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Thermomechanical reliability of a Cu/Sn-3.5Ag solder joint with a Ni insertion layer in flip chip bonding for 3D interconnection

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Abstract

Thermal compression bonding (TCB) has been widely used in flip chip bonding processes for three-dimensional integrated packaging. Therefore, studying the TCB process and solder joint structure is significant for improving reliability. In this study, a Ni layer was deposited between the Cu/Sn-3.5Ag solder bumps of upper and lower chips, and TCB process tests were carried out at different bonding temperatures, forces and times. The solder height at the top and bottom of the copper pillar were recorded. Through the establishment of a mathematical analysis model, the relationship between the solder joint height and maximum stress was analyzed theoretically, and the trend of the shear stress and solder joint height was obtained from die shear tests. Then, the solder joint morphology, strength and microstructure composition of the microbumps were observed after aging. Our results showed that the growth rate of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) for Cu/Sn-3.5Ag microbumps with a 25 μm diameter was 2.5 times those with a 100 μm diameter and that the Ni barrier layer prevented the diffusion of Cu in Sn-3.5Ag solder. In addition, the Ni layer improved the strength of the Cu/Sn-3.5Ag joints after aging. Finally, with extended aging time, the fracture site was found to move from the solder region to the Cu6Sn5 layer for the Cu/Sn-3.5Ag samples, while it remained at the Sn-3.5Ag/IMC interface for the Cu/Ni/Sn-3.5Ag samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of High Performance Complex Manufacturing, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

    Chu Tang, Wenhui Zhu, Zhuo Chen & Liancheng Wang

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  1. Chu Tang
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  2. Wenhui Zhu
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  3. Zhuo Chen
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  4. Liancheng Wang
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Contributions

CT: Data curation, writing—original draft. WZ: Conceptualization, methodology. ZC: Methodology, Writing—review and editing. LW: Conceptualization, methodology, writing—review and editing, supervision.

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Correspondence to Wenhui Zhu or Liancheng Wang.

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Tang, C., Zhu, W., Chen, Z. et al. Thermomechanical reliability of a Cu/Sn-3.5Ag solder joint with a Ni insertion layer in flip chip bonding for 3D interconnection. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 32, 11893–11909 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-021-05819-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-021-05819-4

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