Faculty Publications
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Item Wettability and bond shear strength of Sn-9Zn lead-free solder alloy reflowed on copper substrate(Trans Tech Publications Ltd ttp@transtec.ch, 2015) Tikale, S.; Sona, M.; Prabhu, K.Lead-free solders are environment friendly and are in great demand for microelectronic applications. In the present study, Sn-9Zn lead free solder alloy was solidified on Cu substrate for different reflow times varying from 10 to 1000s. The influence of reflow time on wetting, bond shear strength and formation of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) was studied using dynamic contact angle analyzer, bond tester and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The results indicate that, the wettability of the solder alloy increased with increase in reflow time. Microstructure study revealed the presence of Cu5Zn8 and CuZn5 IMCs at the interface. The thickness of an IMC increased with increase in the reflow time. A mean thickness of Cu5Zn8 IMC layer of about 11μm was obtained for a reflow time of 1000s. The thickness of CuZn5 layer increased up to a reflow time of 100s and decreased thereafter. The bond shear strength increased up to 100s and decreased with increase in reflow time. The decrease in shear strength at higher reflow time is mainly due to the formation of thick Cu5Zn8 IMC layer and diffusion of Sn from bulk solder towards the substrate. The thick IMC layer exhibited micro-cracks leading to the brittle failure of bond under the influence of shear stress. © (2015) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.Item Effect of cooling rate on joint shear strength of Sn-9Zn lead-free solder alloy reflowed on copper substrate(ASTM International, 2017) Tikale, S.; Sona, M.; Prabhu, K.Reliability of the solder joint largely depends on mechanical strength, fatigue resistance, coefficient of thermal expansion, and intermetallic compound formation. Cooling rate significantly affects the physical properties of an alloy and influences the mechanical behavior of solder joints. In the present study, Sn-9Zn lead-free solder alloy was solidified on Cu substrate under furnace cooling (0.04°C/s), air cooling (0.16°C/s), and water cooling (94°C/s) conditions. The effect of varying cooling rates on the intermetallic compound (IMC) formation at the interface and the resulting joint shear strength was studied. A microstructure study revealed the presence of Cu5Zn8 and CuZn5 intermetallic compounds at the solder-substrate interface. The IMC layer thickness at the interface increased with a decrease in the cooling rate. The joint shear strength increased with an increase in the cooling rate. The air and furnace cooling resulted in the formation of a thick IMC layer. The IMC obtained from the furnace cooling was associated with micro-cracks leading to a decrease in the joint shear strength. © Copyright 2017 by ASTM International.Item Effect of Multiple Reflow Cycles and Al2O3 Nanoparticles Reinforcement on Performance of SAC305 Lead-Free Solder Alloy(Springer New York LLC barbara.b.bertram@gsk.com, 2018) Tikale, S.; Prabhu, K.N.The effect of Al2O3 nanoparticles reinforcement on melting behavior, microstructure evolution at the interface and joint shear strength of 96.5Sn3Ag0.5Cu (SAC305) lead-free solder alloy subjected to multiple reflow cycles was investigated. The reinforced SAC305 solder alloy compositions were prepared by adding Al2O3 nanoparticles in different weight fractions (0.05, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 wt.%) through mechanical dispersion. Cu/solder/Cu micro-lap-shear solder joint specimens were used to assess the shear strength of the solder joint. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to investigate the melting behavior of SAC305 solder nanocomposites. The solder joint interfacial microstructure was studied using scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the increase in melting temperature (TL) and melting temperature range of the SAC305 solder alloy by addition of Al2O3 nanoparticles were not significant. In comparison with unreinforced SAC305 solder alloy, the reinforcement of 0.05-0.5 wt.% of Al2O3 nanoparticles improved the solder wettability. The addition of nanoparticles in minor quantity effectively suppressed the Cu6Sn5 IMC growth, improved the solder joint shear strength and ductility under multiple reflow cycles. However, the improvement in solder properties was less pronounced on increasing the nanoparticle content above 0.1 wt.% of the solder alloy. © 2018, ASM International.Item The effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes reinforcement and multiple reflow cycles on shear strength of SAC305 lead-free solder alloy(ASTM International, 2019) Tikale, S.; Prabhu, N.In this study, the effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) reinforcement on joint shear strength and microstructural development of tin-3.0silver-0.5copper (SAC305)/ copper solder joint subjected to multiple reflow cycles was investigated. The MWCNT-reinforced SAC305 solder systems (SAC305-x MWCNT; x = 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.5 wt.%) were developed by a mechanical dispersion method. The microstructural, mechanical, and melting properties of SAC305 composite solders were evaluated as a function of different wt.% of MWCNT addition. The melting behavior of composite solders was analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry. The morphology and intermetallic compound growth at the solder joint interface were studied using scanning electron microscopy. The copper/solder/ copper micro-lap-shear solder joint specimens reflowed for multiple reflow cycles were systematically characterized to evaluate the joint shear strength. The results showed that the reinforcement in the range of 0.01-0.05 wt.