Faculty Publications
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Item Wetting behavior of lead-free solders on copper substrates(Institution of Engineering and Technology jbristow@theiet.org, 2013) Satyanarayan, S.; Prabhu, K.N.The effect of substrate surface roughness on the wetting behavior of Sn-0.7Cu and Sn-0.3Ag-0.7Cu solder alloys on copper (Cu) substrates was investigated. The contact angles of both solder alloys decreased with increase in substrate surface roughness. The exponential power law (EPL), φ = exp (-KÏ„n), was used to model the relaxation behaviour of solders. Solder spreading kinetics was successfully represented by the (EPL). EPL parameters (K and n) alloy decreased with an increase in surface roughness. Spreading of solder alloys on both substrates exhibited capillary, gravity and viscous regimes. High spreading rates in the capillary regime, moderate in gravity regime and almost constant rates in viscous regimes were observed.Item Determination of spread activation energy and assessment of wetting behavior of solders on metallic substrates(American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), 2010) Prabhu, K.N.; Kumar, G.The effects of substrate material, substrate surface roughness, and operating temperature on the wetting behavior of Sn-37Pb, Sn-3.5Ag, and Sn-9Zn eutectic solders on metallic substrates were investigated. Solder spreading kinetics was successfully represented by the exponential power law (EPL): ?=exp (-K ?n). The EPL parameter K has the significance of accelerating the kinetics of relaxation while the parameter n represents the resistance to spreading process (spread resistance parameter). EPL parameters exhibited a decreasing trend with an increase in surface roughness. Estimated activation energies for solder spreading were found to be in between those reported for inert and highly reactive spreading systems. © 2010 American Society of Mechanical Engineers.Item Wetting behavior of solders(2010) Kumar, G.; Prabhu, K.N.Lead bearing solders have been used extensively in the assembly of modern electronic circuits. However, increasing environmental and health concerns about the toxicity of lead has led to the development of lead-free solders. Wetting of solders on surfaces is a complex and important phenomenon that affects the interfacial microstructure and hence the reliability of a solder joint. The solder material reacts with a small amount of the base metal and wets the metal by intermetallic compound (IMC) formation. The degree and rate of wetting are the two important parameters that characterize the wetting phenomenon. Contact angle is a measure of the degree of wetting or wettability of a surface by a liquid. Spreading kinetics in a given system is strongly affected by the experimental conditions. In reactive systems like soldering, wetting and chemical interfacial reactions are interrelated, and hence for successful modeling, it is essential to assess the effect of interfacial reactions on kinetics of wetting. Solder wetting necessarily involves the metallurgical reactions between the filler metal and the base metal. This interaction at the solder/base metal interface results in the formation of IMCs. During soldering an additional driving force besides the imbalance in interfacial energies originates from the interfacial reactions. The formation of IMC has significant influence on contact angle. The presence of IMCs (thin, continuous, and uniform layer) between solders and substrate metals is an essential requirement for good bonding. Optimum thickness of an IMC layer offers better wettability and an excellent solder joint reliability. However, due to their inherent brittle nature and tendency to generate structural defects, a too thick IMC layer at the interface may degrade the joint. In this paper, the factors affecting the wetting behavior of solders and evolution of interfacial microstructure are reviewed and discussed. Copyright © 2010 by ASTM International.Item Wetting behaviour and evolution of microstructure of Sn-Ag-Zn solders on copper substrates with different surface textures(2010) Satyanarayan, S.; Prabhu, K.N.The effect of surface roughness on wetting behaviour and evolution of microstructure of two lead-free solders (Sn-2.625Ag-2.25Zn and Sn-1.75Ag-4.5Zn) on copper substrate was investigated. Both solders exhibited good wettability on copper substrates having rough surface and lower wettabilty on smooth surfaces. The contact angles of solders decreased linearly with increase in surface roughness of the substrate. The exponential power law, ?