In February of 2003 European Union adopted the Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) Directive, restricting the use of Lead (Pb), Cadmium, Mercury, Hexavalent Chromium and PBB/PBDE flame retardant materials in electrical and electronic products sold in Europe beginning July 1, 2006. Lead is the most prominent of the above elements and compounds presently used in electronics components and the phrase "Lead Free" has become synonymous with term “RoHS”.

Prior to the RoHS directive, the semiconductor industry had been working toward providing lead-free assemblies, components and devices in low volume to meet specific market applications. The acceleration of the global transition to Pb-free electronics is being driven by the European Union's 2003 Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) legislation mandate.

Identification of the Pb-free materials employed in electrical and electronic equipment is critical for those performing assembly, recycling, repair and rework. So far, no uniform component identification standard has been adopted for this issue. Some components manufacturers have generated new ordering codes to designate RoHS compliant product, others employ temporary designators to be utilized during FAB transition, while several IC manufacturers have openly stated there will be no planned component ordering modifications.

To provide information to our customers during this transition period, we compiled the following "Lead Free" reference database of major components manufacturers with corresponding Lead Free part information.