Use Our ProductsProduct Compliance
An important aspect of environmental responsibility is reducing the volume of hazardous material in circulation worldwide. TriQuint is committed to meeting all global product environmental regulations that affect its products. These regulations include:
All active TriQuint commercial standard products are compliant with these Directives. TriQuint does not use any REACH Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) in its products or packaging materials. Refer to TriQuint REACH Policy.
To facilitate the ease of reporting to both suppliers and customers, TriQuint has adopted the IPC-1752 reporting standard as its corporate material declaration reporting standard. Contact TriQuint at
rohs_info@tqs.com for material declarations for specific TriQuint products.
For more information about TriQuint’s Product Compliance Goals, download the TriQuint Product Compliance Roadmap.
In addition to being compliant with the above regulations, TriQuint participates in the following customer programs:
- Sony Green Partner
- Samsung Eco-partner
Notes:
TriQuint does not change part numbers when converting from non-RoHS compliant, i.e. lead (Pb) containing, to RoHS compliant. TriQuint does not simultaneously sell both compliant and non-compliant versions of the same part. All remaining stock is purged and the line switched over in its entirety when a part converts. Conversions to RoHS compliant parts are managed via our PCN process.
TriQuint's lead finish for RoHS compliant parts is either 100% matte tin or gold. Appropriate tin whisker mitigation controls are in place, including post anneal bake and plating bath monitors.
The RoHS compliance of a product is shown visually in several places. A statement or logo will be displayed on the datasheet. The innermost label of shipped product is also marked. For TriQuint, lead-free is equivalent to RoHS compliant and either logo or verbiage may be used.
Please request TriQuint's terms and conditions for our standard warranty and liability limitations.
RoHS Directive (2002/95/EC)
The RoHS Directive bans the use of certain hazardous substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE). TriQuint’s products fall within the scope of the EEE covered by the RoHS Directive. Although there are exemptions (see below), all homogeneous materials* within EEE must meet the following concentration limits:
| Substance | Maximum Concentration |
| Cadmium | 100 ppm (0.01%) |
| Lead | 1000 ppm (0.1%) |
| Mercury | 1000 ppm (0.1%) |
| Hexavalent Chromium | 1000 ppm (0.1%) |
| Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBBs) | 1000 ppm (0.1%) |
| Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) | 1000 ppm (0.1%) |
TriQuint and the EU RoHS Directive
Although most TriQuint products that are sold into the commercial market meet these concentration limits, certain products require the use of exemptions to meet RoHS compliance. The list of exemptions is not static. Exemptions are added and removed periodically. TriQuint and its customers use several exemptions:
#5 – Lead in glass of cathode ray tubes, electronic components, and fluorescent tubes.
#7b – Lead in solders for servers, storage and storage array systems, network infrastructure equipment for switching, signaling, transmission as well as network management for telecommunications.
#7c – Lead in electronic ceramic parts (e.g., piezoelectronic devices)
Contact TriQuint at rohs_info@tqs.com if you have any questions regarding the RoHS compliance of any TriQuint products.
* “Homogeneous Material” means a material that is homogeneous throughout the material. That is, the composition and properties of the material does not change within the material. As an example, a printed circuit board would have many homogeneous materials, such as the dielectric material (epoxy), fiberglass support, plated copper, plated nickel, plated gold, and soldermask.
China RoHS (Order No. 39)
The China RoHS regulation is similar to the EU RoHS Directive with some important differences. Both ban the same substances and have the same concentration limits:
| Substance | Maximum Concentration |
| Cadmium | 100 ppm (0.01%) |
| Lead | 1000 ppm (0.1%) |
| Mercury | 1000 ppm (0.1%) |
| Hexavalent Chromium | 1000 ppm (0.1%) |
| Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBBs) | 1000 ppm (0.1%) |
| Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) | 1000 ppm (0.1%) |
The differences between the two regulations are:
- Homogeneous Material Definition – in the China RoHS regulation, materials are broken into 3 different categories:
- EIP-A are homogeneous materials defined as the EU homogeneous materials; the Substance concentration limits shown above apply.
- EIP-B are platings. Hazardous substances must not be intentionally added to these materials.
- EIP-C are components smaller than 4 mm3 in volume. These components can be considered a single homogeneous material.
- Covered Products - China RoHS applies to a slightly different set of products, which are defined as Electronic Information Products or EIPs. TriQuint products are listed in the EIP list.
- Labeling – Products covered by China RoHS must have 3 types of labels:
- A Hazardous Substances Table must be on the packaging of the product showing the presence and location of any hazardous substances within the product. This label must be in Simplified Chinese.
- The packaging materials must be disclosed through the use of symbols on the packaging materials (GB 18455-2001 Standard).
- If the product contains a Hazardous Substance, an Environmental Protection Use Period (aka Environmentally Friendly Use Period or EFUP, or Environmentally Safe Use Period or ESUP) must be declared and labeled on the packaging. This is the time period before a product will begin to release hazardous substances into the environment under normal use conditions. For TriQuint products used in cell phones that contain Hazardous Substances, the EFUP is 20 years. For those products that go into network communications equipment the EFUP is 50 years.
Contact TriQuint at rohs_info@tqs.com if you have any questions regarding compliance of any TriQuint products with China RoHS.
