Abstract
The mechanical and electrical properties of several Pb-free solder joints have been investigated including the interfacial reactions, namely, the thickness and morphology of the intermetallic layers, which are correlated with the shear strength of the solder joint as well as its electrical resistance. A model joint was made by joining two “L-shaped” copper coupons with three Pb-free solders, Sn-3.5Ag (SA), Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Cu (SAC), and Sn-3.5Ag-3Bi (SAB) (all in wt.%), and combined with two surface finishes, Cu and Ni(P)/Au. The thickness and morphology of the intermetallic compounds (IMCs) formed at the interface were affected by solder composition, solder volume, and surface finish. The mechanical and electrical properties of Pb-free solder joints were evaluated and correlated with their interfacial reactions. The microstructure of the solder joints was also investigated to understand the electrical and mechanical characteristics of the Pb-free solder joints.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
S.K. Kang and A. Sarkhel, J. Electron. Mater. 23, 701 (1994).
P.T. Vianco and C. May, Proc. Surf. Mount Int. Conf. (Edina, MN: SMTA, 1995), pp. 481–494.
I.E. Anderson, Proc. NEPCON West’96 Conf. (Norwalk, CT: Reed Exh. Co., 1996), vol. 2, pp. 882–887.
Lead-Free Solder Project Final Report (Ann Arbor, MI: National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, 1997).
R. Ninomiya, K. Miyake, and J. Matsunaga, Proc. Inter-PACK’97 (New York, NY: ASME, 1997), p. 1329.
S.L. Choi, A.W. Gibson, J. McDougall, and T. Bieler, Design and Reliability of Solders and Solder Interconnections (Warrendale, PA: TMS, 1997), pp. 241–245.
K. Habu et al., Proc. 1997 7th IEEE Int. Symp. Elec. and Envir. (Piscataway, NJ: IEEE, 1999), pp. 21–24.
T.L. Ylikoki, H. Steen, and A. Forsten, IEEE Trans. Comp., Packag., Manuf. Technol. Part C 20, 194 (1997).
K. Seelig and D. Suraski, Proc. 50th Elec. Comp. Technol. Conf. p. 1405 (Piscataway, NJ: IEEE, 2000).
K.G. Snowdon, G.G. Tanner, and J.R. Thompson, Proc. 50th Elec. Comp. Technol. Conf. (2000), p. 1416.
A. Mawer, T. Koschmieder, and D. Hodges, Packaging Assembly Symposium: New Millennium Electronics—Manufacturing Challenges (Binghamton, NY: IEEC, SUNY, 2000).
J. Bartelo et al. (Paper presented at Proc. APEX2001, San Diego, CA, 14–18 January 2001).
S.K. Kang, JOM 53 (6), 16 (2001).
S.K. Kang, H. Mavoori, S. Chada, C. Kao, and R. Smith, J. Electron. Mater. 30, 1049 (2001).
R.J. Klein Wassink, Soldering in Electronics (Ayr, Scotland: Electrochemical Pub. Ltd., 1989).
J.H. Lau, ed., Solder Joint Reliability (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1991).
H.H. Manko, Solders and Soldering (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992).
S.K. Kang, R.S. Rai, and S. Purushothaman, J. Electron. Mater. 25, 1113 (1996).
S.K. Kang et al., Proc. 49th Elec. Comp. Technol. Conf. (Piscataway, NJ: IEEE, 1999), pp. 283–288.
S.K. Kang et al., Proc. 51st Elec. Comp. Technol. Conf. (Piscataway, NJ: IEEE, 2001), pp. 448–454.
J.W. Jang, D.R. Frear, T.Y. Lee, and K.N. Tu, J. Appl. Phys. 88, 6359 (2000).
J. Foley, A. Gickler, F. Leprevost, and D. Brown, J. Electron. Mater. 29, 1258 (2000).
B. Cook, I. Anderson, J. Harringa, R. Terpstra, J. Foley, O. Ünal, and F. Laabs, J. Electron. Mater. 30, 1214 (2001).
R.J. Fields, S.R. Low, and G.K. Lucey, Jr., The Metal Science of Joining (Warrendale, PA: TMS, 1992), pp. 165–173.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kang, S.K., Choi, W.K., Yim, M.J. et al. Studies of the mechanical and electrical properties of lead-free solder joints. J. Electron. Mater. 31, 1292–1303 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-002-0023-9
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-002-0023-9