Interfacial Morphology Studies of Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Cu Alloy on Different Substrates

2013 ◽  
Vol 686 ◽  
pp. 201-210
Author(s):  
Yee Kai Tian ◽  
Mee Chu Wong
Keyword(s):  
Solder Joints ◽  
Temperature Cycling ◽  
Lead Free ◽  
Portable Devices ◽  
Interfacial Layers ◽  
Interfacial Morphology ◽  
Common Substrate ◽  
Sem Imaging ◽  
Lead Free Solders ◽  
Technology Trend

Since the ban of lead containing solders, eutectic SAC solders has been claimed to posses better properties compared to other series of lead free solders. As the technology trend for portable devices change over time, solder joints are continuously miniaturized. The VLSI in modern devices will subject the solder joints to repeated temperature cycling during both assembling and use due to higher I/O. These lead free solders are prone to excessive intermetallic compound (IMC) growth at the interface between the solder and the substrate due to the reasons cited earlier. The most common substrate used in electronic packaging is Cu while Au or its alloys are often used as metallization layer. In this study PCBs coated with both Cu and Au to study the interfacial morphology of Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Cu (SAC387) alloy with these metals. SEM imaging and EDX analysis were used to observe the interfacial layers and to confirm formation of IMCs. IMCs formed between Au-solder are more blocky-like compared to those formed between Cu-solder. Thus further studies must be conducted to resolve this issue as Au is a commonly used metallization materials.

Effect of Aging on the Properties of Intermetallic Layers in SAC+Bi Solder Joints

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ashraful Haq ◽  
Mohd Aminul Hoque ◽  
Jeffrey C. Suhling ◽  
Pradeep Lall
Keyword(s):  
Solder Joints ◽  
Lead Free ◽  
Lead Free Solder ◽  
Aging Condition ◽  
Sac305 Solder ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Free Solder ◽  
Lead Free Solders ◽  
Overall Reliability ◽  
Intermetallic Layers

Abstract A major problem faced by electronic packaging industries is the poor reliability of lead free solder joints. One of the most common methods utilized to tackle this problem is by doping the alloy with other elements, especially bismuth. Researches have shown Bismuth doped solder joints to mostly fail near the Intermetallic (IMC) layer rather than the bulk of the solder joint as commonly observed in traditional SAC305 solder joints. An understanding of the properties of this IMC layer would thus provide better solutions on improving the reliability of bismuth doped solder joints. In this study, the authors have used three different lead free solders doped with 1%, 2% and 3% bismuth. Joints of these alloys were created on copper substrates. The joints were then polished to clearly expose the IMC layers. These joints were then aged at 125 °C for 0, 1, 2, 5 and 10 days. For each aging condition, the elastic modulus and the hardness of the IMC layers were evaluated using a nanoindenter. The IMC layer thickness and the chemical composition of the IMC layers were also determined for each alloy at every aging condition using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and EDS. The results from this study will give a better idea on how the percentage of bismuth content in lead free solder affects the IMC layer properties and the overall reliability of the solder joints.

Nanoindentation Characterization of Lead-free Solders and Intermetallic Compounds under Thermal Aging

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 (1) ◽  
pp. 000314-000318
Author(s):  
Tong Jiang ◽  
Fubin Song ◽  
Chaoran Yang ◽  
S. W. Ricky Lee
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Thermal Aging ◽  
Solder Joints ◽  
Lead Free ◽  
Small Range ◽  
Lead Free Solder ◽  
Solder Alloys ◽  
Aging Test ◽  
Free Solder ◽  
Lead Free Solders

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.

Strain Rate Effects and Rate-Dependent Constitutive Models of Lead-Based and Lead-Free Solders

2009 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Qin ◽  
Tong An ◽  
Na Chen
Keyword(s):  
Strain Rate ◽  
Impact Analysis ◽  
Solder Joints ◽  
High Strain ◽  
Drop Impact ◽  
Lead Free ◽  
Strain Rates ◽  
High Strain Rates ◽  
Rate Dependent ◽  
Lead Free Solders

As traditional lead-based solders are banned and replaced by lead-free solders, the drop impact reliability is becoming increasingly crucial because there is little understanding of mechanical behaviors of these lead-free solders at high strain rates. In this paper, mechanical properties of one lead-based solder, Sn37Pb, and two lead-free solders, Sn3.5Ag and Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu, were investigated at strain rates that ranged from 600 s−1 to 2200 s−1 by the split Hopkinson pressure and tensile bar technique. At high strain rates, tensile strengths of lead-free solders are about 1.5 times greater than that of the Sn37Pb solder, and also their ductility are significantly greater than that of the Sn37Pb. Based on the experimental data, strain rate dependent Johnson–Cook models for the three solders were derived and employed to predict behaviors of solder joints in a board level electronic package subjected to standard drop impact load. Results indicate that for the drop impact analysis of lead-free solder joints, the strain rate effect must be considered and rate-dependent material models of lead-free solders are indispensable.

