scholarly journals Study on Creep Damage in Sn60Pb40 and Sn3.8Ag0.7Cu (Lead-Free) Solders in c-Si Solar PV Cell Interconnections under In-Situ Thermal Cycling in Ghana

Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 441
Author(s):  
Frank Kwabena Afriyie Nyarko ◽  
Gabriel Takyi ◽  
Francis Boafo Effah
Keyword(s):  
Energy Density ◽  
Creep Strain ◽  
Thermal Cycle ◽  
Creep Damage ◽  
Temperature Cycle ◽  
Solder Interconnection ◽  
Snpb Solder ◽  
Pv Modules ◽  
Free Solder ◽  
Density Methods

A numerical study on the creep damage in soldered interconnects in c-Si solar photovoltaic cells has been conducted using equivalent creep strain, accumulated creep strain and accumulated creep energy density methods. The study used data from outdoor weathering of photovoltaic (PV) modules over a three-year period (2012–2014) to produce temperature cycle profiles that served as thermal loads and boundary conditions for the investigation of the soldered interconnects’ thermo-mechanical response when exposed to real-world conditions. A test region average (TRA) temperature cycle determined in a previous study for the 2012–2014 data was also used. The appropriate constitutive models of constituent materials forming a typical solar cell were utilized to generate accurate material responses to evaluate the damage from the thermal cycles. This study modeled two forms of soldered interconnections: Sn60Pb40 (SnPb) and Sn3.8Ag0.7Cu (Pb-free). The results of the damage analysis of the interconnections generated from the thermal cycle loads using accumulated creep strain method showed that the Pb-free solder interconnection recorded greater damage than that of the SnPb-solder interconnection for the TRA, 2012, 2013 and 2014 temperature cycles. The percentage changes from SnPb to Pb-free were 57.96%, 43.61%, 44.87% and 45.43%, respectively. This shows significant damage to the Pb-free solder under the TRA conditions. Results from the accumulated creep energy density (ACED) method showed a percentage change of 71.4% (from 1.3573 × 105 J/mm3 to 2.3275 × 105 J/mm3) in accumulated creep energy density by replacing SnPb-solder with Pb-free solder interconnection during the TRA thermal cycle. At the KNUST test site in Kumasi, Ghana, the findings show that Sn60Pb40 solder interconnections are likely to be more reliable than Pb-free solder interconnections. The systematic technique employed in this study would be useful to the thermo-mechanical reliability research community. The study also provides useful information to PV design and manufacturing engineers for the design of robust PV modules.

Life prediction in c-Si solar cell interconnections under in-situ thermal cycling in Kumasi in Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Kwabena Afriyie Nyarko ◽  
G. Takyi
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Cycle ◽  
Life Prediction ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Temperature Cycle ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Solder Interconnection ◽  
Test Region ◽  
Pv Modules ◽  
Free Solder ◽  
Sn60pb40 Solder

Purpose A numerical study on the reliability of soldered interconnects of c-Si solar photovoltaic cells has been conducted. Design/methodology/approach A three-year data (2012–2014) from outdoor weathering of PV modules was used to generate temperature cycle profiles to serve as thermal loads and boundary conditions for the investigation of the thermo-mechanical response of the soldered interconnects when subjected to real outdoor conditions using finite element analysis (FEA) Software (Ansys. 18.2). Two types of soldered interconnections, namely, Sn60Pb40 and Sn3.8Ag0.7Cu (Pb-free), were modelled in this study. Findings Life prediction results from accumulated creep energy density damage show that the solder interconnects will achieve maximum life under the 2014 thermal cycle loading. In particular, the Sn60Pb40 solder interconnection is expected to achieve 14,153 cycles (25.85 years) whilst the Pb-free solder interconnection is expected to achieve 9,249 cycles (16.89 years). Additionally, under the test region average (TRA) thermal cycle, the Pb-free and Pb-Sn solder interconnections are expected to achieve 7,944 cycles (13.69 years) and 12,814 cycles (23.4 years), respectively. The study shows that Sn60Pb40 solder interconnections are likely to exhibit superior reliability over the Pb-free solder interconnections at the test site. Practical implications This study would be useful to electronics manufacturing industry in the search for a suitable alternative to SnPb solders and also the thermo-mechanical reliability research community and manufacturers in the design of robust PV modules. Originality/value The study has provided TRA data/results which could be used to represent the test region instead of a particular year. The study also indicates that more than six thermal cycles are required before any meaningful conclusions can be drawn. Finally, the life of the two types of solders (SnPb and Pb-free) as interconnecting materials for c-Si PV have been predicted for the test region (Kumasi in sub-Saharan Africa).