% of MWCNT resulted in the improvement of joint shear strength and better wettability compared to plain SAC305 solder alloy. Amongst all compositions analyzed, SAC305-0.05MWCNT nanocomposite suppressed the intermetallic compound layer growth effectively leading to improvement in the joint shear strength under multiple reflow cycles. © 2019 by ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959Item The effect of reflow temperature on time at the end of gravity zone (TGZ) of Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Cu solder alloy(ASTM International, 2020) Panikar, R.S.; Amogha Skanda, V.; Tikale, S.; Prabhu, K.N.The reflow time for solder until the end of the gravity zone (Tgz) is considered to be the optimum reflow time for obtaining high mechanical performance from lead-free solders. In the present work, the effect of reflow time and temperature on Tgz of Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Cu (SAC387) lead-free solder alloy reflowed on the copper substrate has been investigated. The evolution of interfacial microstructure and solder bond shear strength under different reflow temperatures and time was assessed. Solder balls weighing 0.08 ± 0.01 g were reflowed at 260°C, 280°C, and 300°C for reflow times of 30 s, 60 s, 120 s, and 240 s. Times at the end of the gravity zone for SAC387 solder were obtained as 110 ± 5 s, 55 ± 5 s, and 23 ± 3 s for reflow temperatures of 260°C, 280°C and 300°C, respectively. The contact angle for SAC387 solder on the copper substrate at Tgz was found to be 25.5° ± 0.2° for all reflow temperatures. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the formation of a Cu6Sn5 intermetallic compound (IMC) layer at the interface. The IMC layer thickness increased with increase in reflow temperature and time. Maximum solder joint strength was obtained at Tgz reflow times for all reflow temperatures. Microstructures of samples reflowed beyond the gravity zone showed secondary Cu6Sn5 precipitation in the solder bulk. The present investigation reveals a reduction in Tgz reflow time for SAC387 lead-free solder at higher operating reflow temperatures. © © 2020 by ASTM InternationalItem Development of low-silver content SAC0307 solder alloy with Al2O3 nanoparticles(Elsevier Ltd, 2020) Tikale, S.; Prabhu, K.N.The present study is focused on the development of low Ag content 99Sn-0.3Ag-0.7Cu (SAC0307) solder alloy with Al2O3 nanoparticles reinforcement. The effects of multiple reflow cycles and the addition of Al2O3 nanoparticles in 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 percentages by weight on microstructure development and mechanical strength of the solcder joint were first investigated. The addition of ceramic nanoparticles in 0.01-0.5 wt% range resulted in 15-40% increase in the wetting area and about 10-55% increase in the microhardness of the solder. The shear strength of nanoparticles reinforced SAC0307 solder joint increased by 11-53% under multiple reflow conditions. Nano-composite solder joints containing 0.01 and 0.05 wt% Al2O3 nanoparticles showed superior shear strength and improved ductility for two reflow cycles. Hence, these nano-composites were selected and tested for their performance and joint reliability. The surface mount 2220 capacitor joint assemblies with the selected nano-composites reflowed on bare copper and Ni–P coated Cu substrates were investigated. The reliability of the solder joint was assessed by determining the joint shear strength under varying temperature environments. The nano-composite with 0.05 wt% nanoparticles addition resulted in maximum joint reliability compared to monolithic solder. The Ni–P coating on the Cu substrate significantly hindered the IMC growth at the joint interface under different thermal conditions. The joint strength improved by about 26% for samples reflowed on Ni–P surface finish compared to that on bare Cu metallization. The Weibull analysis of the joint shear strength under all thermal conditions suggest that the addition of Al2O3 nanoparticles in very small amounts to SAC0307 solder and the presence of Ni–P surface finish on Cu substrate significantly enhances the performance and reliability of solder joints. In terms of both quality and reliability, the newly developed low-silver content SAC0307+0.05Al2O3 nano-composite is an effective alternate lead-free solder that can be used in microelectronics industry in place of high-silver content Sn–Ag–Cu solders. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.Item Characterisation of Sn–3.5Ag solder/Cu joint under various reflow conditions(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2022) Georgy, K.; Tikale, S.; Prabhu, K.N.The effect of reflow time and reflow temperatures on wettability and bond shear strength of Sn–3.5Ag solder alloy on a Cu substrate is assessed for reflow times of 10 s, 100 s, 300 s, 500 s and reflow temperatures of 250 °C, 270 °C, 290 °C, 320 °C. The wetting regime was found to have capillary, gravity, and viscous regimes. A microstructural study using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energydispersive spectroscopy revealed the presence of intermetallic compounds at the interface between the substrate and solder droplet. The bond strength of the solder joint is maximum at a reflow temperature of 250 °C and a reflow time of 10 s. Bond shear strength decreased with an increase in reflow time from 10 s to 500 s. The effect of different cooling conditions on the solder–substrate joint is also investigated. © 2022 Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.