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Mitigation of Sn Whisker Growth by Composite Ni/Sn Plating

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Abstract

This paper considers the influence of composite pulse electroplated nickel/tin (Ni/Sn) layering on the mitigation of Sn whisker growth. The performance of the composite pulsed plating method in the mitigation of Sn whisker growth is also compared with two other plating procedures. The results indicate that, after a period of 6 months, the composite pulsed plating technique demonstrates much better resistance to Sn whisker growth than other plating techniques such as pure Sn plating and Sn plating with a Ni underlayer onto a brass substrate subjected to various environmental conditions. The primary conclusions are based on the analysis of microstructural characteristics, the average residual stress distribution in the film over different time periods computed by x-ray diffraction, the formation of intermetallic compounds, and the amount of Sn whisker growth in each case.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering, Research Center for Advanced Manufacturing, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA

    Aleksandra Dimitrovska & Radovan Kovacevic

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  1. Aleksandra Dimitrovska
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  2. Radovan Kovacevic
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Correspondence to Radovan Kovacevic.

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Dimitrovska, A., Kovacevic, R. Mitigation of Sn Whisker Growth by Composite Ni/Sn Plating. J. Electron. Mater. 38, 2516–2524 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-009-0930-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-009-0930-0

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