Study of the Thermomechanical Inelastic Energy Response of Backward Compatible Solder Joints Made With Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Cu versus Reballed Sn37.0Pb Components

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine M. Renta ◽  
Ricky Valentin ◽  
Pedro Quintero ◽  
David Ma ◽  
Alan Hovland
Keyword(s):  
Energy Density ◽  
Solder Alloy ◽  
Bulk Solder ◽  
Thermal Cycles ◽  
Ball Grid Arrays ◽  
Physical Mechanisms ◽  
Snpb Solder ◽  
Solder Balls ◽  
Free Solder ◽  
Life Predictions

Conflicting results in reliability tests for backward compatible and Pb-free soldered assemblies has motivated RoHS-exempted industries to practice reballing. Reballing is the name given to the process of removing Pb-free solder balls from the copper (Cu) pads of the Ball Grid Array (BGA) components received through the supply chain and replacing them with SnPb solder balls. Recent studies on the subject of reballing have shown the possibility that the removed Pb-free solder ball leaves behind some intermetallic remnants of the Pb-free solder alloy and the Cu from the pads. A modeling approach based on physics of failure (PoF) is presented that quantifies the interactions between different thermal cycles applied to reballed Ball Grid Arrays (BGA) with remnants of the Pb-free solder alloy on the Cu pads. These resulting interactions are compared to backward compatible Sn-3.8 Ag-0.7Cu (SAC) balls soldered with eutectic SnPb paste for the same thermal cycles. For the latter, the risk of having improper mixing during the assembly process is also studied. The approach is formulated at the microscale, incorporating physical mechanisms of the intermetallics created with Cu, and at the macroscale, capturing the creep phenomenon of the bulk solder as dominant failure driver. Simulation results show that the reballed cases have higher inelastic energy density per cycle averaged over damage volume near the copper pads and that the inelastic energy density is higher across the bulk of the improperly mixed backward compatible solder balls when compared to properly mixed backward compatible solder balls. The results of this study permit extrapolation of laboratory results to field life predictions and to explore the design of accelerated re-balled or backward compatible BGA tests that relate better to application-specific usage environments.

Thermal Cycling Reliability of Alternative Low-Silver Tin-Based Solders

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 137-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elviz George ◽  
Michael Osterman ◽  
Michael Pecht ◽  
Richard Coyle ◽  
Richard Parker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Silver Content ◽  
Temperature Cycling ◽  
Temperature Cycle ◽  
Sac305 Solder ◽  
Test Assembly ◽  
Snpb Solder ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
Free Solder ◽  
Electronic Assemblies ◽  
Cycles To Failure

Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu (SAC305) alloy is the most widely used solder in electronic assemblies. However, issues associated with cost and drop/shock durability have resulted in a search for alternative lead-free solder alloys. One approach to improve the drop/shock reliability has been to reduce the silver content in Sn-Ag-Cu alloys. Another approach is doping Sn-Ag-Cu solder with additional elements. In 2008, the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) started the “Characterization of Pb-Free Alloy Alternatives” project to provide a comprehensive study of 15 tin-based solder interconnect compositions benchmarked against the eutectic tin-lead solder. For this study, temperature cycle durability was the primary focus and solders were selected to study the effect of varying silver content, microalloy additions, and aging. This paper reports the findings from one of the test conditions conducted under the iNEMI project. The cycles to failure for a temperature cycling test condition from −15°C to 125°C, with dwell times of 60 min at both extremes, are presented. The test assembly consisted of 16 of the 192 I/O BGAs and 16 of the 84 I/O BGAs soldered onto an LG451HR laminate. Test results revealed that the reduction of silver resulted in a reduction in cycles to failure. In all cases, the 15 tin-based solders were more durable than the eutectic SnPb solder. Aging at 125°C for 10 d did not affect the cycles to failure in SAC105 solder; however, the cycles to failure decreased with aging in SAC305 solder. In addition, aging resulted in a wider distribution of cycles to failure in 192 I/O BGAs. Failure analysis was carried out on all solder materials to identify the failure site and failure mode.

scholarly journals Crystalline Silicon (c-Si) Solar Cell Interconnect Damage Prediction Function Based on Effect of Temperature Ramps and Dwells on Creep Damage under Field Thermal Cycling

Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 633
Author(s):  
Frank Kwabena Afriyie Nyarko ◽  
Gabriel Takyi ◽  
Anthony Agyei Agyemang ◽  
Charles Kofi Kafui Sekyere
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cell ◽  
Energy Density ◽  
Thermal Cycle ◽  
Crystalline Silicon ◽  
Creep Damage ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Lead Free ◽  
Thermal Cycles ◽  
Damage Functions ◽  
Si Solar Cell

c-Si solar cell interconnection damages from thermal cycles emanate from cumulative damage contributions from the various load steps in a typical thermal cycle. In general, a typical thermal cycle involves five thermal load steps, namely: 1st cold dwell, ramp-up, hot dwell, ramp-down, and 2nd cold dwell. To predict the contributions of each of these load steps to creep damage in soldered interconnections, each of the respective load steps needs to be profiled to accurately fit a function capable of predicting the damage contributions from a given number of thermal cycles. In this study, a field thermal cycle profile generated from in situ thermal cyclings at a test site in Kumasi, a hot humid region of sub-Saharan Africa, is used to predict damage in solar cell interconnections from accumulated creep energy density using finite element analysis (FEA). The damage was assessed for two different solder formulations, namely: Pb60Sn40 and Sn3.8Ag0.7Cu (lead-free). The results from the FEA simulations show that the cooling (ramp-down) load steps accounted for the highest accumulated creep energy density (ACED) damage in solder interconnections. The ramp-up load steps followed this closely. The cumulative contributions of the two load steps accounted for 78% and 88% of the total damage per cycle in the Pb60Sn40 and Sn3.8Ag0.7Cu solder interconnections, respectively. Furthermore, a study of the damage profiles from each of the five load steps revealed that each of the damage functions from the various load steps is a step function involving the first two thermal cycles, on one hand, and the remaining 10 thermal cycles on the other hand. The damage from the first two thermal cycles can be predicted from a logarithmic function, whereas the damage from the remaining 10 thermal cycles is predicted using six-order polynomial functions. The ACED results computed from the damage functions are in close agreement with the results from the FEA simulation. The functions generated provide useful relations for the prediction of the life (number of cycles to failure) of solder interconnections in solar cells. The systematic approach used in this study can be repeated for other test sites to generate damage functions for the prediction of the life of c-Si PV cells with SnPb and lead-free solder interconnections.

Analysis of the Interfacial Reaction Between Sn-3.5Ag and Electroplating Interlayers

2005 ◽  
Vol 863 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.M. Yang ◽  
Y.Y. Chang ◽  
Weite Wu
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Barrier ◽  
Interfacial Microstructure ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Soldering Process ◽  
Free Process ◽  
Snpb Solder ◽  
Microstructure Examination ◽  
Free Solder ◽  
Electroplating Process ◽  
Morphology Characterization

AbstractAt present, Pb-free process is imperative in the electronic packaging industry. Many reports focus on Pb-free solder to improve the solderability, it seems not obtain wettability as good as SnPb solder. In this study, an alloy interlayer with different content was deposited on Cu to balance wettability and diffusion barrier in the interface of joint by electroplating process. There are three types of interlayers including Cu, Ni, and SnNi alloy. The interlayer may react with Sn-3.5Ag solder during reflow process. Sn-Ni alloy plating layer is selected to improve wettability and provide diffusion barrier at the same time in soldering process. For interfacial microstructure examination, morphology characterization can be obtained by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX). The structure of IMC is identified by x-ray diffraction (XRD).

Thermal Fatigue Prediction for Leadless Solder Joint of TFBGA

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Lung Chang ◽  
Tzu-Jen Lin ◽  
Chih-Hao Lai
Keyword(s):  
Energy Density ◽  
Solder Joint ◽  
Creep Strain ◽  
Thermal Fatigue ◽  
Strain Energy Density ◽  
Strain Energy ◽  
Creep Property ◽  
Inelastic Strain ◽  
Temperature Cycling ◽  
Element Analysis

Nonlinear finite element analysis was performed to predict the thermal fatigue for leadless solder joint of TFBGA Package under accelerated TCT (Temperature Cycling Test). The solder joint was subjected to the inelastic strain that was generated during TCT due to the thermal expansion mismatch between the package and PCB. The solder was modeled with elastic-plastic-creep property to simulate the inelastic deformation under TCT. The creep strain rate of solder was described by double power law. The furthest solder away from the package center induced the highest strain during TCT was considered as the critical solder ball to be most likely damaged. The effects of solder meshing on the damage parameters of inelastic strain range, accumulated creep strain and creep strain energy density were compared to assure the accuracy of the simulation. The life prediction equation based on the accumulated creep strain and creep strain energy density proposed by Syed was used to predict the thermal fatigue life in this study. The agreement between the prediction life and experimental mean life is within 25 per cent. The effect of die thickness and material properties of substrate on the life of solder was also discussed.

