scholarly journals Properties and Microstructures of Sn-Ag-Cu-X Lead-Free Solder Joints in Electronic Packaging

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Sun ◽  
Liang Zhang

SnAgCu solder alloys were considered as one of the most popular lead-free solders because of its good reliability and mechanical properties. However, there are also many problems that need to be solved for the SnAgCu solders, such as high melting point and poor wettability. In order to overcome these shortcomings, and further enhance the properties of SnAgCu solders, many researchers choose to add a series of alloying elements (In, Ti, Fe, Zn, Bi, Ni, Sb, Ga, Al, and rare earth) and nanoparticles to the SnAgCu solders. In this paper, the work of SnAgCu lead-free solders containing alloying elements and nanoparticles was reviewed, and the effects of alloying elements and nanoparticles on the melting temperature, wettability, mechanical properties, hardness properties, microstructures, intermetallic compounds, and whiskers were discussed.

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (1) ◽  
pp. 000235-000241
Author(s):  
Fred Fuliang Le ◽  
Rinse van der Meulen ◽  
Yoon Kheong Leong ◽  
Manoj Balakrishnan ◽  
Zunyu Guan

Abstract High melting point (HMP) lead-free solder, hybrid sinter and transient liquidus phase sinter (TLPS) are the emerging lead-free alternatives for the potential replacement of high-lead solder. Lead-free solder is perfectly compatible with existing high-lead soldering processes for clip bond packages. The benefit of hybrid sinter is that it has much higher thermal and electrical conductivity than lead-free or high-lead solder. In this study, ten materials (including lead-free solders, hybrid sinter paste and TLPS) were first evaluated via die shear test. With the initial material screening, two lead-free solders (solder 1 and 2), two hybrid Ag sinter pastes (sinter i and ii) and one TLPS proceeded to internal sample assembly. For the lead-free solders, a process optimization with the aid of vacuum reflow was made to reduce void rate. Due to the slow and unbalanced inter-diffusion of Ag-Cu sintering than Ag-Ag sintering, optimizations to enhance the hybrid Ag sintering include Ag finishing for the die metallization and Ag plating for the clip and bond area of the leadframe. In 0-hour package electrical test, solder 1 and sinter i passed and were sent for reliability testing while solder 2, sinter ii and TLPS failed due to intermetallic compound (IMC) cracking, material bleeding and die cracking, respectively. In the reliability testing, a basic scheme of thermal cycling (TC) 1000 cycles, intermittent operating life (IOL) 750 hrs and highly accelerated temperature and humidity stress test (HAST) 96 hrs was defined for the early feasibility study. 1 of 75 sinter i units failed by TC 1000 cycles due to separation between silver sinter structure and die bottom metallization. Solder 1 passed the basic scheme without defects, and next the material workability and clip bond strength need to be improved to the equivalent level of high-lead solders.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 2641-2648
Author(s):  
Rizk Mostafa Shalaby ◽  
Mohamed Munther ◽  
Abu-Bakr Al-Bidawi ◽  
Mustafa Kamal

The greatest advantage of Sn-Zn eutectic is its low melting point (198 oC) which is close to the melting point. of Sn-Pb eutectic solder (183 oC), as well as its low price per mass unit compared with Sn-Ag and Sn-Ag-Cu solders. In this paper, the effect of 0.0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0 wt. % Al as ternary additions on melting temperature, microstructure, microhardness and mechanical properties of the Sn-9Zn lead-free solders were investigated. It is shown that the alloying additions of Al at 4 wt. % to the Sn-Zn binary system lead to lower of the melting point to 195.72 ˚C.  From x-ray diffraction analysis, an aluminium phase, designated α-Al is detected for 4 and 5 wt. % Al compositions. The formation of an aluminium phase causes a pronounced increase in the electrical resistivity and microhardness. The ternary Sn-9Zn-2 wt.%Al exhibits micro hardness superior to Sn-9Zn binary alloy. The better Vickers hardness and melting points of the ternary alloy is attributed to solid solution effect, grain size refinement and precipitation of Al and Zn in the Sn matrix.  The Sn-9%Zn-4%Al alloy is a lead-free solder designed for possible drop-in replacement of Pb-Sn solders.  


