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Solvent modulation, microstructure evaluation, process optimization, and nanoindentation analysis of micro-Cu@Ag core–shell sintering paste for power electronics packaging

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Abstract

With the development of electronic technology towards high power, miniaturization, and system integration, power electronic packaging is facing increasing challenges, especially for die attachment. This research aims to explore silver-coated copper (Cu@Ag) paste with sufficient mechanical properties and high-temperature reliability, as an alternative solution for silver sintering with lower cost. Firstly, micro-Cu@Ag sintering pastes were investigated under four kinds of polyol-based solvent systems and two types of particle morphologies, which included sphere-type (SCu@Ag) and flake-type (FCu@Ag). Sintering performance and microstructural evolution were compared and analyzed. Notably, sintered joints employing the terpineol–polyethylene glycol solvent system and flake-type morphology displayed a denser microstructure in comparison to SCu@Ag joints. Its bonding strength reached 36.15 MPa, which was approximately 20% higher than SCu@Ag joints. Subsequently, the influence of key sintering process parameters on Cu@Ag joints was analyzed, including sintering temperature, pressure and time. Additionally, high-temperature aging and thermal cycling tests were conducted on the optimized Cu@Ag joints to assess their reliability. Finally, the micromechanical properties of Cu@Ag joints before and after high-temperature aging were further evaluated by nanoindentation including creep properties. The elastoplastic constitutive models of Cu@Ag sintered materials with different particle morphologies were constructed, providing valuable insights for reliability evaluation. The results indicated that FCu@Ag joints exhibited satisfactory creep resistance and high-temperature reliability. In conclusion, the FCu@Ag micro-paste based on the terpineol–polyethylene glycol solvent system proposed in this study demonstrated sufficient bonding strength, high reliability, and adequate mechanical properties as an attractive solution for high-temperature power electronics packaging.

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Data availability

The data that support the finding of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

In this work, the authors would like to thank to Heraeus Materials Technology Shanghai Ltd. for characterization support.

Funding

Funding was provided by Heraeus Materials Technology Shanghai Ltd.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Academy for Engineering & Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China

    Haixue Chen, Xinyue Wang, Zejun Zeng & Pan Liu

  2. Department of Microelectronics, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CD, Delft, The Netherlands

    Guoqi Zhang

  3. Heraeus Materials Technology Shanghai Ltd., Shanghai, 201108, China

    Jing Zhang

  4. Research Institute of Fudan University in Ningbo, Ningbo, 315336, China

    Pan Liu

Authors
  1. Haixue Chen
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  2. Xinyue Wang
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  3. Zejun Zeng
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  4. Guoqi Zhang
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  5. Jing Zhang
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  6. Pan Liu
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Contributions

HC conducted the experiment, analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. XW performed the experiment and analyzed some experimental data. ZZ designed the experiment and collected the data. GZ and JZ provided the experimental equipment and analytical techniques. PL supervised the research.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pan Liu.

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Chen, H., Wang, X., Zeng, Z. et al. Solvent modulation, microstructure evaluation, process optimization, and nanoindentation analysis of micro-Cu@Ag core–shell sintering paste for power electronics packaging. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 34, 1692 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-023-11083-5

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