New accreditation for EPA Centre

The Centre for Electronic Packaging and Assemblies, Failure Analysis and Reliability Engineering (EPA Centre) was accredited in December 2003 by the Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS) for its Ionic Analysis of Circuit Board, Ion Chromatography Method.  

The accreditation for this test method, IPC-TM-650, is traceable to the US

National Institute of Science and Technology, and is the first of its kind awarded to a testing laboratory in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta, according Centre Director, Professor Y C Chan , Chair Professor in the Department of Electronic Engineering. "This is an important benchmark," he said, "for international recognition of our technical expertise."

The accredited Ionic Analysis of Circuit Board method at the Centre is capable of measuring the level of anionic and cationic contaminants at parts per billion (ppb) level, which is crucial in monitoring the process quality in circuit board manufacturing. "I believe that up till now, we are the only laboratory in the Pearl River Region to have such a 'bbp' capability," Professor Chan noted.

The EPA Centre has been accredited by HKAS since November 2002 under its Hong Kong Laboratory Accreditation Scheme. HKAS is an operation under the auspices of the Innovation and Technology Commission. This latest accreditation, a technical achievement, will allow EPA staff to provide a high-value added and critical testing service indispensable to the local and regional electronic industry in its drive to maintain international competitiveness. It will also give an excellent educational exposure to postgraduate students in their applied research work and undergraduates on their industrial attachment projects.