An investigation of microstructure and properties of Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu-XAl2O3 composite solder

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guang Chen ◽  
Bomin Huang ◽  
Hui Liu ◽  
Y.C. Chan ◽  
Zirong Tang ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate microstructure and properties of Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu-XAl2O3 composite solder which were prepared through powder metallurgy route. Design/methodology/approach Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu (SAC305)-XAl2O3 (X = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 Wt. %) composite solders were prepared through the powder metallurgy route. The morphology of composite solder powders which consists of Al2O3 particles and SAC solder powders after ball milling was observed. The retained ratio of Al2O3 nanoparticles in composite solder billets and solder joints were also quantitatively measured. Furthermore, the as-prepared composite solder alloys were studied extensively with regard to their microstructures, thermal property, wettability and mechanical properties. Findings After ball milling, the Al2O3 nanoparticles added were observed embedded into the surface of SAC solder powders. Only about 5-10 per cent of the initial Al2O3 nanoparticles added were detected in the composite solder joints after reflow. In addition, finer ß-Sn grains were achieved with addition of Al2O3 nanoparticles; the Al2O3 nanoparticles were found retained in the composite solder matrix. Besides, negligible changes in melting temperature and the considerably reduced undercooling were obtained in composite solder alloys. Wettability was improved by appropriate addition of Al2O3 nanoparticles. Microhardness and shear strength of composite solders were both improved after Al2O3 nanoparticles addition. Originality/value This paper indicated that powder metallurgy route offered a feasible approach to produce nanoparticle reinforced composite solder. In addition, the quantitative analysis of the actual retained ratio of the Al2O3 nanoparticles in solder joints provided practical implications for the manufacture of composite solders.

Author(s):  
Nan Jiang ◽  
Liang Zhang ◽  
Kai-Kai Xu ◽  
Mu-Lan Li ◽  
Feng-Jiang Wang

In this work, SiC nanowires (SiC NWs) reinforced SBG (Sn-58Bi-0.05GNSs) composite solder was prepared using powder metallurgy route. The effect of SiC NWs on melting temperature, wetting behavior, shear properties, microstructure of the prepared solder joints and interfacial reaction were studied in detail. Results reveal that incorporating SiC NWs can develop the wetting behavior and shear properties of solder joint but has a little effect on melting temperature. The microstructure of solder is refined markedly with the addition of SiC NWs, which is one of the reasons for the increase in the shear strength of the solder joints. Additionally, the dimension of Cu6Sn5 IMC grains diminishes with the doping of SiC NWs, which resulted in the thinning of Cu6Sn5 IMC layer. Thence, the addition of SiC NWs may be an effective way to improve the reliability of solder joints.


Metals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaipeng Wang ◽  
Fengjiang Wang ◽  
Ying Huang ◽  
Kai Qi

Sn-58Bi eutectic solder is the most recommended low temperature Pb-free solder but is also limited from the interfacial embrittlement of Bi segregation. Since the quaternary Sn-38Bi-1.5Sb-0.7Ag solder provides a similar melting point as Sn-58Bi eutectic, this paper systematically investigated the properties of this solder from wettability, bulk tensile properties, interfacial microstructure in solder joints with a Cu substrate, interfacial evolution in joints during isothermal aging and the shear strength on ball solder joints with effect of aging conditions. The results were also compared with Sn-58Bi solder. The wettability of solder alloys was evaluated with wetting balance testing, and the quaternary Sn-38Bi-1.5Sb-0.7Ag solder had a better wettability than Sn-58Bi solder on the wetting time. Tensile tests on bulk solder alloys indicated that the quaternary Sn-38Bi-1.5Sb-0.7Ag solder had a higher tensile strength and similar elongation compared with Sn-58Bi solder due to the finely distributed SnSb and Ag3Sn intermetallics in the solder matrix. The tensile strength of solder decreased with a decrease in the strain rate and with an increase in temperature, while the elongation of solder was independent of the temperature and strain rate. When soldering with a Cu substrate, a thin Cu6Sn5 intermetallic compound (IMC) is produced at the interface in the solder joint. Measurement on IMC thickness showed that the quaternary Sn-38Bi-1.5Sb-0.7Ag had a lower IMC growth rate during the following isothermal aging. Ball shear test on solder joints illustrated that the quaternary Sn-38Bi-1.5Sb-0.7Ag solder joints had higher shear strength than Sn-58Bi solder joints. Compared with the serious deterioration on shear strength of Sn-58Bi joints from isothermal aging, the quaternary Sn-38Bi-1.5Sb-0.7Ag solder joints presented a superior high temperature stability. Therefore, the quaternary Sn-38Bi-1.5Sb-0.7Ag solder provides better performances and the possibility to replace Sn-58Bi solder to realize low temperature soldering.


