Search results

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the reliability of board level Sn‐Ag‐Cu (SAC) solder joints in terms of both thermal cycling and drop impact loading conditions, and further modification of the characteristics of low Ag‐content SAC solder joints using minor alloying elements to withstand both thermal cycle and drop impact loads.

The thermal cycling and drop impact reliability of different Ag‐content SAC bulk solder will be discussed from the viewpoints of mechanical and micro‐structural properties.

The best SAC composition for drop performance is not necessarily the best composition for optimum thermal cycling reliability. The content level of silver in SAC solder alloys can be an advantage or a disadvantage depending on the application, package and reliability requirements. The low Ag‐content SAC alloys with different minor alloying elements such as Mn, Ce, Bi, Ni and Ti display good performance in terms of both thermal cycling and drop impact loading conditions.

The paper details the mechanical and micro‐structural properties requirements to design a robust bulk SAC solder joint. These properties provide design and manufacturing engineers with the necessary information when deciding on a solder alloy for their specific application.

This study aims to investigate the effect of incorporating cobalt (Co) into Sn-58Bi alloy on its phase composition, tensile properties, hardness and thermal aging performances. The fracture morphologies of tensile-tested solders are also investigated to correlate the microstructural changes with tensile properties of the solder alloys. Then, the thermal aging performances of the solder alloys are investigated in terms of their intermetallic compound (IMC) layer morphology and thickness.

The Sn-58Bi and Sn-58Bi-xCo, where x = 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 Wt.%, were prepared using the flux doping technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) is used to study the phase composition of the solder alloys, whereas scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) are used to investigate the microstructure, fractography and compositions of the solders. Tensile properties such as ultimate tensile strength (UTS), Young’s modulus and elongation are tested using the tensile test, whereas the microhardness value is gained from the micro-Vickers hardness test. The morphology and thickness of the IMC layer at the solder’s joints are investigated by varying the thermally aging duration up to 56 days at 80°C.

XRD analysis shows the presence of Co₃Sn₂ phase and confirms that Co was successfully incorporated via the flux doping technique. The microstructure of all Sn-58Bi-xCo solders did not differ significantly from Sn-58Bi solders. Sn-58Bi-2.0Co solder exhibited optimum properties among all compositions, with the highest UTS (87.89 ± 2.55 MPa) at 0.01 s⁻¹ strain rate and the lowest IMC layer thickness at the interface after being thermally aged for 56 days (3.84 ± 0.67 µm).

The originality and value of this research lie in its novel exploration of the flux doping technique to introduce minor alloying of Co into Sn-58Bi solder alloys, providing new insights into enhancing the properties and performance of these solders. This new Sn-Bi-Co alloy has the potential to replace lead-containing solder alloy in low-temperature soldering.

The research on lead-free solder alloys has increased in past decades due to awareness of the environmental impact of lead contents in soldering alloys. This has led to the introduction and development of different grades of lead-free solder alloys in the global market. Tin-silver-copper is a lead-free alloy which has been acknowledged by different consortia as a good alternative to conventional tin-lead alloy. The purpose of this paper is to provide comprehensive knowledge about the tin-silver-copper series.

The approach of this study reviews the microstructure and some other properties of tin-silver-copper series after the addition of indium, titanium, iron, zinc, zirconium, bismuth, nickel, antimony, gallium, aluminium, cerium, lanthanum, yttrium, erbium, praseodymium, neodymium, ytterbium, nanoparticles of nickel, cobalt, silicon carbide, aluminium oxide, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, cerium oxide, zirconium oxide and titanium diboride, as well as carbon nanotubes, nickel-coated carbon nanotubes, single-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene-nano-sheets.

The current paper presents a comprehensive review of the tin-silver-copper solder series with possible solutions for improving their microstructure, melting point, mechanical properties and wettability through the addition of different elements/nanoparticles and other materials.

This paper summarises the useful findings of the tin-silver-copper series comprehensively. This information will assist in future work for the design and development of novel lead-free solder alloys.

This is the first of two papers reporting work carried out under a programme sponsored by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), involving collaboration between the International Tin Research Institute, GEC‐Marconi Ltd, BNR (Europe) Ltd and Multicore Solders Ltd. Part 1 describes the methodology used to select a number of candidate alloys as possible suitable lead‐free alternatives to tin‐lead solder.

