Can a solid capacitor be damaged by a heat gun

capacitordamageheat

I used a heat gun to solder a 32 pin SOIC IC (DIR9001) and after I was done I saw that a cap nearby (solid cap) got EXTREMELY hot and started to discolor (yellowish hue).

Is it possible that the cap died? It hasn't exploded or something.

Best Answer

The temperature to which you set your temperature controlled heat-gun is about 100 degrees C higher than the recommended reflow profile for ceramic capacitors.

A normal vapor/air reflow profile looks more like this, where Peak Temperature is between 230-260C:

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There is more information available in these documents:

Basically, you want to be careful to avoid thermal shock cracks, which occur when the part is heated too quickly. Move the heat gun in from a distance over the course of a minute rather than directly exposing it to 360C air.

Also, avoid heating the capacitor to much over 260 C for any length of time. This temperature is the general maximum for most parts, including silicon parts like the SOIC you replaced.