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The effect of Ge on the microstructure, thermal behavior, and mechanical properties of lead-free Sn-5Sb-0.7Cu solder alloy

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Abstract

Nowadays, the development and improvement of physical and mechanical properties of lead-free solders have become a topic of interest for researchers, because the use of lead-containing solders has been banned. In this paper, Sn-5 wt% Sb-0.7 wt% Cu (SSC507) solder is microalloyed by germanium. Alloys were prepared by vacuum induction melting, and their thickness was reduced by rolling to 1 mm and then 300 μm, respectively. Then the physical properties (i.e., microstructure, wetting and thermal behavior) and the mechanical properties (i.e., microhardness, tensile and fractography) of the alloys were investigated. The results indicated that the addition of germanium to the base solder composition resulted in fine-graining and uniform distribution of intermetallic phases in the structure. Germanium additive significantly improved wettability properties by reducing the surface tension of the alloys. The addition of germanium has increased the microhardness of the alloys and, by modifying the microstructure, has improved the yield strength and the ultimate tensile strength of the alloys.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box 14115-143, Tehran, Iran

    Hoda Pooshgan & Homam Naffakh-Moosavy

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  1. Hoda Pooshgan
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by HP and HN-M. The first draft of the manuscript was written by HP and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Homam Naffakh-Moosavy.

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Pooshgan, H., Naffakh-Moosavy, H. The effect of Ge on the microstructure, thermal behavior, and mechanical properties of lead-free Sn-5Sb-0.7Cu solder alloy. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 34, 37 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-022-09496-9

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