High corrosion resistance in different concentrations of nitric acid is essential for structural steels to be used for the aqueous reprocessing of spent nuclear fuels with high plutonium content.

In the present study, the corrosion resistance of type 304L stainless steel (SS) with modified composition was evaluated in different concentrations of nitric acid using surface analytical techniques, weight loss method and electrochemical measurements.

Weight loss measurement in boiling 65 per cent nitric acid showed a low corrosion rate value of about 0.2 mm/y (8 mpy) after 240 h exposure. Electrochemical measurements revealed the shift in open circuit potentials as well as corrosion potential toward more noble direction, and the results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies indicated the reduction in the thickness and stability of the passive film with increasing concentration from 6 to 11.5 M nitric acid.

The low corrosion rate observed for this steel is attributed to the higher content of Cr (19 per cent), Ni (10 per cent) and Si (0.3 per cent) and controlled minor alloying elements (S, P, B, C, etc.) in the alloy that contributed to improving the transpassive corrosion resistance and minimizing the intergranular corrosion attack. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis revealed the composition of the passive films to be mainly of iron and chromium oxides.

Materials with lower corrosion rates are desirable for applications in nitric acid.

The used of nitric acid creates a severe corrosive environment in chemical or aqueous nuclear reprocessing plants, and hence with a modified composition of type 304L SS resulting in minimizing failure of components are desirable for reducing cost and maintenance.

The present paper is an original work carried out by the authors on the corrosion resistance behaviors of composition modified AISI type 304L SS for nitric acid application. The effects of different nitric acid concentrations were compared to provide understanding on in applicability in boiling and high nitric acid concentrations.

The purpose of this article is the effect of doping minor Ni on the microstructure evolution of a Sn-xNi (x = 0, 0.05 and 0.1 wt.%)/Ni (Poly-crystal/Single-crystal abbreviated as PC Ni/SC Ni) solder joint during reflow and aging treatment. Results showed that the intermetallic compounds (IMCs) of the interfacial layer of Sn-xNi/PC Ni joints were Ni₃Sn₄ phase, while the IMCs of Sn-xNi/SC Ni joints were NiSn₄ phase. After the reflow process and thermal aging of different joints, the growth behavior of interfacial layer was different due to the different mechanism of element diffusion of the two substrates. The PC Ni substrate mainly provided Ni atoms through grain boundary diffusion. The Ni₃Sn₄ phase of the Sn0.05Ni/PC Ni joint was finer, and the diffusion flux of Sn and Ni elements increased, so the Ni₃Sn₄ layer of this joint was the thickest. The SC Ni substrate mainly provided Ni atoms through the lattice diffusion. The Sn0.1Ni/SC Ni joint increases the number of Ni atoms at the interface due to the doping of 0.1Ni (wt.%) elements, so the joint had the thickest NiSn₄ layer.

The effects of doping minor Ni on the microstructure evolution of an Sn-xNi (x = 0, 0.05 and 0.1 Wt.%)/Ni (Poly-crystal/Single-crystal abbreviated as PC Ni/SC Ni) solder joint during reflow and aging treatment was investigated in this study.

Results showed that the intermetallic compounds (IMCs) of the interfacial layer of Sn-xNi/PC Ni joints were Ni₃Sn₄ phase, while the IMCs of Sn-xNi/SC Ni joints were NiSn₄ phase. After the reflow process and thermal aging of different joints, the growth behavior of the interfacial layer was different due to the different mechanisms of element diffusion of the two substrates.

In this study, the effect of doping Ni on the growth and formation mechanism of IMCs of the Sn-xNi/Ni (single-crystal) solder joints (x = 0, 0.05 and 0.1 Wt.%) was investigated.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of Al addition on the bulk alloy microstructure and tensile properties of the low Ag‐content Sn‐1Ag‐0.5Cu (SAC105) solder alloy.

