Dhafer Abdulameer Shnawah

A review on thermal cycling and drop impact reliability of SAC solder joint in portable electronic products

Currently, the portable electronic products trend to high speed, light weight, miniaturization and multifunctionality. In that field, solder joint reliability in term of both drop impact and thermal cycling loading conditions is a great concern for portable electronic products. The transition to lead-free solder happened to coincide with a dramatic increase in portable electronic products. Sn–Ag–Cu (SAC) is now recognized as the standard lead free solder alloy for packaging interconnects in the electronics industry. The present study reviews the reliability of different Ag-content SAC solder joints in term of both thermal cycling and drop impact from the viewpoints of bulk alloy microstructure and tensile properties. The finding of the study indicates that the best SAC composition for drop impact performance is not necessarily the best composition for optimum thermal cycling reliability. The level of Ag-content in SAC solder alloy can be an advantage or a disadvantage depending on the application, package and reliability requirements. As a result, most component assemblers are using at least two (and in many cases even more) lead-free solder sphere alloys to meet various package requirements.

High-Reliability Low-Ag-Content Sn-Ag-Cu Solder Joints for Electronics Applications

Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) alloy is currently recognized as the standard lead-free solder alloy for packaging of interconnects in the electronics industry, and high- Ag-content SAC alloys are the most popular choice. However, this choice has been encumbered by the fragility of the solder joints that has been observed in drop testing as well as the high cost of the Ag itself. Therefore, low-Ag-content SAC alloy was considered as a solution for both issues. However, this approach may compromise the thermal-cycling performance of the solders. Therefore, to enhance the thermal-cycling reliability of low-Ag-content SAC alloys without sacrificing their drop-impact performance, alloying elements such as Mn, Ce, Ti, Bi, In, Sb, Ni, Zn, Al, Fe, and Co were selected as additions to these alloys. However, research reports related to these modified SAC alloys are limited. To address this paucity, the present study reviews the effect of these minor alloying elements on the solder joint reliability of low-Ag-content SAC alloys in terms of thermal cycling and drop impact. Addition of Mn, Ce, Bi, and Ni to low-Ag-content SAC solder effectively improves the thermal-cycling reliability of joints without sacrificing the drop-impact performance. Taking into consideration the improvement in the bulk alloy microstructure and mechanical properties, wetting properties, and growth suppression of the interface intermetallic compound (IMC) layers, addition of Ti, In, Sb, Zn, Al, Fe, and Co to low-Ag-content SAC solder has the potential to improve the thermal-cycling reliability of joints without sacrificing the drop-impact performance. Consequently, further investigations of both thermal-cycling and drop reliability of these modified solder joints must be carried out in future work.

A review on effect of minor alloying elements on thermal cycling and drop impact reliability of low-Ag Sn-Ag-Cu solder joints

Purpose – 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.Design/methodology/approach – 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.Findings – 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 loadi...

The bulk alloy microstructure and tensile properties of Sn‐1Ag‐0.5Cu‐xAl lead‐free solder alloys (x=0, 1, 1.5 and 2 wt.%)

Purpose – 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.Design/methodology/approach – 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, th...

Enhancement of Thermoelectric Behavior of La0.5Co4Sb12−xTex Skutterudite Materials

In this work, the effects of Te doping on the microstructure and thermoelectric properties of the partially filled skutterudite La0.5Co4Sb12 compounds have been examined. La0.5Co4Sb12−xTex skutterudite compounds were synthesized by a combination of the mechanical alloying technique and spark plasma sintering processing, which resulted in partial substitution of Te atoms in Sb sites. The XRD results showed that all the Te-doped bulk samples were composed of a major phase of the Co4Sb12 skutterudite with a small amount of CoSb2 and Sb as the secondary phases. Thermoelectric measurements of the consolidated samples were examined in a temperature range of 300 K to 800 K (27 °C to 527 °C). With the La0.5Co4Sb11.7Te0.3 sample, the highest absolute Seebeck coefficient of 300 μV/K was obtained at 404 K (131 °C) and the lowest lattice thermal conductivity of 2 W/mK was achieved at 501 K (228 °C). Moreover, the minimum electrical resistivity of 19.7 μΩm was recorded at 501 K (228 °C) for La0.5Co4Sb11.5Te0.5 sample. The effect of the secondary phases was negligible for the electrical resistivity, and between 0.5 to 1.6 pct for the thermal conductivity. Thus, the highest figure of merit, ZT = 0.47, was obtained at 792 K (519 °C) for La0.5Co4Sb11.5Te0.5 sample due to a significant reduction in electrical resistivity and a moderate increase in the absolute Seebeck coefficient.

