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Subject: search.filters.subject.Lead-free solders

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    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 (-Kτn), 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.
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    Wetting kinetics and joint strength of Sn-0.3Ag-0.7Cu lead-free solder alloy on copper substrate as a function of reflow time
    (Trans Tech Publications Ltd ttp@transtec.ch, 2015) Sona, M.; Prabhu, K.
    Solder plays a vital role in the interconnection of electronic devices in electronic assemblies. As an interconnection material, the solder joint executes electrical, mechanical and thermal functions. The use of lead bearing solders in electronic products is banned due to the toxicity and environmental risks coupled with lead. In the present study, wetting kinetics, interfacial reactions and the formation of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) during solidification of Sn-0.3Ag- 0.7Cu solder alloy on Cu substrate and the corresponding joint strength were studied as a function of reflow time. Experiments were carried out at various reflow times of 10, 100, 300 and 500s. The reflow temperature was maintained at 270°C. The solder alloy showed enhanced wettability on the substrate at longer reflow times. The thickness of IMC layer formed during a reflow time of 10s was 1.67μm and the thickness increased to 2.20μm, 2.85μm, 2.91μm during 100s, 300s and 500s of reflow time respectively. The joint shear test was performed to assess the integrity of Sn-0.3Ag- 0.7Cu solder solidified on Cu substrates using Nordson DAGE 4000 Plus bond tester. The joint strength increased with the increase in reflow time up to 300s and the maximum joint strength was observed for samples reflowed for 300s. Although the samples reflowed for 500s samples showed good wettability, they exhibited lowest joint strength. © (2015) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    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.
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    Comparison of spreading behaviour and interfacial microstructure in Sn-0·7Cu, Sn-0·3Ag-0·7Cu and Sn-2·5Ag-0·5Cu lead free solder alloys on Fe-42Ni substrate
    (Maney Publishing michael.wagreich@univie.ac.at, 2013) Satyanarayan, S.; Prabhu, K.
    In the present work, spreading behaviour and development of interfacial microstructure in Sn- 0·7Cu, Sn-0·3Ag-0·7Cu and Sn-2·5Ag-0·5Cu lead free solder alloys on Fe-42Ni substrates having two different surface textures were investigated. Smooth textured surfaces yielded better wettability than rough surfaces particularly for Sn-0·7Cu solder alloy. Wettability of Sn-0·7Cu solder on rough textured surfaces was found to be poor compared to other solder alloys. Spreading of Sn-0·7Cu solder on substrate surface showed longer viscous regime, Sn-2·5Ag- 0·5Cu solder exhibited shortest viscous regime. Sn-0·3Ag-0·7 solder showed intermediate behaviour. Sn-Cu solder alloy exhibited needle and coarse shaped (Cu,Ni)6Sn5 intermetallics at the interface and in the matrix of the solder alloy on smooth substrate, whereas on rough substrate, formation of only coarse shaped (Cu,Ni)6Sn5 intermetallic compounds (IMCs) was observed. For Sn-0·3Ag-0·7Cu solder alloy, Fe-Ni-Sn and FeSn2 IMCs identified at the interface. (Cu,Ni)6/Sn5 IMCs were found to be less coarser than as observed at Sn-0·7Cu/substrate interface. Sn-2·5Ag-0·5Cu alloy exhibited (Cu,Ni) 3Sn4 and (Cu,Ni)6 Sn5 IMCs at the interface and in the bulk of solder alloy. © 2013 Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.