2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 (1) ◽  
pp. 000314-000318
Author(s):  
Tong Jiang ◽  
Fubin Song ◽  
Chaoran Yang ◽  
S. W. Ricky Lee

The enforcement of environmental legislation is pushing electronic products to take lead-free solder alloys as the substitute of traditional lead-tin solder alloys. Applications of such alloys require a better understanding of their mechanical behaviors. The mechanical properties of the lead-free solders and IMC layers are affected by the thermal aging. The lead-free solder joints on the pads subject to thermal aging test lead to IMC growth and cause corresponding reliability concerns. In this paper, the mechanical properties of the lead-free solders and IMCs were characterized by nanoindentation. Both the Sn-rich phase and Ag3Sn + β-Sn phase in the lead-free solder joint exhibit strain rate depended and aging soften effect. When lead-free solder joints were subject to thermal aging, Young's modulus of the (Cu, Ni)6Sn5 IMC and Cu6Sn5 IMC changed in very small range. While the hardness value decreased with the increasing of the thermal aging time.


2010 ◽  
Vol 654-656 ◽  
pp. 2450-2454 ◽  
Author(s):  
De Kui Mu ◽  
Hideaki Tsukamoto ◽  
Han Huang ◽  
Kazuhiro Nogita

High-temperature lead-free solders are important materials for electrical and electronic devices due to increasing legislative requirements that aim at reducing the use of traditional lead-based solders. For the successful use of lead-free solders, a comprehensive understanding of the formation and mechanical properties of Intermetallic Compounds (IMCs) that form in the vicinity of the solder-substrate interface is essential. In this work, the effect of nickel addition on the formation and mechanical properties of Cu6Sn5 IMCs in Sn-Cu high-temperature lead-free solder joints was investigated using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and nanoindentation. It was found that the nickel addition increased the elastic modulus and hardness of the (Cu, Ni)6Sn5. The relationship between the nickel content and the mechanical properties of the IMCs was also established.


2015 ◽  
Vol 1120-1121 ◽  
pp. 456-461
Author(s):  
Xiao Le Feng ◽  
Jie Yang

The wettability of Sn-0.3Ag-0.7Cu-xPr solders on Cu substrate was determined by the wetting balance method, and the mechanical properties of Sn-0.3Ag-0.7Cu-xPr joints were investigated. The result showed that the wetting force of Sn-0.3Ag-0.7Cu-xPr is increased and the wetting time is decreased with the Pr content addition. Good wettability of Sn-Ag-Cu-Pr is obtained with around 0·05%-0·1% (mass fraction) Pr. When measured at 260°C, the wetting force of of SnAgCu solder was increased by 5.0% with 0.1%Pr and the wetting time of SnAgCu solder was descreased by 16.9%.The mechanical properties of soldered joints are enhanced with the addition of Pr, and the soldered joints possess the peak values of shear stress when the Pr addition is about 0.05% in Sn-Ag-Cu-Pr solder joint.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 11956-11962

Lead-free solders have been the substructure innovation of electronic interconnections for many decenniums due to the widespread utilization of electronic contrivances. SnAg–Cu (SAC) is presently seen as the popular lead-free solder alloy for bundling interconnects in the electronics industry. In this review, the study on the development of low-temperature Pbfree solders using Sn-Bi solder alloys will be discussed regarding thermal behaviour and wettability. The impact of alloying on these compounds is depicted as far as basic microstructural changes, mechanical properties, and reliability. The review closes with a perspective for cutting edge electronic interconnect materials.