A Metallographic Technique for High Temperature Creep Damage Assessment in Single Crystal Alloys

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Henderson ◽  
Jacek Komenda
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Single Crystal ◽  
Creep Strain ◽  
Creep Deformation ◽  
Damage Assessment ◽  
Creep Damage ◽  
High Temperature Creep ◽  
Gamma Prime ◽  
Aspect Ratios ◽  
Metallographic Technique

The use of single crystal (SX) nickel-base superalloys will increase in the future with the introduction of SX blades into large gas turbines for base-load electricity production. Prolonged periods of use at high temperatures may cause creep deformation and the assessment of damage can give large financial savings. A number of techniques can be applied for life assessment, e.g. calculations based on operational data, non-destructive testing or material interrogation, but because of the uncertainties involved the techniques are often used in combination. This paper describes a material interrogation (metallographic) technique for creep strain assessment in SX alloys. Creep tests have been performed at 950°C on the SX alloy CMSX-4 and quantitative microstructural studies performed on specimens interrupted at various levels of strain. It was found that the strengthening γ′-particles, initially cuboidal in shape, coalesced to form large plates or rafts normal to the applied stress. The γ-matrix phase also formed plates. CMSX-4 contains ∼ 70 vol % γ′-particles and after creep deformation the microstructure turned itself inside out, i.e. the gamma “matrix” became the isolated phase surrounded by the γ′-“particles”. This can cause problems for computerised image analysis, which in this case, were overcome with the choice of a suitable measurement parameter. The rafts reached their maximum length before 2% strain, but continued to thicken with increasing strain. Although of different dimensions, the aspect ratios (length/thickness ratio) of the gamma-prime rafts and the gamma plates were similar at similar levels of strain, increasing from ∼1 at zero strain to a maximum of ∼3 at about 1–2 % strain. Analysis of microstructural measurements from rafting studies on SX alloys presented in the literature showed that the aspect ratios of the γ- and γ′-phases were similar and that at a temperature of 950–1000°C a maximum length/thickness ratio of about 2.5–3.5 is reached at 1 to 2% creep strain. Measurement of gamma-prime raft or (or gamma plate) dimensions on longitudinal sections of blades is thus a suitable method for high temperature creep damage assessment of SX alloys. This gives a considerable advantage over conventional Ni-base superalloys whose microstructures are usually very stable with respect to increasing creep strain.

Creep Strength Evaluation of a New and a Used Grade 91 Welded Joints by Using a Miniature Specimen

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Ogata
Keyword(s):  
Weld Metal ◽  
Strain Rate ◽  
Creep Strain ◽  
Base Metal ◽  
Welded Joints ◽  
Welded Joint ◽  
Creep Damage ◽  
Creep Strain Rate ◽  
Standard Size ◽  
Grade 91

Grade 91 is widely used for steam pipes and tubes in high temperature boilers of ultra-super critical power plants in Japan. It was reported that creep damage may initiate at the fine grain region within the heat affected zone (HAZ) in welded joints prior to the base metal, so called “Type IV” damage, which causes steam leakage in existing power plants. Therefore, development of creep damage assessment methods is not only an important but also an urgent subject to maintain operation reliability. In order to evaluate creep damage of welded joints based on finite element analyses, creep deformation properties of a base metal, a weld metal and a HAZ have to be obtained from creep tests. However, it is difficult to cut a standard size creep specimen from the HAZ region. Only a miniature size specimen is available from the narrow HAZ region. Therefore, development of creep testing and evaluation technique for miniature size specimens is highly expected. In this study, a miniature tensile type solid bar specimen with 1mm diameter was machined from a base metal, a weld metal and a HAZ of a new and a used Grade 91 welded joints, and creep tests of these miniature specimens were conducted by using a special developed creep testing machine. It was found that creep deformation property is almost identical between the base metal and weld metal, and creep strain rate of the HAZ is much faster than that of these metals in the new welded joint. Relationships between stress and creep strain rates of the base metal and the HAZ in the used welded joint are within scatter bands of those in the new material. On the other hand, creep strain rate of the weld metal in the used welded joint became much faster than that in the new one. Then both the standard size and the miniature size cross weld specimens were machined from the new and the used welded joints and were tested under the same temperature and stress conditions. Rupture time of the miniature cross weld specimen is much shorter than that of the standard size cross weld specimen. The finite element creep analysis of the specimens indicates that higher triaxiality stress yields within the HAZ of the standard size specimen than that of the miniature specimen causing faster creep strain rate in the HAZ of the miniature cross weld specimen.

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