Effect of temperature and alloying elements (Fe and Bi) on the electrical resistivity of Sn–0.7Cu solder alloy

In this paper, we investigated the electrical resistivity as a function of temperature of the Sn–0.7Cu solder alloy with the addition of Fe and Bi. The electrical resistivity were characterized by the four-point probe method. Apparent change in electrical resistivity was witnessed by the addition of both Fe and Bi. At room temperature, the electrical resistivity was found to be increased with the addition of Fe, as well as a further increase with the addition of Bi. Fe and Bi modified Sn–0.7Cu alloys also experienced the similar increasing trend when they were subjected to higher temperatures within the range of 300–423 K. Chemical state of Sn was analyzed by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results revealed the presence of Sn in Sn2+, Sn4+ and state of metallic Sn. With the addition of Fe & Bi, a substantial decrease was observed in the atomic percent of the Sn4+ chemical state. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was performed on the alloys. The XRD pattern showed disturbance in the 2 theta values with the addition of Bi. The disturbance confirmed the presence of stress and imperfections in the crystal lattice. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) micrographs revealed the formation of the FeSn2 intermetallic compound with the addition of Fe. However, the addition of Bi promotes the formation of solid solution and goes into primary β-Sn dendrites. Microstructural changes, shifts in the chemical state of Sn and a disturbance in the XRD peaks resulting from the addition of Fe and Bi have been correlated to the variation in electrical resistivity.

Effect of minor additions of Fe on bulk alloy microstructure and tensile properties of the low Ag‐content Sn‐1Ag‐0.5Cu solder alloy

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of small additions (0.1 and 0.3 wt%) of Fe on the bulk alloy microstructure and tensile properties of low Ag‐content Sn‐1Ag‐0.5Cu lead‐free solder alloy.Design/methodology/approach – Sn‐1Ag‐0.5Cu, Sn‐3Ag‐0.5Cu and Sn‐1Ag‐0.5Cu containing 1 and 3 wt.% Fe solder specimens were prepared by melting pure ingots of Sn, Ag, Cu and Fe in an induction furnace and subsequently remelting and casting to form flat dog‐bone shaped specimens for tensile testing. The solder specimens were subjected to tensile testing using an INSTRON tester with a loading rate 10‐3 s‐1. To obtain the microstructure, the solder samples were prepared by dicing, molding, grinding and polishing processes. 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.Findings – In addition to large primary β‐Sn grains, the addition of Fe t...

Electrical Resistivity of Fe-Bearing Sn1Ag0.5Cu Lead-Free Solder Alloys

This paper reports on the effect of Fe addition in the range of 0.1 wt.% to 0.5 wt.% on the electrical resistivity of the Sn-1Ag-0.5Cu (SAC105) solder alloy. The electrical resistivity is characterized by the four-point probe technique. Results showed that the Fe-bearing SAC105 solder alloys exhibit lower electrical resistivity compared with the standard SAC105 solder alloy. Moreover, the electrical resistivity further decreases with increasing the amount of Fe addition. As Fe is a low-cost and non-hazardous element, along with the high mechanical reliability, the Fe-bearing SAC105 solder alloys also demonstrate good electrical characteristics, and hence may be an attractive candidate for a low cost, reliable formulation for lead free solders in electronics packaging.

Microstructural stability and mechanical properties of Sn-1Ag-0.5Cu solder alloy with 0.1 wt.% Al addition under high-temperature annealing

Effects of 0.1 wt.% Al addition on the microstructural stability and mechanical properties of the low-Ag-content Sn-1Ag-0.5Cu (SAC105) solder alloy under high-temperature aging were investigated. Addition of Al suppresses the formation of Cu6Sn5 intermetallic compound (IMC) particles and leads to the formation of large AlCu IMCs. Moreover, the Ag3Sn IMC particles become larger and less-packed in the interdendritic regions after the additions of Al. The addition of Al also leads to enlarge the primary β-Sn dendrites and diminish the interdendritic regions. The tensile test results indicate that the addition of Al significantly decreases the elastic modulus, yield strength, and total elongation. After 720 h and 24 h of aging at 100°C and 180°C, respectively, the Al-bearing SAC105 solder alloy exhibits more resistance to microstructural coarsening than the SAC105 solder alloy which in turn significantly reduces the mechanical properties degradation with aging.