2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 178-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ye Tian ◽  
Justin Chow ◽  
Xi Liu ◽  
Suresh K. Sitaraman

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the intermetallic compound (IMC) thickness, composition and morphology in 100-μm pitch and 200-μm pitch Sn–Ag–Cu (SAC305) flip-chip assemblies after bump reflow and assembly reflow. In particular, emphasis is placed on the effect of solder joint size on the interfacial IMCs between metal pads and solder matrix. Design/methodology/approach – This work uses 100-μm pitch and 200-μm pitch silicon flip chips with nickel (Ni) pads and stand-off height of approximately 45 and 90 μm, respectively, assembled on substrates with copper (Cu) pads. The IMCs evolution in solder joints was investigated during reflow by using 100- and 200-μm pitch flip-chip assemblies. Findings – After bump reflow, the joints size controls the IMC composition and dominant IMC type as well as IMC thickness and also influences the dominant IMC morphology. After assembly reflow, the cross-reaction of the pad metallurgies promotes the dominant IMC transformation and shape coarsened on the Ni pad interface for smaller joints and promotes a great number of new dominate IMC growth on the Ni pad interface in larger joints. On the Cu pad interface, many small voids formed in the IMC in larger joints, but were not observed in smaller joints, combined with the drawing of the IMC growth process. Originality/value – With continued advances in microelectronics, it is anticipated that next-generation microelectronic assemblies will require a reduction of the flip-chip solder bump pitch to 100 μm or less from the current industrial practice of 130 to150 μm. This work shows that as the packaging size reduced with the solder joint interconnection, the solder size becomes an important factor in the intermetallic composition as well as morphology and thickness after reflow.


2012 ◽  
Vol 626 ◽  
pp. 791-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Arif Anuar Mohd Salleh ◽  
Muhammad Hafiz Hazizi ◽  
Mohd Mustafa Al Bakri Abdullah ◽  
N.Z. Noriman ◽  
Ramani Mayapan ◽  
...  

Researches and studies on composite solder have been done by many researchers in an effort to develop viable lead-free solders which can replace the conventional lead-based solders as lead is considered as toxic. Solder materials developed by composite approach showed improvement in their properties and importantly it improved their service performance when compared with solder materials developed by other methods. This paper reviews the solder properties of various types of composite lead-free solder that were fabricated via powder metallurgy route. The fabrication processes of the composite solder material by using powder metallurgy route which involved mixing the powder homogeneously, compaction of the mixed powder and sintering the green body were discussed in detail. The types of reinforcements used in order to enhance its properties and the roles of the reinforcement used were also discussed in detail. Properties of a desirable composite solder and the effects of the reinforcement addition to the composite solder microstructure, changes in its wettability and improvement of its mechanical properties were later discussed in this paper. In conclusion, by reviewing various research advances in composite solder material, a solder material with high solder joint reliability at elevated temperature have yet to be found. Thus, a novel composite solder material with higher solder joint reliability at room and elevated temperature was proposed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guang Chen ◽  
Xinzhan Cui ◽  
Yaofeng Wu ◽  
Wei Li ◽  
Fengshun Wu

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of fullerene (FNS) reinforcements on the microstructure and mechanical properties of 96.5Sn3Ag0.5Cu (SAC305) lead-free solder joints under isothermal ageing and electrical-migration (EM) stressing. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, SAC305 solder alloy doped with 0.1 Wt.% FNS was prepared via the powder metallurgy method. A sandwich-like sample and a U-shaped sample were designed and prepared to conduct an isothermal ageing test and an EM test. The isothermal ageing test was implemented under vacuum atmosphere at 150°C, whereas the EM experiment was carried out with a current density of 1.5 × 104 A/cm2. The microstructural and mechanical evolutions of both plain and composite solder joints after thermal ageing and EM stressing were comparatively studied. Findings A growth of Ag3Sn intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in solder matrix and Cu-Sn interfacial IMCs in composite solder joints was notably suppressed under isothermal ageing condition, whereas the hardness and shear strength of composite solder joints significantly outperformed those of non-reinforced solder joints throughout the ageing period. The EM experimental results showed that for the SAC305 solder, the interfacial IMCs formulated a protrusion at the anode after 360 h of EM stressing, whereas the surface of the composite solder joint was relatively smooth. During the stressing period, the interfacial IMC on the anode side of the plain SAC305 solder showed a continuous increasing trend, whereas the IMC at the cathode presented a decreasing trend for its thickness as the stressing time increased; after 360 h of stressing, some cracks and voids had formed on the cathode side. For the SAC305/FNS composite solder, a continuous increase in the thickness of the interfacial IMC was found on both the anode and cathode sides; the growth rate of the interfacial IMC at the anode was higher than that at the cathode. The nanoindentation results showed that the hardness of the SAC305 solder joint presented a gradient distribution after EM stressing, whereas the hardness data showed a relatively homogeneous distribution in the SAC305/FNS solder joint. Originality/value The experimental results showed that the FNS reinforcement could effectively mitigate the failure risk in solder joints under isothermal ageing and high-current stressing. Specifically, the FNS particles in solder joints can work as a barrier to suppress the diffusion and migration of Sn and Cu atoms. In addition, the nanoidentation results also indicated that the addition of the FNS reinforcement was very helpful in maintaining the mechanical stability of the solder joint. These findings have provided a theoretical and experimental basis for the practical application of this novel composite solder with high-current densities.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chung-Yung Lin

