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Sizes effect of CeSn3 on the whiskers growth of SnAgCuCe solder joints in electronic packaging

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Abstract

The relationship between Ce content/CeSn3 sizes and the whiskers growth is newly reported systematically. The whiskers growth can be observed in the surface of bulk CeSn3 particles, the rate of whisker growth was significantly slowed with Ce content lower than 0.1 wt%. At higher concentration of Ce, whisker growth rate becomes higher and noticeable. It is thought that the higher Ce chemical potential for oxidation provides a path for the mechanism of whisker growth. With all the other benefits of Ce addition, the potential to promote whisker growth indicate that only dilute concentration of Ce can be tolerated in SnAgCu alloys without whiskering effect. The results demonstrated that the trace amount of Ce can be utilized as additive into SnAgCu solder in microelectronic industry.

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Acknowledgments

The present work was carried out with the support of the Natural Science Foundation of China (51475220); the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK2012144); the Natural Science Foundation of the Higher Education Institutions of Jiangsu Province (12KJB460005); the Jiangsu University of Science and Technology: Provincial Key Lab of Advanced Welding Technology Foundation (JSAWS-11-03) and the Jiangsu Normal University Foundation (11XLR16).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, 221116, China

    Liang Zhang, Lei Sun, Ji-guang Han & Yong-huan Guo

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Liang Zhang

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  1. Liang Zhang
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  2. Lei Sun
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  3. Ji-guang Han
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  4. Yong-huan Guo
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Correspondence to Liang Zhang.

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Zhang, L., Sun, L., Han, Jg. et al. Sizes effect of CeSn3 on the whiskers growth of SnAgCuCe solder joints in electronic packaging. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 26, 6194–6197 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-015-3202-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-015-3202-1

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