Author(s):  
Sami T. Nurmi ◽  
Janne J. Sundelin ◽  
Eero O. Ristolainen ◽  
Toivo K. Lepisto¨

As environmental issues are raising more interest and are becoming crucial factors in all parts of the world, more and more environmental-friendly electronics products are emerging. Usually this means the introduction of products with lead-free solders. However, the reliability of lead-free solders is still a serious concern despite the vast research done in this field. This paper will describe the interconnect reliability of three kinds of solder joints respectively prepared with lead-free solder paste and lead-free PBGA components, lead-free solder paste and tin-lead-silver PBGA components, and tin-lead solder paste and tin-lead-silver PBGA components. Lead-free and tin-lead solders were composed of eutectic tin-silver-copper and tin-lead, respectively. In addition, the study also presents the effect of multiple reflow times. The study focuses on the microstructures of different assemblies. The particular interest is on the assemblies soldered with lead-free solder paste and tin-lead-silver PBGA components, since the SnPbAg solder on the bumps of the PBGA components were exposed to the reflow profile meant for the lead-free SnAgCu solder. Thus, these SnPbAg solder bumps were in the molten state almost twice as long as the rest of the solders. This had a notable effect on the reliability of these solder joints as we will be showing later in this paper. The test boards were temperature-cycled for 2500 cycles between −40 and +125°C (a 30-minute cycle). PBGA solder joint failures were monitored with a real time monitoring system. Optical and scanning electron microscopy was used to inspect the broken solder joints and their microstructure. The results of tests indicate that the number of reflow times can significantly affect the lifetime of PBGA solder joints. The most notable changes can be seen in the solder joints made with tin-lead-silver PBGA components and tin-silver-copper solder paste soldered with a lead-free reflow profile. The general trend was that the reliability of the solder joints increased in proportion to the number of reflow times. Mainly two factors are believed to have the major effect on the reliability of PBGA solder joints, voids, and microstructural changes in solder.


2012 ◽  
Vol 562-564 ◽  
pp. 188-191
Author(s):  
Keh Moh Lin ◽  
Yang Hsien Lee ◽  
Wen Yeong Huang ◽  
Po Chun Hsu ◽  
Chin Yang Huang ◽  
...  

To find out the important factors which decisively affect the soldering quality of photovoltaic modules, solar cells were soldered under different conditions (different temperatures, PbSn vs. SnAgCu solder, manual vs. semi-automatic). Experimental results show that the soldering quality of PbSn under 350°C in the semi-automatic soldering process was quite stable while the soldering quality of lead-free solder was generally unacceptable in the manual or semi-automatic process under different temperatures. This result indicates that the soldering process with lead-free solder still needs to be further improved. It was also found that most cracks were formed on the interface between the solder and the silver paste and then expanded outwards.


2015 ◽  
Vol 830-831 ◽  
pp. 265-269
Author(s):  
Satyanarayan ◽  
K.N. Prabhu

In the present work, the bond strength of Sn-0.7Cu, Sn-0.3Ag-0.7Cu, Sn-2.5Ag-0.5Cu and Sn-3Ag-0.5Cu lead free solders solidified on Cu substrates was experimentally determined. The bond shear test was used to assess the integrity of Sn–Cu and Sn–Ag–Cu lead-free solder alloy drops solidified on smooth and rough Cu substrate surfaces. The increase in the surface roughness of Cu substrates improved the wettability of solders. The wettability was not affected by the Ag content of solders. Solder bonds on smooth surfaces yielded higher shear strength compared to rough surfaces. Fractured surfaces revealed the occurrence of ductile mode of failure on smooth Cu surfaces and a transition ridge on rough Cu surfaces. Though rough Cu substrate improved the wettability of solder alloys, solder bonds were sheared at a lower force leading to decreased shear energy density compared to the smooth Cu surface. A smooth surface finish and the presence of minor amounts of Ag in the alloy improved the integrity of the solder joint. Smoother surface is preferable as it favors failure in the solder matrix.


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