Precautions

・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ 3

3. Design Recommendations for Optimal Amount of Solder ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ 4
4. Precautions for Setting Up a Pick-and-Place Machine/Nozzle ・ ・ ・ 5-8

5. Precautions When Reflow Soldering ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ 8
6. Evaluation of the Effect of Solder Volume ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ 9-11
7. Evaluation of Self-Alignment Performance ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ 12-13

The part number NFMW481AR,NFMW484AR,NFMW486AR,NFMW488AR,NFMW488AR-V1 in this document are thepart number of our product, and do not have any relevance or similarity to other companies' products that may
have trademark rights.
This document contains tentative information, Nichia may change the contents without notice.

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Assembly Precautions for the Nichia NFMW48xAR Series LEDs

1. LED Outline Dimensions/Tape Dimensions
Table 1. Product Specifications

Part Number

NFMW481AR, NFMW484AR, NFMW486AR, NFMW488AR, NFMW488AR-V1

LED
Cathode Mark

3.7
4.77

3.7
(4.8)
(5.6)
5.8

光学的中心位置
Location of the optical center

0.25
(0.8)

(4.8)
(5.6)
5.8
6.5

Cathode

2.03
2.65

Anode

8±0.1

2±0.05 4±0.1

Embossed
CarrierTape

5.5±0.05
12 +0.3-0.1

Cathode Mark(0.02 クロスバー凹部)(0.02 Crossbar Recess)Φ1.5+0.2

Reel Size: 1,500 LEDs

6.15±0.1

0.25±0.05

6.85±0.1

Φ1.5+0.1-01.75±0.1[unit：mm、 Tolerance：±0.2mm]

1.4 ±0.1[unit：mm]

This document contains tentative information, Nichia may change the contents without notice.

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Assembly Precautions for the Nichia NFMW48xAR Series LEDs

2. Handling Precautions

Incorrect

Handling with bare hands
Do not handle the LEDs with bare hands:- this may contaminate the LED surface and have an effect on the optical characteristics,- this may cause the LED to deform and/or the wire to break causing a catastrophic failure (i.e. the LED
not to illuminate),- the lead frame may cause injuries when the LED is handled with bare hands.
Handling with tweezers
Ensure that when handling the LEDs with tweezers, excessive force is not applied to the LED. Otherwise, it
may cause damage to the resin (e.g. cut, scratch, chip, crack, delamination and deformation) and theinternal connection to fail causing a catastrophic failure (i.e. the LED not to illuminate).
ESD Precautions
LEDs are sensitive to transient excessive voltages (e.g. ESD, lightning surge). If this excessive voltage
occurs in the circuit, it may cause the LED to be damaged causing issues (e.g. the LED to have a reductionin the radiant flux or not to illuminate [i.e. catastrophic failure]). When handling the LEDs, ensure thatnecessary measures have been taken to protect them from transient excess voltages. Refer to theapplicable specification for more details.

Caution: Do not grab/hold the LEDs
with tweezers around theencapsulating resin.

Figure 1. Example of an Improper
Holding Position

Incorrect
Caution: Do not stack assembled
PCBs on top of each other.

Stacking assembled PCBs together
Do not stack assembled PCBs together. Otherwise, it may cause damage to the resin (e.g. cut, scratch,chip, crack, delamination and deformation) and the internal connection to fail causing a catastrophic
failure (i.e. the LED not to illuminate).
Storage
The storage/packaging requirements for the Nichia 481/484/486/488 Series LEDs are comparable to
JEDEC Moisture Sensitivity Level (MSL) 3 or equivalent. Nichia used IPC/JEDEC STD-020 as a reference torate the MSL of this LED. If the “After Opening” storage time has been exceeded or any pink silica gel
beads are found, ensure that the LED are baked before use. Baking should only be done once.

Figure 2. Example of Improper
Stacking

Table 2. Storage/Baking Conditions
Storage

Conditions
Before Opening Aluminum Bag

Temperature≤ 30°C

Humidity≤ 90% RH

Time
Within 1 Year from Delivery Date

After Opening Aluminum Bag≤ 30°C≤ 70% RH

≤ 168 hours-≥24 hours

Baking65±5°CThis document contains tentative information, Nichia may change the contents without notice.

