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Investigation of the thermal properties, microstructure, and mechanical properties of Sn-3Ag-3Sb-xIn lead-free solder alloys

Jiacheng Zhou (Metal Powder Materials Industrial Technology Research Institute of China GRINM, Beijing, China; Beijing COMPO Advanced Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing, China and General Research Institute for Non-Ferrous Metals, Beijing, China)
Jinglin Shi (Beijing COMPO Advanced Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing, China)
Dongfan Yin (Beijing COMPO Advanced Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing, China)
Lei Xu (Beijing COMPO Advanced Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing, China)
Fuwen Zhang (Beijing COMPO Advanced Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing, China)
Zhigang Wang (Beijing COMPO Advanced Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing, China)
Qiang Hu (Metal Powder Materials Industrial Technology Research Institute of China GRINM, Beijing, China and GRIPM Advanced Materials Co., Ltd, Beijing, China)
Huijun He (Metal Powder Materials Industrial Technology Research Institute of China GRINM, Beijing, China and GRIPM Advanced Materials Co., Ltd, Beijing, China)

Soldering & Surface Mount Technology

ISSN: 0954-0911

Article publication date: 24 December 2024

21

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the impact of indium (In) content on the thermal properties, microstructure and mechanical properties of Sn-3Ag-3Sb-xIn (x = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Wt.%) solders to enhance the performance of tin-based solder under demanding conditions and to meet the urgent need for high-reliability microelectronic interconnection materials in emerging sectors such as automotive intelligent technology, 5G communication technology and high-performance computing.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, Sn-3Ag-3Sb-xIn solder alloys were prepared. The thermal properties of the solder alloys were characterised by differential scanning calorimetry. Subsequently, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and an electron probe X-ray microanalyser were used to analyse the influence of the In content on the microstructure of the solder. The mechanical properties of solder alloys were determined through tensile testing.

Findings

As the In content increased, the melting temperature of the Sn-3Ag-3Sb-xIn solder decreased, accompanied by less nucleation undercooling and an expanded melting range. The incorporation of In led to an enhancement in the yield and tensile strengths of the Sn-3Ag-3Sb-xIn solder alloys, but with a concomitant decrease in plasticity. In comparison to commercial Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu solder alloys, the yield strength and tensile strength of the Sn-3Ag-3Sb-3In alloy increased by 8.64 and 21.69 MPa, respectively, while the elongation decreased by 11.48%.

Originality/value

Sn-3Ag-3Sb-3In solder alloy was the most appropriate and expected comprehensive properties. The enhancements will provide substantial assistance and precise data references for the interconnection requirements in high-strength interconnection fields, such as automotive intelligent technology, 5G communication technology and high-performance computing.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (TS150003024003).

Citation

Zhou, J., Shi, J., Yin, D., Xu, L., Zhang, F., Wang, Z., Hu, Q. and He, H. (2024), "Investigation of the thermal properties, microstructure, and mechanical properties of Sn-3Ag-3Sb-xIn lead-free solder alloys", Soldering & Surface Mount Technology, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/SSMT-11-2024-0068

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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