=exp(-K ?n), was used to model the relaxation behaviour of solders. A high intermetallic growth was observed at the interface particularly on copper substrates with rough surface texture. A thin continuous interface showing scallop intermetallic compounds (IMC) was obtained on smooth surfaces. With an increase in surface roughness, the IMC morphology changed from scallop shaped to needle type at the Sn-2.625Ag-2.25Zn solder/substrate interface and nodular to plate like IMCs for Sn-1.75Ag-4.5Zn solder matrix. Copyright © 2010 by ASTM International.Item Wetting behaviour and evolution of microstructure of Sn-Ag-Zn solders on copper substrates with different surface textures(ASTM International, 2011) Satyanarayan, S.; Prabhu, K.N.The effect of surface roughness on wetting behaviour and evolution of microstructure of two lead-free solders (Sn-2.625Ag-2.25Zn and Sn-1.75Ag-4.5Zn) on copper substrate was investigated. Both solders exhibited good wettability on copper substrates having rough surface and lower wettabilty on smooth surfaces. The contact angles of solders decreased linearly with increase in surface roughness of the substrate. The exponential power law, ?=exp(-KT -1), was used to model the relaxation behaviour of solders. A high intermetallic growth was observed at the interface particularly on copper substrates with rough surface texture. A thin continuous interface showing scallop intermetallic compounds (IMC) was obtained on smooth surfaces. With an increase in surface roughness, the IMC morphology changed from scallop shaped to needle type at the Sn-2.625Ag-2.25Zn solder/ substrate interface and nodular to plate like IMCs for Sn-1.75Ag-4.5Zn solder matrix. Copyright © 2010 by ASTM International.Item Wetting behavior of solders(ASTM International, 2011) Kumar, G.; Prabhu, K.N.Lead bearing solders have been used extensively in the assembly of modern electronic circuits. However, increasing environmental and health concerns about the toxicity of lead has led to the development of lead-free solders. Wetting of solders on surfaces is a complex and important phenomenon that affects the interfacial microstructure and hence the reliability of a solder joint. The solder material reacts with a small amount of the base metal and wets the metal by intermetallic compound (IMC) formation. The degree and rate of wetting are the two important parameters that characterize the wetting phenomenon. Contact angle is a measure of the degree of wetting or wettability of a surface by a liquid. Spreading kinetics in a given system is strongly affected by the experimental conditions. In reactive systems like soldering, wetting and chemical interfacial reactions are interrelated, and hence for successful modeling, it is essential to assess the effect of interfacial reactions on kinetics of wetting. Solder wetting necessarily involves the metallurgical reactions between the filler metal and the base metal. This interaction at the solder/base metal interface results in the formation of IMCs. During soldering an additional driving force besides the imbalance in interfacial energies originates from the interfacial reactions. The formation of IMC has significant influence on contact angle. The presence of IMCs (thin, continuous, and uniform layer) between solders and substrate metals is an essential requirement for good bonding. Optimum thickness of an IMC layer offers better wettability and an excellent solder joint reliability. However, due to their inherent brittle nature and tendency to generate structural defects, a too thick IMC layer at the interface may degrade the joint. In this paper, the factors affecting the wetting behavior of solders and evolution of interfacial microstructure are reviewed and discussed. Copyright © 2010 by ASTM International.Item Effect of cooling rate during solidification of Sn-9Zn lead-free solder alloy on its microstructure, tensile strength and ductile-brittle transition temperature(Elsevier Ltd, 2012) Prabhu, K.N.; Deshapande, P.; Satyanarayan, S.Solidification rate is an important variable during processing of materials, including soldering, involving solidification. The rate of solidification controls the metallurgical microstructure at the solder joint and hence the mechanical properties. A high tensile strength and a lower ductile-brittle transition temperature are necessary for reliability of solder joints in electronic circuits. Hence in the present work, the effect of cooling rate during solidification on microstructure, impact and tensile properties of Sn-9Zn lead-free solder alloy was investigated. Four different cooling media (copper and stainless steel moulds, air and furnace cooling) were used for solidification to achieve different cooling rates. Solder alloy solidified in copper mould exhibited higher cooling rate as compared to other cooling media. The microstructure is refined as the cooling rate was increased from 0.03 to 25 °C/s. With increase in cooling rate it was observed that the size of Zn flakes became finer and distributed uniformly throughout the matrix. Ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) of the solder alloy increased with increase in cooling rate. Fractured surfaces of impact test specimens showed cleavage like appearance and river like pattern at very low temperatures and dimple like appearance at higher temperatures. The tensile strength of the solder alloy solidified in Cu and stainless moulds were higher as compared to air and furnace cooled samples. It is therefore suggested that the cooling rate during solidification of the solder alloy should be optimum to maximize the strength and minimize the DBTT. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.Item Assessment of Joint Reliability of Sn–2.5Ag–0.5Cu Solder/Cu as a Function of Reflow Time(Springer India sanjiv.goswami@springer.co.in, 2016) Sona, M.; Prabhu, K.N.Solder interconnect reliability is exceedingly influenced by the solder material properties, the intermetallics formed during soldering, and the environmentally imposed loads. The current study involves the study of the wetting behaviour, interfacial reactions and growth of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in Sn–2.5Ag–0.5Cu lead free solder solidified on Cu substrate as function of reflow time. The reflow temperature was maintained at 270 °C and reflow time was varied from 10 to 10,000 s. The solder alloy showed better wettability on the substrate with the increase in reflow time. A growth in Cu6Sn5 IMC thickness was observed up to a reflow time of 500 s. IMC layer formed during a reflow time of 10 s was 3.09 ?m and its thickness increased to 4.40, 8.21, 10.96 ?m during 100, 300 and 500 s reflow time respectively. A decrease in the thickness of IMC was observed for samples reflowed for 1000 s. The IMC thickness increased with further increase in reflow time. The joint reliability of Sn–2.5Ag–0.5Cu solder solidified on copper substrate surfaces was assessed by performing bond shear test. The average shear strength decreased with an increase in reflow time after an optimum value. © 2015, The Indian Institute of Metals - IIM.Item Effect of Reflow Time on Wetting Behavior, Microstructure Evolution, and Joint Strength of Sn-2.5Ag-0.5Cu Solder on Bare and Nickel-Coated Copper Substrates(Springer New York LLC barbara.b.bertram@gsk.com, 2016) Sona, M.; Prabhu, K.N.The effect of reflow time on wetting behavior of Sn-2.5Ag-0.5Cu lead-free solder on bare and nickel-coated copper substrates has been investigated. The solder alloy was reflowed at 270°C for various reflow times of 10 s, 100 s, 300 s, and 500 s. On bare copper substrate, the intermetallic compound (IMC) thickness increased with increase in reflow time, whereas on Ni-coated Cu substrate, the IMC thickness increased up to 300 s followed by a drop for solder alloy reflowed for 500 s. The spreading behavior of the solder alloy was categorized into capillary, gravity (diffusion), and viscous zones. Gravity zone was obtained from 3.8 ± 0.43 s to 38.97 ± 3.38 s and from 5.99 ± 0.5 s to 77.82 ± 8.84 s for the Sn-2.5Ag-0.5Cu/Cu and Sn-2.5Ag-0.5Cu/Ni/Cu system, respectively. Sn-2.5Ag-0.5Cu solder alloy was also reflowed for the period corresponding to the end of the gravity zone (40 s and 80 s on bare and Ni-coated Cu, respectively). The joint strength was maximum at reflow time of 40 s and 80 s for the Sn-2.5Ag-0.5Cu/Cu and Sn-2.5Ag-0.5Cu/Ni/Cu system, respectively. The dynamic contact angle at the end of the gravity (diffusion) zone (?gz) was found to be a better parameter compared with the stabilized contact angle (?f) to assess the effect of the wettability of the liquid solder on the microstructure and joint strength. The present investigation reveals the significance of the gravity zone in assessment of optimum reflow time for lead-free solder alloys. © 2016, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society.Item The Effect of Wetting Gravity Regime on Shear Strength of SAC and Sn-Pb Solder Lap Joints(Springer New York LLC barbara.b.bertram@gsk.com, 2017) Sona, M.; Prabhu, K.N.The failure of solder joints due to imposed stresses in an electronic assembly is governed by shear bond strength. In the present study, the effect of wetting gravity regime on single-lap shear strength of Sn-0.3Ag-0.7Cu and Sn-2.5Ag-0.5Cu solder alloys reflowed between bare copper substrates as well as Ni-coated Cu substrates was investigated. Samples were reflowed for 10 s, Tgz (time corresponding to the end of gravity regime) and 100 s individually and tested for single-lap shear strength. The single-lap shear test was also carried out on eutectic Sn-Pb/Cu- and Sn-Pb/Ni-coated Cu specimens to compare the shear strength values obtained with those of lead-free alloys. The eutectic Sn-Pb showed significantly higher ultimate shear strength on bare Cu substrates when compared to Sn-Ag-Cu alloys. However, SAC alloys reflowed on nickel-coated copper substrate exhibited higher shear strength when compared to eutectic Sn-Pb/Ni-coated Cu specimens. All the substrate/solder/substrate lap joint specimens that were reflowed for the time corresponding to the end of gravity regime exhibited maximum ultimate shear strength. © 2017, ASM International.