Purpose This paper aims to derive a model of growth kinetics of the intermetallic compound (IMC) layer formed in the reaction between liquid Sn-based solders and Ni particle reinforcements and to compare with the experimental data to verify the effects of Sn concentration and alloying element. Design/methodology/approach A composite solder was manufactured by mechanically introducing Ni particle reinforcements into a solder matrix. The effect of the non-reactive alloying elements, Ag, Pb and Bi, on the growth kinetics of the IMC formed between liquid Sn-based eutectic solders and Ni particles, reacting this composite solder at 250°C–280°C was studied. Findings Experimental results showed that only the IMC Ni3Sn4 was present as a reaction product. Using the diffusion-controlled reaction mechanism, a kinetic equation quantifying both Sn concentration and alloying element effects was derived and verified by comparing the kinetic data obtained using four different solders with different concentrations of Sn and the alloying elements. Originality/value The similarity between the activation energies of these four solders confirms that the diffusion of Sn atoms through the IMC is the rate-controlling step. Besides, the kinetic values are independent of the geometry of Ni, whether spherical particle or flat substrate.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinmeng Zhai ◽  
Yue Chen ◽  
Yuefeng Li

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a new composite solder to improve the reliability of composite solder joints. Nano-particles modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Ni-MWCNTs) can indeed improve the microstructure of composite solder joints and improve the reliability of solder joints. Although many people have conducted in-depth research on the composite solder of Ni-MWCNTs. However, no one has studied the performance of Ni-MWCNTs composite solder under different aging conditions. In this article, Ni-MWCNTs was added to Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) solder, and the physical properties of composite solder, the microstructure and mechanical properties were evaluated. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the effect of different aging conditions on the intermetallic compound (IMC) layer growth and shear strength of Ni-modified MWCNTs reinforced SAC composite solder was studied. Compared with SAC307 solder alloy, the influence of Ni-MWCNTs with different contents (0, 0.1 and 0.2 Wt.%) on composite solder was examined. To study the aging characteristics of composite solder joints, the solder joints were aged at 80°C, 120°C and 150°C. Findings The experimental results show that the content of Ni-MWCNTs affects the morphology and growth of the IMC layer at the interface. The microhardness of the solder increases and the wetting angle decreases. After aging at moderate (120°C) and high temperature (150°C), the morphology of the Cu6Sn5 IMC layer changed from scallop to lamellar and the grain size became coarser. The following two different phase compositions were observed in the solder joints with Ni-MWCNTs reinforcement: Cu3Sn and (Cu, Ni)6Sn5. The fracture surface of the solder joints all appeared ductile dents, and the size of the pits increased significantly with the increase of the aging temperature. Through growth kinetic analysis, Ni-modified MWCNTs in composite solder joints can effectively inhibit the diffusion of atoms in solder joints. In short, when the addition amount of Ni-MWCNTs is 0.1 Wt.%, the solder joints exhibit the best wettability and the highest shear strength. Originality/value In this study, the effects of aging conditions on the growth and shear strength of the IMC layer of Ni modified MWCNTs reinforced SAC307 composite solder were studied. The effects of Ni MWCNTs with different contents (0, 0.1 and 0.2 Wt.%) on the composite solder were examined.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guang Chen ◽  
Yao-Feng Wu

