Introduction and Objectives

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) have been used by the electronics industry for many years. CFC-113 and it's azeotropes/blends have been the solvent of choice because of their stability, relatively low toxicity, and their ability to remove contamination with little or no post-cleaning deposition of residues. Although eight chemicals are controlled by the Montreal Protocol, CFC-113 is the chemical that has the greatest impact on the electronics industry. In 1986, the cleaning of printed wiring assemblies (PWAs) accounted for the consumption of approximately 35% of the total 150 million pounds of CFC-113 produced in the United States.