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Selective etching and hardness properties of quenched SAC305 solder joints

Muhamad Zamri Yahaya (School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia)
Nor Azmira Salleh (School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia)
Soorathep Kheawhom (Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand)
Balazs Illes (Department of Electronics Technology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary)
Muhammad Firdaus Mohd Nazeri (School of Materials Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Arau, Malaysia)
Ahmad Azmin Mohamad (School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia)

Soldering & Surface Mount Technology

ISSN: 0954-0911

Article publication date: 4 May 2020

Issue publication date: 23 August 2020

2229

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the morphology of intermetallic (IMC) compounds and the mechanical properties of SAC305 solder alloy under different cooling conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

SAC305 solder joints were prepared under different cooling conditions/rates. The performance of three different etching methods was investigated: simple chemical etching, deep etching based on the Jackson method and selective removal of β-Sn by a standard three-electrode cell method. Phase and structural analyses were conducted by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The morphology of etched solder was examined by a field emission scanning electron microscope. The hardness evaluations of the solder joints were conducted by a Vickers microhardness tester.

Findings

The Ag3Sn network was significantly refined by the ice-quenching process. Further, the thickness of the Cu6Sn5 layer decreased with an increase in the cooling rate. The finer Ag3Sn network and the thinner Cu6Sn5 IMC layer were the results of the reduced solidification time. The ice-quenched solder joints showed the highest hardness values because of the refinement of the Ag3Sn and Cu6Sn5 phases.

Originality/value

The reduction in the XRD peak intensities showed the influence of the cooling condition on the formation of the different phases. The micrographs prepared by electrochemical etching revealed better observations regarding the shape and texture of the IMC phases than those prepared by the conventional etching method. The lower grain orientation sensitivity of the electrochemical etching method (unlike chemical etching) significantly improved the micrographs and enabled accurate observation of IMC phases.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Muhamad Zamri Yahaya, Nor Azmira Salleh and Ahmad Azmin Mohamad appreciate the financial support provided by the FRGS grant 203.PBahan.6071377 (Ref: FRGS/1/2017/TK05/USM/02/2). Balázs Illés thanks the financial support provided by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office - NKFIH, FK 127970.

Citation

Yahaya, M.Z., Salleh, N.A., Kheawhom, S., Illes, B., Mohd Nazeri, M.F. and Mohamad, A.A. (2020), "Selective etching and hardness properties of quenched SAC305 solder joints", Soldering & Surface Mount Technology, Vol. 32 No. 4, pp. 225-233. https://doi.org/10.1108/SSMT-01-2020-0001

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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