RoHS compliance for a power component means the part stays within the substance limits of the EU directive, and a halogen-free claim adds material-level limits on chlorine and bromine. This guide covers the substances, the halogen-free standard, the claims, and the declaration and audit path that turn a compliance statement into evidence.
RoHS and the Substances It Restricts
The EU RoHS directive restricts the use of ten substances in electrical and electronic equipment: lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), and the four phthalates DEHP, BBP, DBP, and DIBP. The limits apply to homogeneous materials, which is why a single component carries a single statement while the board around it carries its own assessment.
The directive includes exemptions, and an exemption is a legal allowance, not a waiver of the claim. A part that relies on an exemption is still “RoHS compliant” in the sense of the directive, but the exemption should be named so that the downstream manufacturer can check it against the product’s market and date code.
Exemptions Are Time-Bound Documents.
The directive’s exemptions are not permanent: many carry expiry dates or review cycles, and a part that relied on an exemption in one production year may not qualify in the next. The date code on the part is therefore part of the compliance reading, and a change in the exemption list is a trigger to re-check the declaration rather than to assume continuity. The same logic applies across markets, because the substance restrictions and the exemptions differ by jurisdiction, and the declaration that covers one market is read separately from the one that covers another. The date code, the market, and the exemption are read as one record. The official directive page is the reference for the current substance list and scope.
Halogen-Free Standards: IEC 61249-2-21
Halogen-free is a material-level claim, and the common technical reference is IEC 61249-2-21, which defines a non-halogenated laminate class for printed-board materials using non-halogenated flame retardants. The standard is written for base materials, so a component-level halogen-free claim is read against the same logic: the limit applies to the material and the declared scope.
Industry declarations commonly use thresholds of 900 ppm for chlorine, 900 ppm for bromine, and 1,500 ppm for the total, but the exact criterion should be read from the supplier’s declaration because different scopes and standards coexist. The claim’s value is in its scope: a “halogen-free” statement for the component body means something different from one for the whole assembly, and the declaration should say which it covers.
Component Scope Versus Laminate Scope.
A component-level claim covers the part’s materials—the molding compound, the lead finish, and the die-attach—while a laminate claim covers the board material, and a whole-product claim covers the assembly. The three scopes use the same words with different meanings, so the request for the declaration names the scope it needs. For a power component, the practical question is usually the molding compound and the lead finish, and the datasheet or the material declaration states them; the board’s halogen-free status is a separate document from the board fabricator. The scope is the sentence that makes the claim usable.
Reading Compliance Marks and Claims
Compliance marks and claims come in different strengths, and the reading starts with the words. “RoHS compliant” is a substance statement; “lead-free” is only about lead; and a halogen-free mark on a datasheet covers the material scope the supplier defines. None of them should be inferred beyond the sentence.
| Claim | What it means | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| RoHS compliant | Within the directive’s substance limits | Exemption list, date code |
| Lead-free | No intentional lead above the limit | RoHS status separately |
| Halogen-free | Material within declared halogen limits | Standard and ppm thresholds |
| Full material declaration | Composition data per declaration standard | IEC 62474 scope and version |
The table is the claim-reading checklist: each phrase has a defined scope, and the confirmation asks for the document that supports it.
The Declaration as a BOM Record.
The compliance documents belong in the BOM record next to the part number and the datasheet revision, because the design’s compliance claim is built from its parts’ claims. The record names the directive, the scope, and the document version for each part, and the review checks the record at the product’s release and at each change. A BOM whose compliance trail is a folder of current documents is the one that survives a customer audit.
The Confirmation Loop With the Supplier.
The declaration is confirmed, not assumed: the supplier’s current document is requested for the exact part and date code, and the confirmation is filed with the part record. The loop repeats at the change points, and the confirmation’s date is part of the record. The loop is short and it is the reason the compliance claim stays current.
Material Declarations and Audits
The evidence behind a claim is the material declaration, and the common format for the electrotechnical industry is defined by IEC 62474. The standard covers the content and form of declarations, including declaration-of-compliance and composition types, and it provides the data that downstream manufacturers use to assess substance-restriction requirements.
The audit closes the loop: the declaration is checked against the part, the scope, and the date code; a spot check can screen samples with X-ray fluorescence for the restricted elements; and the records are kept with the part qualification file. The audit is especially useful at a change: a material change, a site change, or a new date-code range is the moment a declaration can silently stop matching the part.
Good-Ark Compliance Notes From Datasheets
The datasheet is the first compliance document for a Good-Ark power component. The ASGC051BS, a 5 A, 100 V Schottky in eSGC (TO-277) with AEC-Q101 qualification shown on the site, is an example of the pattern: the site and datasheet publish the electrical rating set—100 V VRRM, 5 A average forward current, 175 A IFSM, 0.75 V typical forward drop, 150 °C maximum junction temperature—and the compliance statements are read from the same document.
The compliance reading follows the checklist above: the RoHS statement, the halogen-free scope, and any exemption or material-declaration reference are confirmed on the current datasheet revision before the part is accepted into a regulated design. Where a statement is not shown, the request for the document is part of the part’s qualification, not an afterthought.
The Audit at a Change.
The declaration is a snapshot: it is valid for the part, the revision, and the production condition that produced it. A material change, a packaging-site change, or a new date-code range can move the part outside the snapshot, and the audit re-checks the declaration at each change point. The audit record—the declaration, the scope, the date code, and the confirmation—is filed with the part qualification, and the X-ray-fluorescence screening is the spot check that catches a declaration that drifted from the material. The change point is where the compliance risk lives, and the audit is the defense.
Standards note. The substance list follows the EU RoHS directive as published; the halogen-free material class follows IEC 61249-2-21, and the declaration format follows IEC 62474. Standard revisions change, so the current editions and the supplier’s declarations are confirmed before compliance sign-off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which substances does RoHS restrict?
Ten: lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBB, PBDE, and the phthalates DEHP, BBP, DBP, and DIBP, at homogeneous-material level.
What does halogen-free mean technically?
A material-level limit on chlorine and bromine, commonly read against IEC 61249-2-21 and thresholds such as 900 ppm each and 1,500 ppm total, with the exact criterion from the declaration.
How do I read a compliance claim?
Read the words literally—RoHS, lead-free, and halogen-free each have a scope—and ask for the supporting document for each.
What is an IEC 62474 declaration?
A standardized material declaration for the electrotechnical industry, in declaration-of-compliance or composition form, used to assess substance-restriction requirements.
How do I audit a supplier’s claim?
Check the declaration against the part and date code, screen samples with X-ray fluorescence as a spot check, and re-audit at material or site changes.
Conclusion
Compliance is a claim plus evidence: read the RoHS substance list, the halogen-free scope, and the declaration against the current datasheet, and audit at the change points. The document trail is what turns a compliance sentence into a defensible design decision.
Review the ASGC051BS product page on the Good-Ark site for the datasheet and compliance documents, and use the contact page to request the current declaration or material documentation.