Effect of ultrasonic vibration on interfacial reaction of Ni/Sn/Ni soldered joint

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the effect of ultrasonic vibration (USV) on the evolution of intermetallic compounds (IMCs), grain morphology and shear strength of soldered Ni/Sn/Ni samples.

Design/methodology/approach

The Ni/Sn/Ni joints were obtained through ultrasonic-assisted soldering. The formation of IMCs, their composition, grain morphology and the fractured-surface microstructures from shear tests were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy.

Findings

Without USV, a planar interfacial Ni₃Sn₄ layer was formed at the Ni/Sn interface, and a few Ni₃Sn₄ grains were distributed in the soldered joint. The morphology of these grains was needle-shaped. With USV, several grooves were formed at the interfacial Ni₃Sn₄ layer due to ultrasonic cavitation. Some deepened grooves led to “neck” connections at the roots of the Ni₃Sn₄ grains, which accelerated the strong detachment of Ni₃Sn₄ from the substrate. In addition, two types of Ni₃Sn₄ grains, needle-shaped and granular-shaped, were observed at the interface. Furthermore, the shear strength increased with longer USV time, which was attributed to the thinning of the interfacial IMC layers and dispersion strengthening from the Ni₃Sn₄ particles distributed evenly in the joint.

Originality/value

The novelty of the paper is the detailed study of the effect of USV on the morphology, size changes of interfacial IMC and joint strength. This provides guidance for the application of ultrasonic-assisted soldering in electronics packaging.

Citation

Liu, Y., Yu, W., Sun, X. and Wang, F. (2020), "Effect of ultrasonic vibration on interfacial reaction of Ni/Sn/Ni soldered joint", Soldering & Surface Mount Technology, Vol. 32 No. 2, pp. 73-81. https://doi.org/10.1108/SSMT-05-2019-0018