A review of lead-free solders for electronics applications

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

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.

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

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...

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

In this investigation, SnAgCu and SN100C solders were electromigration (EM) tested, and the 3D laminography imaging technique was employed for in-situ observation of the microstructure evolution during testing. We found that discrete voids nucleate, grow and coalesce along the intermetallic compound/solder interface during EM testing. A systematic analysis yields quantitative information on the number, volume, and growth rate of voids, and the EM parameter of DZ*. We observe that fast intrinsic diffusion in SnAgCu solder causes void growth and coalescence, while in the SN100C solder this coalescence was not significant. To deduce the current density distribution, finite-element models were constructed on the basis of the laminography images. The discrete voids do not change the global current density distribution, but they induce the local current crowding around the voids: this local current crowding enhances the lateral void growth and coalescence. The correlation between the current density and the probability of void formation indicates that a threshold current density exists for the activation of void formation. There is a significant increase in the probability of void formation when the current density exceeds half of the maximum value.

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Electromigration Mechanism of Failure in Flip-Chip Solder Joints Based on Discrete Void Formation.

In this study, the reliabilities of low Ag SAC alloys doped with Mn or Ce (SACM or SACC) were evaluated under JEDEC drop, dynamic bending, thermal cycling, and cyclic bending test conditions against eutectic SnPb, SAC105, and SAC305 alloys. The Mn or Ce doped low cost SAC105 alloys achieved a higher drop test and dynamic bending test reliability than SAC105 and SAC305, and exceeded SnPb for some test conditions. More significantly, being a slightly doped SAC105, both SACM and SACC matched SAC305 in thermal cycling performance. In other words, the low cost SACM and SACC achieved a better drop test performance than the low Ag SAC alloys plus the desired thermal cycling reliability of high Ag SAC alloys. The mechanism for high drop performance and high thermal cycling reliability can be attributed to a stabilized microstructure, with uniform distribution of fine IMC particles, presumably through the inclusion of Mn or Ce in the IMC. The cyclic bending results showed SAC305 being the best, and all lead-free alloys are equal or superior to SnPb. The reliability test results also showed that NiAu is a preferred surface finish for BGA packages over OSP.

Austin Huang

Papers

Achieving high reliability low cost lead-free SAC solder joints via Mn or Ce doping