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Assembly Precautions for the Nichia NFMW48xAR Series LEDs

3. Design Recommendations for Optimal Amount of Solder
Soldering Pad Pattern/Metal Solder Stencil Aperture

Table 3. Recommended Soldering Pad Pattern/Metal Solder Stencil Aperture

Recommended Soldering Pad Pattern

Recommended Metal Solder
Stencil Aperture⋯: LED outline and Electrodes■: Soldering Pad Pattern■: Metal Solder Stencil Aperture― LED outline and Electrodes▨ Copper Layer□ Soldering Pad Pattern

Correct▩：Do not have the solder pads in the area
shaded with crossed diagonal lines.

[Unit：mm]

Incorrect[Unit：mm]

Table 4. Recommended Solder/Metal Solder Stencil Conditions

Item

Recommended Conditions

Metal Solder Stencil (Thickness)

150 μmSolder Paste (Composition)

Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu

If this area is covered by a copper foil layer that has beenconnected to the cathode, there is the potential for ashort circuit due to contact with the anode of the LED.

Figure 3. Prohibited Area for the Copper Layer

This document contains tentative information, Nichia may change the contents without notice.

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Assembly Precautions for the Nichia NFMW48xAR Series LEDs

4. Precautions for Setting Up a Pick-and-Place Machine/Nozzle
Table 5. Cautions/Suggestions for setting up equipment

Item

Recommended Conditions/Specifications

Cautions/Suggestions

Pick-and-place machine1

Modular mounter

Pick-and-place nozzle

Specially designed nozzle(see Figure 4)

See “Pick-and-Place Nozzle” on
Page 6 for the details.

Tape-and-reel feeder

Electrical (motorized) feeder
Tape width: 12mm
Feed length: 8mm

See “Tape-and-Reel Feeder” onPage 6 for the details.

Nozzle height for pick-up
operations

The contact surface of the nozzle head for pick
operations should be adjusted to 0.6mm below the edgeof the embossed carrier tape pocket.

See “Recommended Nozzle Heightfor Pick-up Operations” on Page 7
for the details.

Nozzle height for placement
operations (i.e. placement depth)

0.2mm for placement depth

See “Recommended Nozzle Heightfor Placement Operations(Placement Depth)” on Page 7 forthe details.

Imaging-based Automatic
Inspection

Using the electrode as a reference is recommended tolocate the center of the LED.

See "Imaging-based Automatic
Inspection" on Page 8 for thedetails.

Note:
1
The recommended conditions/specifications above have been determined under the following verification conditions:
Pick-and-place machine (modular mounter):- YS100 High-Speed General-Purpose Modular (manufactured by Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.)This document contains tentative information, Nichia may change the contents without notice.

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Assembly Precautions for the Nichia NFMW48xAR Series LEDs
4-1. Pick-and-Place Nozzle

Pick-andPlace Nozzle

Φ1

4.8
5.6

LED
R1

C0.23

4.8
5.6

0.5

[Unit: mm](単位 Unit: mm)

Figure 4. Recommended Nozzle
Dimensions

Encapsulating Resin(i.e. Yellow Resin)

Dam Wall(i.e. White Resin)

Caution: Ensure that the nozzle does nottouch the encapsulating resin.

Figure 5. Correct nozzle position
to pick up the LEDs

4-2. Tape-and-Reel Feeder• This LED uses a silicone resin for the encapsulating resin; thesilicone resin is soft. If pressure is applied to the silicone resin,
it may cause the resin to be damaged, chipped, delaminated
and/or deformed. If the resin is damaged, chipped,delaminated and/or deformed, it may cause the wire to breakcausing a catastrophic failure (i.e. the LED not to illuminate)
and/or reliability issues (e.g. the LED to corrode and/or to
become dimmer, the color/directivity to change, etc.). Ensurethat pressure is not applied to the encapsulating resin. Ensurethat the nozzle do not touch the encapsulating resin and only
touches the dam wall (i.e. white resin area around theencapsulating resin) when it picks up the LEDs.
• The placement force applied by the nozzle on the LEDs mustbe ≤ 8N.
• Recommended setting for the tape-and-reel feeder.

