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Abstract: The interfacial reactions and ball shear properties of ball grid array (BGA) solder joints aged at 170°C for up to 21 days were investigated with different displacement rates. Two different kinds of solders, Sn–37Pb and Sn–3.5Ag (all wt.%), and an electroplated Ni/Au BGA substrate were employed in this work. A continuous Ni3Sn4 intermetallic compound (IMC) layer was formed at the interfaces between both the Sn–37Pb and Sn–3.5Ag solders and the substrate during reflow. After aging, two different reaction layers, consisting of (Au x Ni1−x )Sn4 IMC and Pb-rich phase, were additionally observed between the Sn–37Pb solder and the Ni3Sn4 IMC layer. The thicknesses of these interfacial reaction layers increased with increasing aging time. After reflow, all the fractures occurred inside the bulk solder. The fracture location of the Sn–37Pb solder joints was shifted toward the solder/Ni interface with increasing aging time and displacement rate, whereas the fracture of the Sn–3.5Ag solder joints mainly occurred inside the bulk solder, irrespective of the aging time and displacement rate. Consequently, the shear properties of the Sn–37Pb solder joints significantly decreased with increasing aging time, whereas those of the Sn–3.5Ag solder joints slightly decreased. The tendency toward brittle fracture of the Sn–37Pb solder joints was intensified with increasing displacement rate. The shear properties of the ductile solder joints increased with increasing displacement rate, while the displacement until fracture, deformation energy and displacement rate sensitivity of the brittle solder joints significantly decreased with increasing displacement rate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The interfacial reactions and growth kinetics of intermetallic compound (IMC) layers formed between Sn–0.7Cu (wt.%) solder and Au/Ni/Cu substrate were investigated at aging temperatures of 185 and 200°C for aging times of up to 60days. After reflow, the IMC formed at the interface was (Cu,Ni)6Sn5. After aging at 185°C for 3days and at 200°C for 1day, two IMCs of (Cu,Ni)6Sn5 and (Ni,Cu)3Sn4 were observed. The growth of the (Ni,Cu)3Sn4 IMC consumed the (Cu,Ni)6Sn5 IMC at an aging temperature of 200°C due to the restriction of supply of Cu atoms from the solder to interface. After aging at 200°C for 60days, the Ni layer of the substrate was completely consumed in many parts of the sample, at which point a Cu3Sn IMC was formed. In the ball shear test, the shear strength decreased with increasing aging temperature and time. Until the aging at 185°C for 15days and at 200°C for 3days, fractures occurred in the bulk solder. After prolonged aging treatment, fractures partially occurred at the (Cu,Ni)6Sn5 +Au/solder interface for aging at 185°C and at the (Ni,Cu)3Sn4/Ni interface for aging at 200°C, respectively. Consequently, thick IMC layer and thermal loading history significantly affected the integrity of the Sn–0.7Cu/Ni BGA joints. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

High reliability has become one of the crucial requirements for portable electronic devices, due to the high dependence of their radio frequency (RF) characteristics on the end-user's surroundings. The RF characteristics of screen-printed silver (Ag) circuits were investigated after a steady-state temperature and humidity storage test. A conductive paste containing Ag nanoparticles was screen-printed onto a silicon (Si) substrate and then sintered at 250 °C for 30 min in air. The printed Ag circuits were placed in a chamber at 85 °C/85% relative humidity (RH) for various durations: 100, 300, 500, 1000 h. The microstructural evolution and thickness profiles of the Ag circuits were observed with field emission scanning electron microscopy and α-step, respectively. The oxidation of the printed Ag circuit surface was analyzed with Auger electron spectroscopy. A network analyzer and Cascade's probe system in the frequency range of 40 MHz to 40 GHz were employed to measure the scattering parameters of the Ag circuits. The experimental results showed that the insertion losses at higher frequencies increased with increasing durations of exposure to the 85 °C/85% RH environment, due to the thicker specific layer for oxidation on the circuit surfaces. The oxide layer was the dominant factor affecting the RF characteristics of the screen-printed Ag thin circuits. Therefore, it is essential to control the oxidation of printed circuits for versatile RF applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Formation of the clusters by interparticle necking during sintering process. [•] cluster size in the patterns increased with increasing sintering temperature and time. [•] Ag films for high sintering temperature and time had good electrical properties. [•] Ag