Reliability challenges in 3D IC packaging technology

Brittle failure of components weakened by cracks or sharp and blunt V-notches is a topic of active and continuous research. It is attractive for all researchers who face the problem of fracture of materials under different loading conditions and deals with a large number of applications in different engineering fields, not only with the mechanical one. This topic is significant in all the cases where intrinsic defects of the material or geometrical discontinuities give rise to localized stress concentration which, in brittle materials, may generate a crack leading to catastrophic failure or to a shortening of the assessed structural life. Whereas cracks are viewed as unpleasant entities in most engineering materials, U- and V-notches of different acuities are sometimes deliberately introduced in design and manufacturing of structural components. Dealing with brittle failure of notched components and summarizing some recent experimental results reported in the literature, the main aim of the present contribution is to present a review of some local approaches applicable near stress raisers both sharp and blunt. The reviewed criteria allowed the present authors to develop a new approach based on the volume strain energy density (SED), which has been recently applied to assess the brittle failure of a large number of materials. The main features of the SED approach are outlined in the paper and its peculiarities and advantages accurately underlined. Some examples of applications are reported, as well. The present review is based on the authors’ experience over more than 15 years and the contents of their personal library. It is not a dispassionate literature survey.

Recent developments in brittle and quasi-brittle failure assessment of engineering materials by means of local approaches

Composite lead-free solders, containing micro and nano particles, have been widely studied. Due to grain boundary drag or Zener drag, these particles can refrain the solder microstructure from coarsening in services, especially for Cu6Sn5, Ag3Sn intermetallic compounds and the β-Sn phases. Due to dispersion hardening or dislocation drag, the mechanical properties of the composite solder alloys were enhanced significantly. Moreover, these particles can influence the rate of interfacial reactions, and some particles can transform into a layer of intermetallic compound. Wettability, creep resistance, and hardness properties were affected by these particles. A systematic review of the development of these lead-free composite solders is given here, which hopefully may find applications in microbumps to be used in the future 3D IC technology.

Structure and properties of lead-free solders bearing micro and nano particles

Pb-free solders have replaced Pb-containing SnPb solders in the electronic packaging industry due to environmental concerns. Both electromigration (EM) and thermomigration (TM) have serious reliability issues for fine-pitch Pb-free solder bumps in the flip-chip technology used in consumer electronic products. We review the unique features of EM and TM in flip-chip solder bumps, emphasizing the effects of current crowding and Joule heating. In addition, the challenges to a better understanding of EM and TM in Pb-free solders are discussed. For example, the anisotropic nature of Sn microstructure in Pb-free solders can enhance the dissolution rates of Ni and Cu in solders driven by EM and TM.

https://ir.nctu.edu.tw:443/bitstream/11536/6094/1/000280818700021.pdf

Electromigration and Thermomigration in Pb-Free Flip-Chip Solder Joints

Failure mechanisms of solder interconnects under current stressing in advanced electronic packages

In 3D IC technology, the vertical interconnection consists of through-Si-vias (TSV) and micro solder bumps. The size of the micro-bump is approaching 10 μm, which is the diameter of TSV. Since joule heating is expected to be the most serious issue in 3D IC, heat flux must be conducted away by temperature gradient. If there is a temperature difference of 1 °C across a micro-bump, the temperature gradient will be 1000 °C/cm, which can cause thermomigration at the device operation temperature around 100 °C. Thus thermomigration will become a very serious reliability problem in 3D IC technology. We review here the fundamentals of thermomigration of atoms in microbump materials; both molten state and solid state thermomigration in solder alloys will be considered. The thermomigration in Pb-containing solder joints is discussed first. The Pb atoms move to the cold end while Sn atoms move to the hot end. Then thermomigration in Pb-free SnAg solder joints is reviewed. The Sn atoms move to the hot end, but the Ag atoms migrate to the cold end. Thermomigration of other metallization elements, such as Cu, Ti and Ni is also presented in this paper. In solid state, copper atoms diffuse rapidly via interstitially to the cold end, forming voids in the hot end. In molten state, Cu thermomigration affects the formation of intermetallic compounds.

https://ir.nctu.edu.tw:443/bitstream/11536/21098/1/000314437100001.pdf

Thermomigration in solder joints

Effect of moisture on corrosion of Ni-based alloys in molten alkali fluoride FLiNaK salt environments

Long-term corrosion behaviors of Hastelloy-N and Hastelloy-B3 in moisture-containing molten FLiNaK salt environments

Thermomigration in flip chip solder joints of eutectic SnPb has been studied at an ambient temperature of 100°C. Redistribution of Sn and Pb occurs with Pb moving to the cold end. A stepwise concentration profile is observed. Significantly, the lamellar microstructure becomes much finer after thermomigration. Since the lamellar interface is disordered and is a fast path of diffusion, it indicates a high rate of entropy production in the thermomigration, in agreement with Onsager’s principle of irreversible processes. The effect of entropy production on microstructure change is shown here. The molar heat of transport of Pb has been calculated to be −25.3kJ∕mole.

Effect of entropy production on microstructure change in eutectic SnPb flip chip solder joints by thermomigration

In this study, we investigated the phenomenon of thermomigration in 96.5Sn-3Ag-0.5Cu flip chip solder joints at an ambient temperature of 150 °C. We observed mass protrusion on the chip side (hot end), indicating that Sn atoms moved to the hot end, and void formation on the substrate side (cold end). The diffusion markers also moved to the substrate side, in the same direction of the vacancy flux, indicating that the latter played a dominant role during the thermomigration process. The molar heat of transport (Q*) of the Sn atoms was 3.38 kJ/mol.

Fan-Yi Ouyang

Papers

Thermomigration in solder joints

Effect of moisture on corrosion of Ni-based alloys in molten alkali fluoride FLiNaK salt environments

Long-term corrosion behaviors of Hastelloy-N and Hastelloy-B3 in moisture-containing molten FLiNaK salt environments

Effect of entropy production on microstructure change in eutectic SnPb flip chip solder joints by thermomigration

In situ observation of thermomigration of Sn atoms to the hot end of 96.5Sn-3Ag-0.5Cu flip chip solder joints