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Influence of Substrate Surface Finish Metallurgy on Lead-Free Solder Joint Microstructure with Implications for Board-Level Reliability

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A Correction to this article was published on 09 May 2020

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Abstract

Solder joints can experience fatigue cracking at the interface between the solder and substrate during thermal cycling due to the difference in thermal expansion between joined components. In order to strengthen the interfacial region and prevent cracking, two Cu pad surface treatments were studied on Sn-3Ag-0.5Cu solder, and on matte Sn plate and Ni plate coatings. The resulting intermetallic microstructures were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. Mechanical testing was performed using nano-indentation on the solder joints. The matte Sn plate on Cu sample formed an uneven distribution of Ag3Sn particles and a planar Cu6Sn5 interfacial intermetallic. The Ni-plated sample formed a needle-like Ni-rich interfacial intermetallic and uniform dispersion of Ag3Sn particles. The rough intermetallic compound (IMC)/solder interface and even IMC particle distribution cause the Ni-plated sample to experience reduced damage under board-level thermomechanical cycling because the interfacial structure reduces the Sn matrix recrystallization that contributes to fatigue cracking. In contrast, the matte Sn-plated sample exhibited an Ag3Sn particle-free zone adjacent to a planar Cu6Sn5 IMC layer which allows for rapid Sn recrystallization and fatigue crack propagation.

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Change history

  • 09 May 2020

    In the original article, there is an error in Fig.��1. Following is the corrected Fig.��1.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge funding for this research from NXP, as well as the use of facilities at the Center for 4D Materials Science at Arizona State University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for 4D Materials Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85281, USA

    Marion Branch Kelly, Tapabrata Maity & Nikhilesh Chawla

  2. NXP Semiconductors, Austin, TX, USA

    A. R. Nazmus Sakib & D. R. Frear

Authors
  1. Marion Branch Kelly
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  2. Tapabrata Maity
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  3. A. R. Nazmus Sakib
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  4. D. R. Frear
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  5. Nikhilesh Chawla
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Correspondence to Nikhilesh Chawla.

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Kelly, M.B., Maity, T., Nazmus Sakib, A.R. et al. Influence of Substrate Surface Finish Metallurgy on Lead-Free Solder Joint Microstructure with Implications for Board-Level Reliability. J. Electron. Mater. 49, 3251–3258 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-020-08013-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-020-08013-0

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