Nobuhiko Chiwata

Electromigration in Copper-Core Solder Ball Joints During Thermal Cycle Tests

Electromigration current densities in Cu and Al lines on a silicon die exceed 1.0 × 106 A/cm2 . However, solder joints can only withstand electromigration current densities below about 1.0 × 104 A/cm2 . Thus, electromigration in solder joints will become a problem in semiconductor packages in the near future. Previous studies demonstrated that Cu-core solder balls increased the electromigration lifetime and led to better current stability at temperatures below 423K. This is because electrons flow through the Cu cores, reducing the current density on the cathode side, which is where electromigration occurs. In the present study, we forcused on the reliability of solder joints in a combined environment by examining the effect of thermal cycle tests on the current in a new test sample. A new test sample for the evaluation of joining reliability by using Cu-core solder balls in a combined enbironment was made. In initial tests, this test sample exhibited similar results to those observed in previous studies. Cu-core solder balls subjected to cyclic testing at 233/398K and a current density of 1.0 × 104 A/cm2 exhibited lower reliabilities than when there was no current. Examination of cross-sections of the solder balls after reliability testing revealed that the combined environment accelerated growth of intermetallic compounds and cracks in the joining region. In a combined environment, Cu-core balls were converted into intermetallic compounds on the anode side. This phenomenon is thought to occur due to the different electrical resistivities of Cu-Sn intermetallic compounds.Copyright

Development of Highly Reliable BGA and Flip-Chip Structures by Using Cu-Cored Solder Ball

A Cu-cored solder joint is a micro-joint structure in which a Cu sphere is encased in solder. It results in a more accurate height and has low thermal and electrical resistance. In a previous paper, we examined the thermal fatigue life of a Cu-cored solder ball grid array (BGA) joint through actual measurements and crack propagation analysis. As a result, we found that the thermal fatigue life of a Cu-cored solder BGA joint is about twice as long as that of a conventional joint. In this paper, we describe the impact strength of a Cu-cored solder BGA joint determined by conducting an impact bending test. This test is a technique to measure the impact strength of a micro-solder joint. This method was developed by Yaguchi et al., and they confirmed that it is an easier and more accurate method of measuring impact strength than the board level drop test. First, we simulated the impact bending test by finite element analysis (FEA) and calculated solder strains of both Cu-cored solder joints and conventional joints. The results indicated that the maximum solder strain of a Cu-cored solder joint during the impact bending test was slightly smaller than that of a conventional joint. The solder volume of the Cu-cored solder joint was also smaller than that of a conventional joint. On the other hand, joint stiffness of the Cu-cored solder joint was larger than in a conventional joint. The former increases the solder strain of the Cu-cored solder joint, and the latter decreases it. By balancing these phenomena, it is possible to obtain a maximum solder strain in the Cu-cored solder joint that is slightly smaller than in a conventional joint. Based on these phenomena, the impact strength of the Cu-cored solder joint is predicted to be the same as or higher than that of a conventional joint. Therefore, we measured the impact strengths of a Cu-cored solder joint and a conventional joint using the impact bending test. As a result, we confirmed that the impact strength of the Cu-cored solder joint was the same as or higher than that of a conventional joint. Accordingly, a Cu-cored solder BGA joint is a micro-joint structure that makes it possible to improve thermal fatigue life without decreasing impact strength. Moreover, we investigated whether the use of Cu-cored solder in a flip-chip (FC) joint improved its reliability. As a result, we found that the stress of an insulating layer on a Si die surface was reduced by using a Cu-cored solder FC joint. This is because bending deformation of the Cu land occurs, and the difference in thermal deformation between the Si chip and the Cu land becomes small. Accordingly, the Cu-cored solder FC joint is a suitable structure for improving reliability of a low-strength insulating layer.Copyright

Electromigration failure analysis of flip-chip solder joint by using void growth simulation and synchrotron radiation X-ray microtomography

Electromigration (EM) failures of flip-chip solder joints due to void growth, resulting from miniaturization of joint structure, have recently been reported. In addition, growth behavior of electromigration voids in solder joints has not been clarified. It is therefore difficult to predict electromigration failure life. A novel method for simulating growth behavior of an electromigration void in a solder joint was developed. This method was applied to predict failure lives of a conventional solder joint and a copper-cored solder joint. According to the simulation results, the failure life of the copper-cored solder joint is more than three times longer than that of the conventional joint. Moreover, failure life of each joint was measured by electromigration test, and the void shape was observed by synchrotron-radiation X-ray microtomography provided at SPring-8. The good agreement between the predicted growth behaviors and the measured and observed behaviors demonstrate the validity of the developed simulation method.