Recommended Tape
Removal Position

Tape width:
Feed length:

12mm
8mm

• Use a tape-and-reel feeder that ensures it does not create
excessive vibrations causing assembly issues.

Correct

LED pick up position

Feed Speed: Slow Vibration: Small

Incorrect

Example: Electrical (motorized) feeder• When removing the top cover tape, it should be done
adjacent to the target LED (See Figure 5). Otherwise, it may
shake the embossed carrier tape and cause the LED to move
within the tape pocket. This may cause

LED pick up position

Feed Speed: Fast Vibration: Large

Figure 6. Examples of Correct/Incorrect Top Cover Tape Removal Positions- the nozzle to fail to pick up the LED or not to pick it up
properly and shift while on the nozzle during thetransport to the PCB (i.e. pick-up/placement failure)- the LED to hit the feeder cover and become damaged.
This document contains tentative information, Nichia may change the contents without notice.

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Assembly Precautions for the Nichia NFMW48xAR Series LEDs
4-3. Recommended Nozzle Height for
Pick-up Operations

Pick-and-Place Nozzle•

Ensure that the nozzle goes down onto the LED in the tape pocket until the
tip touches the flat surface around the lens.
Pick-up depth: 0.6mm•

The recommended nozzle height for pick-up operations has been
determined by Nichia under the verification conditions (See Table 5 Note)and may not function as expected with some other pick-and-place machines.
If the pick-up operations are unstable even with using the recommended
nozzle height, adjust the nozzle height appropriate for the pick-and-placemachine being used.

0.6mm below theedge of the tapepocket (i.e. Pickup depth)LED

If the pick point of the nozzle is too high,- it may cause insufficient suction power leading to picking errors (e.g.
the nozzle’s failure to pick/lift the LED into the air, incorrect picking
causing the LED to tilt when in the air).

Embossed Carrier Tape
(Pocket)If the pick point of the nozzle is too low,
- it may cause issues (e.g. causing the embossed carrier tape to shake,causing the tape pocket to deform) leading to picking failures.

Figure 7. Recommended Nozzle Height for Pick-up Operations

4-4. Recommended Nozzle Height for Placement
Operations (Placement Depth)• Adjust the nozzle height to ensure that the nozzle applies an
Pick-and-Place Nozzle

additional force (i.e. placement depth of 0.2mm) to the LED after the
LED has come in contact with the PCB.
If the release point of the nozzle is too high,- it may cause placement issues (e.g. the LED to stick to thenozzle after placement, the LED to become soldered to the
PCB in a tilted position, etc.) .

Placement Depth
0.2mm

If the release point of the nozzle is too low,
- excessive forces may be applied to the LED during
placement and it may cause the LED to become damaged.

LED

PCB
Figure 8. Recommended Nozzle Height for Placement (Placement Depth)

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Assembly Precautions for the Nichia NFMW48xAR Series LEDs
4-5. Imaging-based Automatic Inspection• Nichia recommends using the electrodes as a reference to locate thecenter of the LED.
• If the imaging device has trouble detecting/recognizing theelectrodes due to the uniqueness of the electrode pattern, adjust it todetect/recognize the outer portions of the electrodes (i.e. the areas
circled in red in Figure 9 to the left).

Polarity Detection/
Recognition Point

Electrode Location
Detection/Recogniti
on Points

Figure 9. Recommended reference points to detect,
recognize, or locate the polarity/electrodes

5. Precautions When Reflow
Soldering
1 to 5°C per sec
Pre-heat
180 to 200°C• If an automatic polarity detector is used for the LEDs, set up theimaging device to detect the empty space between the anode andcathode electrodes (i.e. Polarity Detection/Recognition Point in Figure
9 to the left). In the example in Figure 9, the equipment measures thebrightness of the empty space against the threshold to locate theelectrodes and/or determine the polarity.

