Reflow soldering to mounting pads with vent channels to avoid skewing

Method of surface mounting an electronic component to a mounting pad on one side of a supporting insulating board, said insulating board carrying conductors on said one side and a heat sink on the opposite side of said board, said board also having through-hole thermal vias through which said conductors and heat sink are connected, the component being connected to the mounting pad by use of solder material subject to gas trapping in said thermal vias comprising:

• (a) creating at least one vent channel, extending into the thickness of the mounting pad, from a location that is at or closely adjacent to said thermal via, to a location essentially near a periphery of the solder material;
• (b) planting a deposit of the solder material between the component and mounting pad extending over the thermal via;
• (c) bringing the component, solder material and bonding pad together to form an assembly;
• and
• (d) heating the assembly to momentarily reflow the solder material in place without shifting, skewing, or tilting of the component, any trapped gas in the thermal via being allowed to expand and migrate away through the channel to at least the periphery of the solder material.

A method of surface mounting electronic components to a printed circuit on one side of a supporting insulating board, the printed circuit being connected to one or more conductors on the opposite side of such board by use of one or more plated through-hole vias having ends lying in the plane of the circuit, comprising:

• (a) plugging at least one via with a material substantially non-wettable by a solder;
• (b) creating at least one vent channel, extending through the thickness of the printed circuit from a location that is at or closely adjacent to said at least one via, to essentially the periphery of the solder material to be placed thereover;
• (c) planting a deposit of the solder material between the component and pad, the solder material having a surface that at least covers said vent channel;
• (d) placing said component on said soldering material over the printed circuit portion and over said vent channel;
• and
• (e) heating the assembly to momentarily reflow the soldering material in place without shifting, skewing or tilting of the component, any trapped air in said vias being allowed to expand and migrate away from said vias through said channels to at least the periphery said solder deposit.