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of titanium nitride (TiN) on microstructure and composition of 96.5Sn3Ag0.5Cu (SAC305) lead-free solder joints under a large temperature gradient. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, SAC305 lead-free composite solder containing 0.05 Wt.% TiN was prepared by powder metallurgy method. A temperature gradient generator was designed and the corresponding samples were also prepared. The microstructural evolution, internal structure and elemental content of SAC305 and SAC305/TiN solder joints before and after thermal loading were comparatively studied. Findings The experimental results show that the addition of the TiN reinforcing phase can effectively inhibit the diffusion and migration of copper atoms and, therefore, affect the distribution of newly formed Cu-Sn IMC in solder joints under the condition of thermal migration (TM). Compared with the SAC305 solder joint, the interconnection interface and internal structure of the composite solder joint after 600 h of TM are also relatively complete. Originality/value The TiN reinforcing phase is proven effective to mitigate the TM behavior in solder joints under thermal stressing. Specifically, based on the observation and analysis results of microstructure and internal structure of composite solder joint, the TiN particle can change the temperature gradient distribution of the solder joint, so as to suppress the diffusion and migration of Sn and Cu atoms. In addition, the results of Micro-CT and compositional analysis also indicate that the addition of TiN reinforcement is very helpful to maintain the structural integrity and the compositional stability of the solder joint. Different from other ceramic reinforcements, TiN has good thermo- and electro-conductivity and the thermal-electrical performance of composite solder will not be significantly affected by this reinforcement, which is also the main advantage of selecting TiN as the reinforcing phase to prepare composite solder. This study can not only provide preliminary experimental support for the preparation of high reliability lead-free composite solder but also provide a theoretical basis for the subsequent study (such as electro-thermo distribution in solder joints), which has important application significance.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 92-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaofang Ban ◽  
Fenglian Sun ◽  
Yang Liu ◽  
Shaonan Cong

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on the fabrication of SnAgCu (SAC) nanocomposites solder and study the effect of Cu nanopowders (nano-Cu) addition on the microstructure evolution of resultant nanocomposite solder after reflow and thermal aging. Design/methodology/approach Mechanical mixing is used in this work to incorporate nanoparticles into the solder and produce more homogeneous mixture. Standard metallographic procedures are applied for microstructural analysis of solder joints. Findings It is found that nano-Cu doped into Sn0.7Ag0.5Cu-BiNi solder has no appreciable influence on melting temperature of the composite solder. The addition of Cu nanoparticles refines the microstructure of bulk solder and suppresses the growth of interfacial intermetallic compound (IMC) layers. However, interfacial IMC grain size increases slightly after 1.0 per cent nano-Cu added. Originality/value The paper demonstrates a method of nano-composite solder paste preparation by means of mechanical mixing and a comparison study of the microstructure evolution of composite solder with the basic SAC solder.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 261-270
Author(s):  
Guang Chen ◽  
Jiqiang Li ◽  
Xinwen Kuang ◽  
Yaofeng Wu ◽  
Fengshun Wu

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of nickel-plated graphene (Ni-GNS) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of 96.5Sn3Ag0.5Cu (SAC305) lead-free solder joints before and after an electro-migration (EM) experiment. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, SAC305 solder alloy doped with 0.1 Wt.% Ni-GNS was prepared via the powder metallurgy method. A U-shaped sample structure was also designed and prepared to conduct an EM experiment. The EM experiment was carried out with a current density of 1.5 × 104 A/cm2. The microstructural and mechanical evolutions of both solder joints under EM stressing were comparatively studied using SEM and nanoindentation. Findings The experimental results showed that for the SAC305 solder, the interfacial intermetallic compounds (IMC) formulated a protrusion with an average height of 0.42 µm at the anode after 360 h of EM stressing; however, despite this, the surface of the composite solder joint was relatively smooth. During the stressing period, the interfacial IMC on the anode side of the plain SAC305 solder showed a continuous increasing trend, while the IMC at the cathode presented a decreasing trend for its thickness as the stressing time increased; after 360 h of stressing, some cracks and voids had formed on the cathode side. For the SAC305/ Ni-GNS composite solder, a continuous increase in the thickness of the interfacial IMC was found on both the anode and cathode side; the growth rate of the interfacial IMC at the anode was higher than that at the cathode. The nanoindentation results showed that the hardness of the SAC305 solder joint presented a gradient distribution after EM stressing, while the hardness data showed a relatively homogeneous distribution in the SAC305/ Ni-GNS solder joint. Originality/value The experimental results showed that the Ni-GNS reinforcement could effectively mitigate the EM behavior in solder joints under high current stressing. Specifically, the Ni particles that plated the graphene sheets can work as a fixing agent to suppress the diffusion and migration of Sn and Cu atoms by forming Sn-Cu-Ni IMC. In addition, the nanoidentation results also indicated that the addition of the Ni-GNS reinforcement was very helpful in maintaining the mechanical stability of the solder joint. These findings have provided a theoretical and experimental basis for the practical application of this novel composite solder with high current densities.


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