• Reflow soldering must not be performed more than twice.
• Using the recommended reflow soldering conditions (See Figure 8 tothe left) as a reference, modify if necessary, the recommended reflow
conditions specified by the manufacturer of the solder paste being
used.
Note:
To ensure that these reflow conditions have no negative effect on
the LEDs, perform sufficient verification prior to use.

260°CMax
10sec Max

60sec Max
Above 220°C
120sec Max

Figure 10. Recommended Reflow Soldering
Condition (Lead-free Solder)• When cooling the LEDs from the peak temperature a gradual coolingslope is recommended; do not cool the LEDs rapidly.
• During reflow soldering, the heat and atmosphere in the reflow ovenmay cause the optical characteristics to degrade. In particular, reflow
soldering performed with an air atmosphere may have a greater
negative effect on the optical characteristics than if a nitrogen
atmosphere is used; Nichia recommends using a nitrogen reflow
atmosphere.
This document contains tentative information, Nichia may change the contents without notice.

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6. Evaluation of the Effect of Solder Volume
6-1. Evaluation Method/Conditions
The effect of solder volume on the workmanship of the reflow-soldered LEDs (i.e. LED emission failure, solder
wettability/solder void percentage, number of solder balls, LED tilt) was evaluated using three different amounts ofsolder (i.e. three metal solder stencil thicknesses including the recommended thickness to control the amount).
Metal Solder Stencil Thicknesses:
120μm, 150μm (Nichia’s recommendation), 180μm

6-2. Evaluation Results
Emission failure, and solder wettability/void percentage- There were no issues with the evaluated amounts of solder used.
- The solder spread was sufficient; the average solder void percentage of the cathode electrode area in the
middle was approx. 10%.
For more details, refer to Table 6 on Page 10.
LED tilt
0° direction:

The average gap between the LED and the PCB was approx. 29μm (i.e. the LED has a tilt of 0.26°).

90° direction:

The gap between the LED and the PCB was very small.

For more details, refer to Figures 11 on Page 11.

This document contains tentative information, Nichia may change the contents without notice.

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Assembly Precautions for the Nichia NFMW48xAR Series LEDs
6-2. Evaluation Results (continued)
Table 6. Evaluation Results (LED Emission, Solder Ball and Solder Void Percentage)
Sample size: 400 LEDs per condition (i.e. stencil thickness)

StencilThickness

120μm
Cathode(Edge)

Cathode(Middle)150μm (Nichia’s
Recommendation)

180μm

Anode

X-Ray Image2

Emission
Inspection

LED emitted

LED emitted

LED emitted

Solder Ball

No solder balls wereformedNo solder balls wereformedNo solder balls wereformedSolder Void
Percentage3

Cathode (Edge):
Cathode (Middle):
Anode:

Cathode (Edge):
Cathode (Middle):
Anode:

5.5 %
12.6 %
6.9 %

6.2 %
8.4 %
6.8 %

Cathode (Edge):
Cathode (Middle):
Anode:

4.9 %
9.2 %
3.8 %

Note:
2
Example of LEDs with average void percentages under the same evaluation conditions (i.e. amount of solder).
3
Solder void percentage [%]: Area of a space within the solder joint that lacks solder paste / area of the electrode.
This document contains tentative information, Nichia may change the contents without notice.

