Andrew K. Kercher

Reliability of Sn-3.5Ag solder joints in high temperature packaging applications

There is a significant need for next-generation, highperformance power electronic packages and systems with wide band gap devices that operate at high temperatures in automotive and electric grid applications. Sn-3.5Ag solder is a candidate for use in such packages with potential operating temperatures up to 200°C. However, there is a need to understand thermal cycling reliability of Sn-3.5Ag solders. The results of a study on the damage evolution occurring in large area Sn-3.5Ag solder joints between silicon dies and Direct Bonded Copper (DBC) substrates subject to thermal cycling between 200°C and 5°C is presented in this paper. Damage accumulation was followed using high resolution X-ray radiography techniques, and nonlinear finite element models were developed based on the mechanical property data available in literature to understand the relationship between the stress state within the solder joint and the damage occurring under thermal cycling conditions. It was observed that regions of damage observed in the experiments do not correspond to the finite element predictions of the location of regions of maximum plastic work.

New developments in image-based characterization of coated particle nuclear fuel

We describe in this paper new developments in the characterization of coated particle nuclear fuel using optical microscopy and digital imaging. As in our previous work, we acquire optical imagery of the fuel pellets in two distinct manners that we refer to as shadow imaging and cross-sectional imaging. In shadow imaging, particles are collected in a single layer on an optically transparent dish and imaged using collimated back-lighting to measure outer surface characteristics only. In cross-sectional imaging, particles are mounted in acrylic epoxy and polished to near-center to reveal the inner coating layers for measurement. For shadow imaging, we describe a curvaturebased metric that is computed from the particle boundary points in the FFT domain using a low-frequency parametric representation. We also describe how missing boundary points are approximated using band-limited interpolation so that the FFT can be applied. For cross-section imaging, we describe a new Bayesian-motivated segmentation scheme as well as a new technique to correct layer measurements for the fact that we cannot observe the true mid-plane of the approximately spherical particles.

An X-ray Radiography Study of the Effect of Thermal Cycling on Damage Evolution in Large-Area Sn-3.5Ag Solder Joints

There is a need for next-generation, high-performance power electronic packages and systems utilizing wide-band-gap devices to operate at high temperatures in automotive and electricity transmission applications. Sn-3.5Ag solder is a candidate for use in such packages with potential maximum operating temperatures of about 200°C. However, there is a need to understand the thermal cycling reliability of Sn-3.5Ag solders subject to such high-temperature operating conditions. The results of a study on the damage evolution occurring in large-area Sn-3.5Ag solder joints between silicon dies and direct bonded copper substrates with Au/Ni-P metallization subject to thermal cycling between 200°C and 5°C are presented in this paper. Interface structure evolution and damage accumulation were followed using high-resolution X-ray radiography, cross-sectional optical and scanning electron microscopies, and X-ray microanalysis in these joints for up to 3000 thermal cycles. Optical and scanning electron microscopy results showed that the stresses introduced by the thermal cycling result in cracking and delamination at the copper–intermetallic compound interface. X-ray microanalysis showed that stresses due to thermal cycling resulted in physical cracking and breakdown of the Ni-P barrier layer, facilitating Cu-Sn interdiffusion. This interdiffusion resulted in the formation of Cu-Sn intermetallic compounds underneath the Ni-P layer, subsequently leading to delamination between the Ni-rich layer and Cu-Sn intermetallic compounds.

Results from ORNL characterization of ZrO2-500-AK2 - surrogate TRISO material

This document is a compilation of the characterization data for the TRISO-coated surrogate particles designated ZrO2-500-AK2 that was produced at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) as part of the Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development and Qualification (AGR) program. The ZrO2-500-AK2 material contains nominally 500 {micro}m kernels of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coated with all TRISO layers (buffer, inner pyrocarbon, silicon carbide, and outer pyrocarbon). The ZrO2-500-AK2 material was created for: (1) irradiation testing in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) and (2) limited dissemination to laboratories as deemed appropriate to the AGR program. This material was created midway into a TRISO fuel development program to accommodate a sudden opportunity to perform irradiation testing on surrogate material. While the layer deposition processes were chosen based on the best technical understanding at the time, technical progress at ORNL has led to an evolution in the perceived optimal deposition conditions since the creation of ZrO2-500-AK2. Thus, ZrO2-500-AK2 contains a reasonable TRISO microstructure, but does differ significantly from currently produced TRISO surrogates and fuel at ORNL. In this document, characterization data of the ZrO2-500-AK2 surrogate includes: size, shape, coating thickness, and density.

Coated Porous Carbon Cathodes for Lithium Ion Batteries

Coated porous carbon cathodes for automotive lithium batteries are being developed with the goal of overcoming the problems with capacity fade and poor thermal management in conventional polymer-bonded cathodes. The active cathode material (lithium iron phosphate nanoparticles) is carbon-bonded to the porous carbon support material. Cathodes have been developed with high specific energy and power and with good cycling behavior.

A simple optical system for real-time size measurements of TRISO fuel pellets

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has begun the development of a program for the manufacturing and characterizing fuel pellets for use in advanced nuclear reactors. To achieve high reliability it is necessary to characterize the pellets during production runs. In this paper we present a simple TRISO Particle Counting And Sizing Tool (TP-CAST) that performs dual measurements of counting and size estimation for particles at rates up to 200 per second. The TP-CAST is based on a laser with line-generation optics and a PC-based data acquisition and analysis system. The instrument can measure 1000 micron pellets with a standard deviation of approximately 11 microns and with counting errors less than 0.075%. Our paper discusses the signal modeling, algorithms for size estimation, system design, and experimental results of the prototype TP-CAST system assembled at ORNL.