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Are Sintered Silver Joints Ready for Use as Interconnect Material in Microelectronic Packaging?

Journal of Electronic Materials volume 43, pages 947–961 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

Silver (Ag) has been under development for use as interconnect material for power electronics packaging since the late 1980s. Despite its long development history, high thermal and electrical conductivities, and lead-free composition, sintered Ag technology has limited market penetration. This review sets out to explore what is required to make this technology more viable. This review also covers the origin of sintered Ag, the different types and application methods of sintered Ag pastes and laminates, and the long-term reliability of sintered Ag joints. Sintered Ag pastes are classified according to whether pressure is required for sintering and further classified according to their filler sizes. This review discusses the main methods of applying Ag pastes/laminates as die-attach materials and the related processing conditions. The long-term reliability of sintered Ag joints depends on the density of the sintered joint, selection of metallization or plating schemes, types of substrates, substrate roughness, formulation of Ag pastes/laminates, joint configurations (i.e., joint thicknesses and die sizes), and testing conditions. This paper identifies four challenges that must be overcome for the proliferation of sintered Ag technology: changes in materials formulation, the successful navigation of the complex patent landscape, the availability of production and inspection equipment, and the health concerns of Ag nanoparticles. This paper is expected to be useful to materials suppliers and semiconductor companies that are considering this technology for their future packages.

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Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank his friends, colleagues, previous employers and materials and equipment suppliers who helped him to appreciate this sintered Ag technology. Special thanks go to Z. Chen (NTU) for valuable comments on this paper and to Y.M. Lam (NTU) and another former colleague who wishes to remain anonymous for carefully reviewing this paper.

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  1. Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics (IMEN), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    Kim S. Siow

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Siow, K.S. Are Sintered Silver Joints Ready for Use as Interconnect Material in Microelectronic Packaging?. J. Electron. Mater. 43, 947–961 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-013-2967-3

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Keywords

  • Sintered silver joint
  • lead-free die-attach material
  • nano-silver
  • low temperature joining technique