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6-2. Evaluation Results (continued)
0° Direction

90° Direction

180

500
450

120μm

140

150μm

400

150μm

120

180μm

350

180μm

of LEDs
Number[pcs]

of LEDs
Number
[pcs]

120μm

160

100

80
60
40

300
250
200

150
100

20

50

0

0
-100 -80 -60 -40 -20

0

20

40

60

80

100

-100 -80 -60 -40 -20

浮き量
Tilt [μm]

0

20

40

60

80

100

浮き量
Tilt [μm]Amount of LED Tilt

Amount of LED Tilt

Figure 11. Evaluation Results (LED Tilt)

Sample size: 400 LEDs per condition (i.e. stencil thickness)+

90° Direction

90°
Direction－
Observing
Direction0°
Direction－KA +0° Direction

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7. Evaluation of Self-Alignment Performance
7-1. Evaluation Method/Conditions
The self-alignment performance of the reflow-soldered LEDs was evaluated using the following evaluation
method/conditions:- Three different amounts of solder (i.e. three metal solder stencil thicknesses including the recommended
thickness to control the amount),- Evaluation LEDs were intentionally rotated (i.e. ∆θ = 5°, 10°, 30°, 45°) or placed on specified points (i.e. ∆x,y =0.1mm, 0.2mm),- The amounts of parallel/angular deviation from the center of the soldering pad pattern were measured for eachstencil thickness (i.e. solder volume).
Metal Solder Stencil Thickness:
120μm, 150μm (Nichia’s recommendation), 180μm

7-2. Evaluation Results- There were no issues (e.g. causing the LED not to illuminate) with the evaluated LEDs with the parallel/angulardeviations above.
- The LEDs with a parallel deviation of ∆x,y ≤ 0.1mm moved to positions that were sufficiently close to the correctone (i.e. the center of the soldering pad pattern) by themselves during reflow soldering (i.e. surface-driven selfalignment).
- The LEDs moved/rotated closer to the correct position as the amount of solder was increased. However, if theLEDs are soldered to a PCB with an angular deviation ≥ 10°, they are more likely to have a short circuit between
the electrodes while in operation.

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7-2. Evaluation Results (continued)＋ Center of the soldering pad pattern＋ LED center for placement (i.e. center determined based on the electrodes’ position)

Correct Position

x,y: 0.2mm

x,y: 0.1mm

θ: 45°

θ: 30°

θ: 10°

θ: 5°

Figure 12. LED Misalignment Conditions⊿x,y: 0.1mm
200

100

100

0
-100

Stencil Thicness 120μm
Stencil Thicness 150μm

-200
-300
-300

Stencil Thicness 180μm

LED Placement Position

-200

-100

0

100

200

⊿x [μm]

300

20

0
-100

Stencil Thicness 120μm
Stencil Thicness 150μm

-200
-300
-300

Stencil Thicness 180μm
LED Placement Position

-200

-100

0

100

200

the Reference Angle [°]200⊿θ: 5～45°
Amount of Rotation from

300

300

⊿y [μm]⊿y [μm]⊿x,y: 0.2mm

Stencil Thicness 120μm
Stencil Thicness 150μm

15Stencil Thicness 180μm

10
5
0

300

⊿x [μm]

45°

30°

10°

5°

Angular misalignment

Figure 13. Evaluation Results

Sample size: 12 LEDs for each condition
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Disclaimer
This application note is a controlled document of Nichia Corporation (Nichia) published to provide technical information/data forreference purposes only. By using this application note, the user agrees to the following:• This application note has been prepared solely for reference on the subject matters incorporated within it and Nichia makes noguarantee that customers will see the same results for their chosen application.
• The information/data contained herein are only typical examples of performances and/or applications for the product. Nichia
does not provide any guarantees or grant any license under or immunity from any intellectual property rights or other rights
held by Nichia or third parties.
• Nichia makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any
information contained herein. In addition, Nichia shall not be liable for any damages or losses arising out of exploiting, using,or downloading or otherwise this document, or any other acts associated with this document.
• The content of this application note may be changed without any prior or subsequent notice.
• Copyrights and all other rights regarding the content of this document are reserved by Nichia or the right holders who havepermitted Nichia to use the content. Without prior written consent of Nichia, republication, reproduction, and/or redistributionof the content of this document in any form or by any means, whether in whole or in part, including modifications or derivative
works hereof, is strictly prohibited.

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TOKUSHIMA 774-8601, JAPAN
Phone: +81-884-22-2311 Fax: +81-884-21-0148

NICHIA CORPORATION
http://www.nichia.co.jp

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