Evolution of Lead Free Solder Material Behavior Under Elevated Temperature Aging

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongtao Ma ◽  
Jeffrey C. Suhling ◽  
Yifei Zhang ◽  
Pradeep Lall ◽  
Michael J. Bozack
Keyword(s):  
Elevated Temperature ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Solder Joints ◽  
Material Behavior ◽  
Lead Free ◽  
Lead Free Solder ◽  
Room Temperature Aging ◽  
Free Solder ◽  
Lead Free Solders ◽  
Temperature Aging

The microstructure, mechanical response, and failure behavior of lead free solder joints in electronic assemblies are constantly evolving when exposed to isothermal aging and/or thermal cycling environments. In our prior work on aging effects (Ma, et al., ECTC 2006), we demonstrated that the observed material behavior variations of SAC405 and SAC305 lead free solders during room temperature aging (25 °C) were unexpectedly large and universally detrimental to reliability. Such effects for lead free solder materials are much more dramatic at the higher aging temperatures (e.g. 100–150 °C) typical of the harsh environments present in high performance computing and in automotive, aerospace, and defense applications. However, there has been little work in the literature, and the work that has been done has concentrated on the degradation of solder ball shear strength (e.g. Dage Shear Tester). Current finite element models for solder joint reliability during thermal cycling accelerated life testing are based on traditional solder constitutive and failure models that do not evolve with material aging. Thus, there will be significant errors in the calculations with the new lead free SAC alloys that illustrate dramatic aging phenomena. In the current work, we have explored the effects of elevated temperature isothermal aging on the mechanical behavior and reliability of lead free solders. The effects of aging on mechanical behavior have been examined by performing stress-strain and creep tests on SAC405 and SAC305 samples that were aged for various durations (0–6 months) at several elevated temperatures (80, 100, 125, and 150 °C). Analogous tests were performed with 63Sn-37Pb eutectic solder samples for comparison purposes. Variations of the temperature dependent mechanical properties (elastic modulus, yield stress, ultimate strength, creep compliance, etc.) were observed and modeled as a function of aging time and temperature. In this paper, we have concentrated our efforts on presenting the results for samples aged at 125 °C. In addition, the new elevated temperature aging data were correlated with our room temperature results from last year’s investigation. The results obtained in this work have demonstrated the significant effects of elevated temperature exposure on solder joints. As expected, the mechanical properties evolved at a higher rate and experienced larger changes during elevated temperature aging (compared to room temperature aging). After approximately 200 hours of aging, the lead free solder joint material properties were observed to degrade at a nearly constant rate. We have developed a mathematical model to predict the variation of the properties with aging time and aging temperature. Our data for the evolution of the creep response of solders with elevated temperature aging show that the creep behavior of lead free and tin-lead solders experience a “crossover point” where lead free solders begin to creep at higher rates than standard 63Sn-37Pb solder for the same stress level. Such an effect is not observed for solder joints aged at room temperature, where SAC alloys always creep at lower rates than Sn-Pb solder.

Failure Analysis of Lead-Free Solder Joints of an 1657CCGA (Ceramic Column Grid Array) Package

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 112-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Lau ◽  
Todd Castello ◽  
Dongkai Shangguan ◽  
Walter Dauksher ◽  
Joe Smetana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Failure Analysis ◽  
Surface Finish ◽  
Failure Modes ◽  
Solder Joints ◽  
Temperature Cycling ◽  
Lead Free ◽  
Lead Free Solder ◽  
Organic Solderability Preservative ◽  
Solder Pastes ◽  
Free Solder

In this study, failure analysis of the 1657CCGA package with 95.5wt%Sn3.9wt%Ag0.6wt%Cu and 63wt%Sn37wt%Pb solder pastes on lead-free PCBs with the Entek OSP (organic solderability preservative) surface finish is investigated. Emphasis is placed on determining the failure locations and failure modes of the solder joints of the 1657CCGA assemblies after they have been through 7,000 cycles of temperature cycling.

A Review of Recent Research on the Mechanical Behavior of Lead-Free Solders

2017 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yao Yao ◽  
Xu Long ◽  
Leon M. Keer
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Behavior ◽  
Solder Joints ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Lead Free ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Time To Failure ◽  
Current Crowding ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Lead Free Solders

Due to the restriction of lead-rich solder and the miniaturization of electronic packaging devices, lead-free solders have replaced lead-rich solders in the past decades; however, it also brings new technical problems. Reliability, fatigue, and drop resistance are of concern in the electronic industry. The paper provides a comprehensive survey of recent research on the methodologies to describe the mechanical behavior of lead-free solders. In order to understand the fundamental mechanical behavior of lead-free solders, the visco-plastic characteristics should be considered in the constitutive modeling. Under mechanical and thermal cycling, fatigue is related to the time to failure and can be predicted based on the analysis to strain, hysteresis energy, and damage accumulation. For electronic devices with potential drop impacts, drop resistance plays an essential role to assess the mechanical reliability of solder joints through experimental studies, establishing the rate-dependent material properties and proposing advanced numerical techniques to model the interconnect failure. The failure mechanisms of solder joints are complicated under coupled electrical-thermal-mechanical loadings, the increased current density can lead to electromigration around the current crowding zone. The induced void initiation and propagation have been investigated based on theoretical approaches to reveal the effects on the mechanical properties of solder joints. To elucidate the dominant mechanisms, the effects of current stressing and elevated temperature on mechanical behavior of lead-free solder have been reviewed. Potential directions for future research have been discussed.

Formation and Mechanical Properties of Intermetallic Compounds in Sn-Cu High-Temperature Lead-Free Solder Joints

2010 ◽  
Vol 654-656 ◽  
pp. 2450-2454 ◽  
Author(s):  
De Kui Mu ◽  
Hideaki Tsukamoto ◽  
Han Huang ◽  
Kazuhiro Nogita
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Intermetallic Compounds ◽  
Solder Joints ◽  
Nickel Content ◽  
Lead Free ◽  
Lead Free Solder ◽  
Nickel Addition ◽  
Free Solder ◽  
Lead Free Solders

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.

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