patterns exposed to higher sintering temperature and time had higher ECM resistances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study investigates whether the electrochemical migration (ECM) is affected by factors such as the printed circuit board (PCB) surface finish, distance between the electrodes and bias voltage under water drop (WD) and polarization tests. The main element of the dendrite structure for ENIG (electroless nickel and immersion gold), electroless Ag and electroplate Sn was nickel, silver and tin, respectively. The order of speed in which the dendrite structure was formed from the cathode electrode to the anode electrode on the PCB with various surface finishes was electroless Ag, electroplate Sn and ENIG, irrespective of the distance between the electrodes and the bias voltage. The ECM rate was increased by decreasing the distance between conductors of the opposite polarity and increasing the bias voltage. The order of corrosion rate in distilled water with pH 6.5 and NaCl 1.0wt% solution was electroless Ag, electroplate Sn and ENIG. This trend was corresponded with the tendency for ECM rate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An experimental investigation was combined with a non-linear finite element analysis using an elastic–viscoplastic constitutive model to study the effect of ball shear speed on the shear forces of flip chip solder bumps. A solder composition used in this study was Sn–3mass%Ag–0.5mass%Cu. A low cost bumping process has been employed using electroless Ni and immersion Au followed by solder paste stencil printing. A thin layer of intermetallic compound, (Ni1−x Cu x )3Sn4, was formed by the reaction between the solder and electroless Ni with a thickness of about 1.4μm, while some discontinuous (Cu1−y Ni y )6Sn5 particles were also formed at the interface. The compositions of the resulting compounds were identified using energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and electron microprobe analysis (EPMA). Shear tests were carried out over a shear speed range from 20 to 400μm/s at a shear ram height of 20μm. The shear force was observed to linearly increase with shear speed and reach the maximum value at the fastest shear speed in both experimental and computational results. The optimum shear speeds for the shear test of solder bumped flip chip were recommended to be not exceeding 200μm/s. The failure mechanisms were discussed in terms of von Mises stresses and plastic strain energy density distributions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this study, electrodes on a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) and rigid printed circuit board (RPCB) were bonded by a thermo-compression bonding. Pb-free Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu solder was used as an interlayer. In order to determine the optimum bonding conditions for bonding pressure and time, a 90° peel test of the FPCB–RPCB joint was conducted. The relationships between the bonding conditions, interfacial reactions, and peel strength were investigated. The optimum bonding pressure and time were 2.04MPa and 5s at 260°C, respectively. Thin and uniform (Ni,Cu)3Sn4 intermetallic compound (IMC) layers formed at both FPCB/Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu/RPCB interfaces. In a high temperature storage (HTS) test of 125°C, the peel strength decreased as the aging time increased. After the HTS test, brittle interfaces formed in the PCB joints, resulting in the switching of the failure mode from a polyimide–electrode failure to a brittle IMC failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study examined the effects of isothermal aging and temperature–humidity (TH) treatment of substrate on the joint reliability of a Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu (wt.%)/organic solderability preservative (OSP)-finished Cu solder joint. Two types of OSP-finished chip-scale-package (CSP) substrates were used, those subjected and not subjected to the TH test. This study revealed an association between the interfacial reaction behaviors, void formation and mechanical reliability of the solder joint. Many voids were formed at the interface of the OSP-finished Cu joint subjected to the TH test. These voids were caused by the oxidation of the OSP-finished Cu substrate during the TH test. In the shear tests, the shear force of the joint with the substrate not subjected to the TH test was slightly higher than that with the TH test. The mechanical reliability of the solder joint was degraded by voids at the interface. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, we evaluated the mechanical reliability of Sn-rich, Au–Sn/Ni flip chip solder bumps by using a sequential electroplating method with Sn and Au. After reflowing, the average diameter of the solder bump was approximately 80μm and only a (Ni,Au)3Sn4 intermetallic compound (IMC) layer was formed at the interface. Due to the preferential consumption of Sn atoms within the solder matrix during aging, the solder matrix was transformed sequentially in the following order: β-Sn and η-phase, η-phase, and η-phase and ε-phase. In the bump shear test, the shear force was not significantly changed despite aging at 150°C for 1000h and most of the fractures occurred at the interfaces. The interfacial fracture was significantly related to the formation of brittle IMCs at the interface. The Sn-rich, Au–Sn/Ni flip chip joint was mechanically much weaker than the Au-rich, Au–Sn/Ni flip chip joint. The study results demonstrated that the combination of Sn-rich, Au–Sn solder and Ni under bump metallization (UBM) is not a viable option for the replacement of the conventional, Au-rich, Au–20Sn solder. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: High-speed ball shear test was investigated in terms of the effects of two test parameters, shear speed and shear height, with an experimental and computational simulation utilizing 3-dimensional non-linear finite element modeling for evaluating the solder joint integrity of ball grid array (BGA) packages. A representative Pb-free solder alloy, Sn–0.7Cu, was employed in this study. Far greater shear forces were measured by high-speed shear test than by low-speed shear test. The shear force further increased with shear speed mainly due to the high strain-rate sensitivity of the solder alloy. Brittle interfacial fractures can be more easily achieved by high-speed shear test, especially in higher shear speed. These were discussed with the strengthening mechanism of the solder materials by density and mobility of dislocations. Shear force decreased with shear height, and it could be found that excessively high shear heights unfavorably affected the test results leading to unexpectedly high standard deviation values or shear tip sliding from the solder ball surface. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A carbon nanotube (CNT) has remarkable properties, but it has disadvantages in application because of its dispersal- and bonding-related issues. Metal–CNT composite materials are necessary in solving these problems. In this study, nickel (Ni)–multi-walled CNTs (Ni–MWCNTs) are synthesized through sequential processing, functionalizing, and electroless plating processes to deposit Ni nanoparticles on MWCNTs. The synthesized Ni–MWCNTs are used to fabricate composite solders with various contents (0, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 wt%). The test kit used for the 3-point bending test in this study is designed with a differential package structure to evaluate the bending reliabilities of the Ni–MWCNT composite materials with various contents. The crack initiation and propagation in the microstructure evolution solder joints are also investigated. The bending reliabilities improve with the BGA structure and indicate that the highest bending cycle fails with 0.1 wt% of Ni–MWCNTs. The chemical composition and distribution of the Ni–MWCNTs in the solder joints are investigated with electron probe microanalysis. • Test-kits for 3-point bending test were designed with differential structure. • Bending test was performed to evaluate the mechanical properties of solder joints. • Ni-MWCNTs composite solder could improve the bending reliability of Sn58Bi solder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Cu-cored solder ball (CCSB) is often used as the interconnection material for 3D package. The CCSB has a Cu core surrounded by Sn-Ag-Cu alloy. The effect of the Cu core on mechanical reliability of the CCSB was investigated using thermal shock test. Microstructure and thermal shock reliability of the CCSB with organic solderability preservative (OSP) surface finish was compared with that of Sn-3.0wt.%Ag-0.5wt.%Cu (SAC) solder. The thermal shock test was performed in the temperature range of −40 °C to 125 °C in compliance with JESD22-A104. Failure mechanism was analyzed by finite element method analysis. Average number of thermal shock cycles for the CCSB/OSP joints was 1.15 times higher than that for SAC/OSP joints. Maximum value of simulated plastic strain for the SAC/OSP joints was 1.25 times higher than that for the CCSB/OSP joints because the stand-off height of the CCSB/OSP joints could be maintained by the Cu core. • Thermal shock reliability of Cu cored solder joint was investigated. • Simulated stress and strain were reduced because stand-off height of solder ball was maintained by Cu core. • Crack of solder joint was propagated through the solder matrix that was highest simulated plastic strain regions. • Thermal shock reliability of solder joint was improved due to stand-off height. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]