The Sn‐1Ag‐0.5Cu‐xAl (x=0, 1, 1.5 and 2 wt.%) bulk solder specimens with flat dog‐bone shape were used for tensile testing in this work. The specimens were prepared by melting purity ingots of Sn, Ag, Cu and Al in an induction furnace. Subsequently, the molten alloys were poured into pre‐heated stainless steel molds, and the molds were naturally air‐cooled to room temperature. Finally, the molds were disassembled, and the dog‐bone samples were removed. The solder specimens were subjected to tensile testing on an INSTRON tester with loading rate 10⁻³ s⁻¹. The microstructural analysis was carried out using scanning electron microscopy/Energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) analysis was used to identify the IMC phases. To obtain the microstructure, the solder samples were prepared by dicing, molding, grinding and polishing processes.

The addition of Al to the SAC105 solder alloy suppresses the formation of Ag₃Sn and Cu₆Sn₅ IMC particles and leads to the formation of larger Al‐rich and Al‐Cu IMC particles and a large amount of fine Al‐Ag IMC particles. The addition of Al also leads to refining of the primary β‐Sn grains. The addition of Al results in a significant increase on the elastic modulus and yield strength. On the other hand, the addition of Al drastically deteriorates the total elongation.

The addition of Al to the low Ag‐content SAC105 solder alloy has been discussed for the first time. This work provides a starting‐point to study the effect of Al addition on the drop impact and thermal cycling reliability of the SAC105 alloy.

To study the corrosion resistance of the novel alloy Al‐12.6La (wt%) manufactured using directional solidification.

Samples fabricated using the Bridgman growth technique at three different withdrawal velocities were subjected to total immersion tests in distilled water and in 3.5 per cent NaCl solution and to DC polarisation tests in distilled water. XPS analyses conducted on samples after polarisation indicated the presence of an La compound in the non passive corrosion products film formed.

Anodic polarisation induced dissolution of the alloy with the formation of a non passive corrosion product film. During potentiodynamic polarisation, a sudden current increment occurred at a potential value that was more positive for samples solidified at higher rates. The corrosion resistance of this Al‐12.6%La alloy decreased as the solidification rate increased.

The results presented in this work are an insight to the understanding of the corrosion resistance and electrochemical behaviour of this alloy for future engineering applications and development.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of zinc (Zn) nanoparticles on the interfacial intermetallic compounds (IMCs) between Sn‐3.8Ag‐0.7Cu (SAC) solder and Cu substrate during multiple reflow.

The nanocomposite solders were prepared by manually mixing of SAC solder paste with varying amounts of Zn nanoparticles. The solder pastes were reflowed on a hotplate at 250°C for 45 s for up to six times. The actual Zn content after reflow was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma‐optical emission spectroscopy (ICP‐OES). The wetting behavior of the solders was characterized by analyzing the contact angles and spreading rates according to the Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS 23198‐3, 2003). The interfacial microstructure of the solder joints were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDAX).

It was found that upon the addition of 0.3 wt% Zn nanoparticles to the SAC solder, the growth of interfacial intermetallic compound (IMC) layers was retarded to a minimum value. Excessive amount of Zn nanoparticles (0.8 wt%) induced an additional IMC layer (Cu₅Zn₈) which increased the total IMC thickness and raising the reliability issue.

It is concluded that Zn nanoparticles undergo melting/reaction during reflow and impart their effect on the IMCs through alloying effects.

The purpose of this study was to comparatively investigate interfacial intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in the Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu3.0Bi0.05Cr/Cu (SACBC/Cu) and Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu/Cu (SAC/Cu) solder joints, and to determine any differences.

The samples were annealed after isothermal ageing at 150°C for 0, 168 and 500 hours, and their cross-sections were observed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy.

The interfacial IMC morphology in two joints had significant differences. For the Cu/SAC/Cu joints, the granular and short rod-like Ag3Sn particles attached on the surface and boundary of interfacial Cu6Sn5 grains were detected, and they coarsened observably with ageing time at 150°C, and lastly embedded at the grain boundaries. However, for the Cu/SACBC/Cu joints, there were tiny filamentous Ag3Sn growing on the surface of interfacial Cu6Sn5 grains, and the Ag3Sn had a tendency to break into nanoparticles, which would be distributed evenly and cover the IMC layer, profiting from the Bi and Cr precipitates from solder matrix during ageing.

The paper implies that the addition of Bi and Cr could affect the IMCs of joints, thereby delaying interfacial reactions between Sn and Cu atoms and improving the service reliability. The SACBC solder is a potential alloy for electronic packaging production.