Flux-removing aqueous cleaning composition and method of use

Abstract

A flux-removing, aqueous cleaning composition contains: (A) a solvent phase consisting essentially of water; and (B) a flux-removing phase containing an alkaline salt component and a surfactant formulation, the alkaline salt component containing at least one alkali metal salt, and the surfactant formulation containing at least one fluorinated surfactant and at least one N-alkylpyrrolidone surfactant. A method of removing rosin flux residues from a substrate, preferably a substrate of an electronic circuit assembly, involves (a) cleaning the substrate with the above-described aqueous cleaning composition for a period of time sufficient to substantially emulsify the soldering rosin flux residues to form emulsified rosin flux residues; and (b) removing the emulsified rosin flux residues from the substrate.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.