The need for high power density and high temperature capabilities in today's electronic devices continues to grow. More robust devices with reliable and stable functioning capabilities are needed, for example in aerospace and automotive industries as well as sensor technology. These devices need to perform under extreme temperature conditions, and not show any deterioration in terms of switching speeds, junction temperatures, and power density, and so on. While the bulk of research is performed to source and manufacture these high temperature devices, the device interconnect technology remains under high focus for packaging. The die attach material has to withstand high temperatures generated during device functioning and also cope with external conditions which will directly determine how well the device performs in the field. This literature work seeks to review the numerous research attempts thus far for high temperature die attach materials on wide band gap materials of silicon carbide, gallium nitride and diamond, document their successes, concerns and application possibilities, all of which are essential for high temperature reliability.

Die Attach Materials for High Temperature Applications: A Review

Mechanical properties of nano-silver joints as die attach materials

High-Temperature Lead-Free Solders: Properties and Possibilities

Recently, high-temperature power devices have become a popular discussion topic because of their various potential applications in the automotive, down-hole oil and gas industries for well logging, aircraft, space exploration, nuclear environments, and radars. Devices for these applications are fabricated on silicon carbide-based semiconductor material. For these devices to perform effectively, an appropriate die attach material with specific requirements must be selected and employed correctly. This article presents a review of this topic, with a focus on the die attach materials operating at temperatures higher than 623 K (350 °C). Future challenges and prospects related to high-temperature die attach materials also are proposed at the end of this article.

A Review on Die Attach Materials for SiC-Based High-Temperature Power Devices

Silver (Ag) has been under development for use as interconnect material for power electronics packaging since the late 1980s. Despite its long development history, high thermal and electrical conductivities, and lead-free composition, sintered Ag technology has limited market penetration. This review sets out to explore what is required to make this technology more viable. This review also covers the origin of sintered Ag, the different types and application methods of sintered Ag pastes and laminates, and the long-term reliability of sintered Ag joints. Sintered Ag pastes are classified according to whether pressure is required for sintering and further classified according to their filler sizes. This review discusses the main methods of applying Ag pastes/laminates as die-attach materials and the related processing conditions. The long-term reliability of sintered Ag joints depends on the density of the sintered joint, selection of metallization or plating schemes, types of substrates, substrate roughness, formulation of Ag pastes/laminates, joint configurations (i.e., joint thicknesses and die sizes), and testing conditions. This paper identifies four challenges that must be overcome for the proliferation of sintered Ag technology: changes in materials formulation, the successful navigation of the complex patent landscape, the availability of production and inspection equipment, and the health concerns of Ag nanoparticles. This paper is expected to be useful to materials suppliers and semiconductor companies that are considering this technology for their future packages.

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Are Sintered Silver Joints Ready for Use as Interconnect Material in Microelectronic Packaging

Interfacial reaction and die attach properties of Zn-xSn (x = 20 wt.%, 30 wt.%, and 40 wt.%) solders on an aluminum nitride–direct bonded copper substrate were investigated. At the interface with Si die coated with Au/TiN thin layers, the TiN layer did not react with the solder and worked as a good protective layer. At the interface with Cu, CuZn5, and Cu5Zn8 IMC layers were formed, the thicknesses of which can be controlled by joining conditions such as peak temperature and holding time. During multiple reflow treatments at 260°C, the die attach structure was quite stable. The shear strength of the Cu/solder/Cu joint with Zn-Sn solder was about 30 MPa to 34 MPa, which was higher than that of Pb-5Sn solder (26 MPa). The thermal conductivity of Zn-Sn alloys of 100 W/m K to 106 W/m K was sufficiently high and superior to those of 	Au-20Sn (59 W/m K) and Pb-5Sn (35 W/m K).

Interfacial Reaction and Die Attach Properties of Zn-Sn High-Temperature Solders

Alloy design of Zn-Al-Cu solder for ultra high temperatures

The thermal fatigue reliability of Si die-attached joints with Zn-30wt.%Sn, high-temperature, Pb-free solder was investigated, focusing on the interfacial microstructure and joining strength of a Cu/solder/Cu joint during thermal cycling. A sound die attachment on an aluminum nitride (AlN) direct-bonded copper (DBC) substrate was achieved by forming Cu-Zn intermetallic compound (IMC) layers at the interface with the Cu of the substrate. During the thermal cycling test performed between −40°C and 125°C, thermal fatigue cracks were induced by the growth of Cu-Zn IMCs at the interface with the Cu. A␣thin titanium nitride (TiN) film was applied to suppress the formation of Cu-Zn IMCs. Adequate joint formation was accomplished by using an Au/TiN-coated DBC substrate, and only the TiN layer was observed at both interfaces. In conjunction with the TiN diffusion barrier, the Si die-attached joint created with Zn-30wt.%Sn solder exhibited a stable interfacial microstructure during thermal cycling. No microstructural changes, such as IMC formation, grain growth or formation of fatigue cracks, were observed, and the joining strength was maintained even after 2000 cycles.

Improving the Reliability of Si Die Attachment with Zn-Sn-Based High-Temperature Pb-Free Solder Using a TiN Diffusion Barrier

Melting range, microstructure, mechanical properties and spreadabililty of Zn-(4� 6 mass%)Al-(1� 6 mass%)Cu alloys were investigated. Liquidus temperature was targeted between 655 and 675 K, and solidus temperature was targeted to 645 K. The liquidus temperature of the Zn-Al-Cu solders increased with Cu contents, but it decreased with Al contents. Microstructures of the Zn-Al-Cu solders consisted of primary "-phase (CuZn4), � -phase (Zn matrix), � -� eutectic phase (Zn-Al eutectic) and "-� eutectic phase (Zn-Cu eutectic), irrespective of the Al and Cu contents. Increasing the Al and Cu contents, hardness and tensile strength increased, but elongation decreased. The Al content played an important role in improving the spread ratio, the Cu content had no significant influence on the spread ratio. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.MF200809]

Seongjun Kim

Papers

High-Temperature Lead-Free Solders: Properties and Possibilities

Interfacial Reaction and Die Attach Properties of Zn-Sn High-Temperature Solders

Alloy design of Zn-Al-Cu solder for ultra high temperatures

Improving the Reliability of Si Die Attachment with Zn-Sn-Based High-Temperature Pb-Free Solder Using a TiN Diffusion Barrier

Characteristics of Zn-Al-Cu Alloys for High Temperature Solder Application