A new alloy definition will be presented concerning increasing demands for the board level reliability of miniaturized interconnections. The damage mechanism for LFBGA components on different board finishes is not quite understood. Further demands from mobile phones are the drop test, characterizing interface performance of different package constructions in relation to decreased pad constructions and therefore interfaces. The paper discusses the characterization of interfaces based on SnPb, SnPbXYZ, SnAgCu and SnAgCuInNd ball materials and SnAgCuInNd as solder paste, the stability after accelerated tests and the description of modified interfaces strictly related to the assembly conditions, dissolution behavior of finishes on board side and the influence of intermetallic formation. The type of intermetallic as well as the quantity of intermetallics are observed, primaliry the hardness, E modules describing the ability of strain/stress compensation. First results of board level reliability are presented after TCT-40/+150. Improvement steps from the ball formulation will be discussed in conjunction to the implementation of lead free materials In order to optimize ball materials for area array devices accelareted aging conditions like TCTs were used to analyze the board level reliability of different ball materials for BGA, LFBGA, CSP, Flip Chip. The paper outlines lead-free ball analysis in comparison to conventional solder balls for BGA and chip size packages. The important points of interest are the description of processability related to existing ball attach procedures, requirements of interconnection properties and the knowledge gained the board level reliability. Both are the primary acceptance criteria for implementation. Knowledge about melting characteristic, surface tension depend on temperature and organic vehicles, wetting behavior, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, specific heat, mechanical strength, creep and relaxation properties, interactions to preferred finishes (minor impurities), intermetallic growth, content of IMC, brittleness depend on solved elements/IMC, fatigue resistance, damage mechanism, affinity against oxygen, reduction potential, decontamination efforts, endo-/exothermic reactions, diffusion properties related to finishes or bare materials, isothermal fatigue, thermo-cyclic fatigue, corrosion properties, lifetime prediction based on board level results, compatibility with rework/repair solders, rework temperatures of modified solders (Impurities, change in the melting point or range), compatibility to components and laminates.