Nanomechanical characterization of SAC solder joints - reduction of aging effects using microalloy additions

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Hasnine ◽  
Jeffrey C. Suhling ◽  
Barton C. Prorok ◽  
Michael J. Bozack ◽  
Pradeep Lall
Keyword(s):  
Solder Joints ◽  
Aging Effects ◽  
Sac Solder

Characterization of the Effects of Silver Content on the Aging Resistance of SAC Solder Joints

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Hasnine ◽  
Jeffrey C. Suhling ◽  
Barton C. Prorok ◽  
Michael J. Bozack ◽  
Pradeep Lall
Keyword(s):  
Creep Rate ◽  
Crystal Orientation ◽  
Solder Joints ◽  
Silver Content ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Aging Effects ◽  
Creep Properties ◽  
Single Grain ◽  
Sac Solder

In the current study, we have extended our previous work on nanoindentation of joints to examine a full test matrix of SAC solder alloys. The effects of silver content on SAC solder aging has been evaluated by testing joints from SACN05 (SAC105, SAC205, SAC305, and SAC405) test boards assembled with the same reflow profile. In all cases, the tested joints were extracted from 14 × 14 mm PBGA assemblies (0.8 mm ball pitch, 0.46 mm ball diameter) that are part of the iNEMI Characterization of Pb-Free Alloy Alternatives Project (16 different solder joint alloys available). After extraction, the joints were subjected to various aging conditions (0 to 12 months of aging at T = 125 C), and then tested via nanoindentation techniques to evaluate the stress-strain and creep behavior of the four aged SAC solder alloy materials at the joint scale. The observed aging effects in the SACN05 solder joints have been quantified and correlated with the magnitudes observed in tensile testing of miniature bulk specimens performed in prior studies. The results show that the aging induced degradations of the mechanical properties (modulus, hardness) in the SAC joints were of similar order (30–40%) as those seen previously in the testing of larger “bulk” uniaxial solder specimens. The creep rates of the various tested SACN05 joints were found to increase by 8–50X due to aging. These degradations, while significant, were much less than those observed in larger bulk solder uniaxial tensile specimens with several hundred grains, where the increases ranged from 200X to 10000X for the various SACN05 alloys. Additional testing has been performed on very small tensile specimens with approximately 10 grains, and the aging-induced creep rate degradations found in these specimens were on the same order of magnitude as those observed in the single grain joints. Thus, the lack of the grain boundary sliding creep mechanism in the single grain joints is an important factor in avoiding the extremely large creep rate degradations (up to 10,000X) occurring in larger bulk SAC samples. All of the aging effects observed in the SACN05 joints were found to be exacerbated as the silver content in the alloy was reduced. In addition, the test results for all of the alloys show that the elastic, plastic, and creep properties of the solder joints and their sensitivities to aging are highly dependent on the crystal orientation. Due to the variety of crystal orientations realized during solidification, it was important to identify the grain structure and crystal orientations in the tested joints. Cross-polarized light microscopy and Electron Back Scattered Diffraction (EBSD) techniques have been utilized for this purpose. The test results show that the elastic, plastic, and creep properties of the solder joints and their sensitivities to aging are highly dependent on the crystal orientation. In addition, an approach has been developed to predict tensile creep strain rates for low stress levels using nanoindentation creep data measured at very high compressive stress levels.

Characterization of aging effects in lead free solder joints using nanoindentation

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hasnine ◽  
Muhannad Mustafa ◽  
Jeffrey C. Suhling ◽  
Barton C. Prorok ◽  
Michael J. Bozack ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solder Joints ◽  
Lead Free ◽  
Lead Free Solder ◽  
Aging Effects ◽  
Free Solder

Nanomechanical Characterization of Aging Effects in Solder Joints in Microelectronic Packaging

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hasnine ◽  
Muhannad Mustafa ◽  
Jing Zou ◽  
Jeffrey C. Suhling ◽  
Barton C. Prorok ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Solder Joints ◽  
Bulk Solder ◽  
Lead Free ◽  
Lead Free Solder ◽  
Aging Effects ◽  
Single Grain ◽  
Free Solder ◽  
Aging Phenomena ◽  
Sac Solder

The mechanical properties of a lead free solder are strongly influenced by its microstructure, which is controlled by its thermal history including solidification rate and thermal aging after solidification. Due to aging phenomena, the microstructure, mechanical response, and failure behavior of lead free solder joints in electronic assemblies are constantly evolving when exposed to isothermal and/or thermal cycling environments. Through uniaxial testing of miniature bulk solder tensile specimens, we have previously demonstrated that large changes occur in the stress-strain and creep behaviors of lead free solder alloys with aging. Complementary studies by other research groups have verified aging induced degradations of SAC mechanical properties. In those investigations, mechanical testing was performed on a variety of sample geometries including lap shear specimens, Iosipescu shear specimens, and custom solder ball array shear specimens. While there are clearly aging effects in SAC solder materials, there have been limited prior mechanical loading studies on aging effects in actual solder joints extracted from area array assemblies (e.g. PBGA or flip chip). This is due to the extremely small size of the individual joints, and the difficulty in gripping them and applying controlled loadings (tension, compression, or shear). In the current work, we have explored aging phenomena in actual solder joints by nano-mechanical testing of single SAC305 lead free solder joints extracted from PBGA assemblies. Using nanoindentation techniques, the stress-strain and creep behavior of the SAC solder materials have been explored at the joint scale for various aging conditions. Mechanical properties characterized as a function of aging include the elastic modulus, hardness, and yield stress. Using a constant force at max indentation, the creep response of the aged and non-aged solder joint materials has also been measured as a function of the applied stress level. With these approaches, aging effects in solder joints were quantified and correlated to the magnitudes of those observed in testing of miniature bulk specimens. Our results show that the aging induced degradations of the mechanical properties (modulus, hardness) of single grain SAC305 joints were similar to those seen previously by testing of larger “bulk” solder specimens. However, due to the single grain nature of the joints considered in this study, the degradations of the creep responses were significantly less in the solder joints relative to those in larger uniaxial tensile specimens. The magnitude of aging effects in multi-grain lead free solder joints remains to be quantified. Due to the variety of crystal orientations realized during solidification, it was important to identify the grain structure and crystal orientations in the tested joints. Polarized light microscopy and Electron Back Scattered Diffraction (EBSD) techniques have been utilized for this purpose. The test results show that the elastic, plastic, and creep properties of the solder joints and their sensitivities to aging are highly dependent on the crystal orientation. In addition, an approach has been developed to predict tensile creep strain rates for low stress levels using nanoindentation creep data measured at very high compressive stress levels.

Study on creep characterization of nano-sized Ag particle-reinforced Sn–Pb composte solder joints

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 256-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaowu Shi ◽  
Jianping Liu ◽  
Zhidong Xia ◽  
Yongping Lei ◽  
Fu Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solder Joints ◽  
Ag Particle
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