Dimethylfumarate Decision (2009/251/EC)
European Directive 2009/251/EC bans Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) from being placed in the EU market in consumer products. DMF is a biocide that is typically used in desiccant bags when shipping leather goods in humid climates to prevent mold damage. Exposure to DMF has led to painful skin contact dermatitis, including itching, irritation, redness, and burns. In some cases, acute respiratory troubles were reported. Clinical studies have shown strong reactions to DMF exposure down to 1 mg/kg (ppm). Therefore, the EU has set a maximum concentration of DMF in products of 0.1 mg/kg (ppm).
Products are defined by the General Product Safety Directive, 2001/95/EC as “any product – including in the context of providing a service – which is intended for consumers or likely, under reasonably foreseeable conditions, to be used by consumers even if not intended for them, and is supplied or made available, whether for consideration or not, in the course of a commercial activity, and whether new, used, or reconditioned.”
TriQuint and the DMF Decision
TriQuint has conducted an assessment of directive 2009/251/EC and its applicability to TriQuint operations. This directive does not apply to TriQuint products, which are not sold to the public, and therefore are not considered a “Product” as defined by the General Product Safety Directive, 2001/95/EC. As such, EU Directive 2009/251/EC also does not apply to TriQuint products.
However, TriQuint products are typically shipped with desiccant bags to prevent moisture from damaging the products. TriQuint has taken steps to confirm any desiccant bags used in TriQuint shipments do not contain DMF by way of inquiry and/or declaration request with desiccant bag suppliers. Pursuant to TriQuint’s investigation and actions, TriQuint declares that DMF is not used in TriQuint operations or in the products that we manufacture for our customers.
Contact TriQuint at rohs_info@tqs.com if you have any questions regarding DMF in any TriQuint products.
PFOS Directive (2006/122/EC)
European Directive 2006/122/EC restricts the use of Perfluorooctane sulfonates (PFOS) in preparations or articles. PFOS substances have the chemical formula of:
C8F17SO2X, where X can be:
- OH (Hydroxide)
- O-M+ (metal ions)
- Halides
- Amides
- Other derivatives including polymers
A list of potential PFOS substances can be found at ENV/JM/MONO (2006)15, 21-Aug-2007, "LISTS OF PFOS, PFAS, PFOA, PFCA RELATED COMPOUNDS AND CHEMICALS THAT MAY DEGRADE TO PFCA", OECD Environment, Health and Safety Publications, Series on Risk Management, No. 21.
TriQuint and the PFOS Directive
TriQuint does not use any PFOS substances in its products. Contact TriQuint at rohs_info@tqs.com if you have any questions regarding compliance of any TriQuint products with the PFOS Directive.
REACH Regulation EC No 1907/2006
REACH is the regulation for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals, a European Union regulation that entered into force on June 1, 2007. One of the main purposes of this regulation is to improve the protection of human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals. The REACH regulation also created the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), which has a central coordination and implementation role in the REACH process. The ECHA website for the REACH regulation is a great resource for learning more about the REACH regulation.
As the title suggests, REACH is designed to determine what chemical substances pose risk to human health or the environment, and then require that those substances are registered, evaluated for risk, and then authorized for specific uses or restricted from specific uses. To this end, the regulation contains a large list of chemical substances that were classified under the Dangerous Substances Directive (67/548/EEC) as Class 1 or 2 Carcinogens, Mutagens, or Toxic to Reproduction. This Directive has been succeeded by EC/1272/2008 which is the Classification, Labeling, and Packaging (CLP) Directive.
EU Member States or the ECHA can propose that a substance be evaluated to determine if it is a Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) by submitting a dossier detailing the risks of the substance. If the substance was originally listed in the Dangerous Substances Directive (67/548/EEC), a full dossier is not needed. The submitting agency can merely refer to that substance's entry in EC/1272/2008.
If a substance is evaluated as an SVHC, it will be placed onto the Candidate List.
TriQuint SVHC Evaluation
TriQuint has evaluated its products for the presence of the substances on the Candidate List. It was determined that some of the Humidity Indicating Cards (HICs) used in packaging did contain cobalt dichloride, one of the substances on the Candidate List. TriQuint worked with its suppliers and removed cobalt dichloride from its HICs by February 2009. At this time, there are no SVHCs in TriQuint products. While many TriQuint products do contain arsenic or cobalt, these substances are not present in the form of the substances listed in the Candidate List.
France submitted a dossier to have gallium arsenide classified according to the requirements in the CLP Directive as:
- Specific Target Organ Toxic Repeated Exposure 1
- Reproductive Toxin 1B
- Carcinogen 2
Gallium arsenide is the base material in TriQuint’s semiconductor chips. Classification of a substance is the first step in the process of determining if a substance meets the SVHC criteria. In response to the French dossier, TriQuint worked with IPC and other industry leaders to develop and submit comments to the classification proposals. A copy of these comments is available upon request to rohs_info@tqs.com. It is expected to take two to three months for ECHA to review the publicly submitted comments and to decide how gallium arsenide should be classified.
Sweden also submitted a dossier to have antimony trioxide classified as a Skin Irritant. Antimony trioxide is present in the molding compounds of some older products manufactured by TriQuint. TriQuint submitted comments on this dossier also, and was pleased to note that ECHA determined that this classification proposal was unwarranted (see ECHA announcement).
Contact TriQuint at
rohs_info@tqs.com if you have any questions regarding compliance of any TriQuint products with the REACH regulation.