Environment FAQ

The industry-accepted definition of Pb-free is a product where the Pb content is less than or equal to 0.1% (1000ppm).

The most significant industry initiative is the European Union's Reduction of Hazardous Substances directive, 2002/95/EC (referred to as RoHS). This governs the allowable product content of Pb and six other potentially hazardous materials.

The directive states that these substances must be eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels by July 1, 2006. Although the RoHS directive is intended for products used in the European Union, it has emerged as the de facto global standard for Pb-free products. Products that meet the levels defined above can be considered to be RoHS-compliant.

Broadcom refers to RoHS-compliant parts as "Pb-free."

Yes, all Broadcom Pb-free parts are RoHS-compliant.

With the exception of Pb, Broadcom's non-Pb-free parts are RoHS-compliant.

"Green" is a generic term concerning the materials used in electronic components. While "Green," "Pb-free," and "RoHS" are often used interchangeably, "Green" can sometimes denote the elimination of materials or compounds in addition to those specified by RoHS (such as halogens, bromine, etc.). However, there is no consistent definition or standard for "Green" in the industry. Broadcom's current Pb-free parts are RoHS-compliant and Broadcom is current working with its manufacturing partners in preparation for anticipated industry directives concerning a more formal definition of "Green" components. Broadcom is committed to providing products that satisfy these directives.

Pb is typically used in the non-Pb-free packaging for Broadcom chips. For Ball Grid Array (BGA) packages, Pb is typically used in the solder balls that are used to solder the package to the system. For leadframe parts, Pb is typically used as the lead finish.

Yes, Broadcom's flipchip packages are RoHS-compliant. Flipchip packages use solder within the package to form the 1st level interconnect between the die and the package. The long-term reliability of Pb-free solders for the 1st level interconnect has not been established. Therefore, the RoHS directive has exempted the solders used for the 1st level interconnect (chip to package) from Pb-free requirements and Broadcom flipchip packages utilize this exemption to achieve RoHS compliance. Broadcom's RoHS-compliant flipchip packages use Pb-free solder balls to form the 2nd level (package-to-board) interconnect and are compatible with a Pb-free surface mount process. Broadcom continues to work with partners in the industry on developing a reliable Pb-free chip-to-package interconnect solder.

Typically, the Pb-free version of a given part appends a "G" on the end of the part number. For example, BCM1234KPB is the part number of the non-Pb-free version and BCM1234KPBG is the part number of the Pb-free version. Contact Broadcom Sales and Marketing for more specifics on actual part numbers and Pb-free part availability.

All Broadcom package types are available in Pb-free versions. The availability of specific products should be confirmed with Broadcom Sales and Marketing.

For most products, Broadcom supports for Pb-free and non-Pb-free versions for most products.

The support for non-Pb-free parts depends on many factors including market demand. Broadcom anticipates that many products, over time, will migrate to Pb-free-only versions based on market conditions. Contact Broadcom Sales and Marketing for more product-specific details.

Broadcom parts are shipped with Pb-free and RoHS compliant labeling attached on the shipping box. Additionally, Certificates of Compliance are available from each supplier assembly site.