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Indium thermal interface material microstructure as a function of thermal history and bonding metallization

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Abstract

Indium has gained attention as a thermal interface material (TIM), in high-power electronics, due to its high thermal conductivity and mechanical compliance. However, there is minimal understanding of the indium microstructure as it is challenging to analyze due to its softness. Samples with indium are difficult to cross-section; conventional mechanical polishing is considered impractical. Instead, slow and expensive focused ion beam techniques have been required. In this study, a cross-section procedure for components with indium was developed based on mechanical polishing, ultrasonic cleaning, etching, and ion milling. With this technique, indium cross-sections that showed microstructural details could be made and studied for changes across different bond metallizations and thermal histories. Electronic packages with indium TIM bonded to Au or Ag metalized Si chips and Ni-coated Cu lids were examined. Intermetallic compounds between In–Au, In–Ag, and In–Ni were investigated with scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The effects of bond metallization, doping, and solder reflow cycles (thermal history) on the indium microstructures were examined.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Indium Corporation® for providing the BGA samples and the financial support of this study by Universal Instruments’ AREA Consortium.

Funding

This work was supported by Universal Instruments’ AREA Consortium.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universal Instruments’ Advanced Process Laboratory, Conklin, NY, 13748, USA

    Peter McClure

  2. Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA

    Yujia Wang

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  1. Peter McClure
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  2. Yujia Wang
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conceptions and design. Sample preparation was done by YW. All authors contributed to the analysis and writing the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Peter McClure.

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McClure, P., Wang, Y. Indium thermal interface material microstructure as a function of thermal history and bonding metallization. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 33, 22810–22820 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-022-09048-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-022-09048-1

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