"Lead free" refers to the elimination of lead used in solder finishes to coat the leads of electronic components. International Rectifier will be converting most of our products to a lead free finish by mid 2004.

· What is driving the transition to lead free?

A concern for the environment and the harmful effects lead may have upon it.

· Are there regulations that govern the use of lead?

There are three European Union regulations.

- Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment (WEEE) establishes criteria for collection, recovery and recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment.

- Restriction of the use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) bans a variety of hazardous materials from use in the manufacturing process.

- End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) establishes a framework to ensure that vehicles are designed and manufactured in such a way that optimizes opportunities for reuse, recycling and recovery.

California has one regulation.

Electronic Waste Recycling Act adopts the EU Directive for electronic waste recycling.

· What lead free finishes will International Rectifier offer?

International Rectifier lead-free finishes vary based on package type and customer requirement. Many of our IC and discrete packages use a pure tin finish. IR's through-hole packages use a tin/copper finish. More information on the plating finishes by package type can be found in the lead-free qualification reports at http://www.irf.com/ehs/pbfreequal.html.

· How do I order lead free products from International Rectifier?

IR's lead free products are designated with a PbF suffix. Released lead-free devices can be ordered through the standard ordering process. Please contact your sales representative for more details on released parts. Part number, marking, and labeling information for lead-free devices can be found at http://www.irf.com/ehs/ordering.html.

· Can customers order lead free samples?

Customers can request lead free samples through IR's sampling request form.

· What is IR's schedule for transitioning to lead free?

Please refer to IR's roadmap for lead free packages. For more information, please contact your IR sales representative.

· Will I still be allowed to order parts with lead finishes? For how long?

International Rectifier's plans are to provide every commercial product in a lead-free configuration. Individual customers will be notified of any change in policy. In special cases, IR may elect to continue to provide the original "lead-containing" product where customers' needs warrant.

· Do IR's lead free products comply with the JEDEC standards?

Yes. IR's qualification procedures include compliance with JEDEC standards.

· Will IR's lead free products perform as efficiently as the original products?

Yes. Should any performance differences exist, these will be noted on the product data sheet.

· What do the reflow profiles look like?

· How can I receive more information about IR's lead free products or program?

Please direct your requests to your local Sales Rep.-->