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Damage Evolution in Al Wire Bonds Subjected to a Junction Temperature Fluctuation of 30 K

Journal of Electronic Materials volume 45, pages 3659–3672 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Ultrasonically bonded heavy Al wires subjected to a small junction temperature fluctuation under power cycling from 40°C to 70°C were investigated using a non-destructive three-dimensional (3-D) x-ray tomography evaluation approach. The occurrence of irreversible deformation of the microstructure and wear-out under such conditions were demonstrated. The observed microstructures consist of interfacial and inter-granular cracks concentrated in zones of stress intensity, i.e., near heels and emanating from interface precracks. Interfacial voids were also observed within the bond interior. Degradation rates of ‘first’ and ‘stitch’ bonds are compared and contrasted. A correlative microscopy study combining perspectives from optical microscopy with the x-ray tomography results clarifies the damage observed. An estimation of lifetime is made from the results and discussed in the light of existing predictions.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Innovative Electronics Manufacturing Research Centre (IeMRC) funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through research Grant EP/H03014X/1. The authors also wish to thank Dynex Semiconductor Ltd. for providing the wire bond samples.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, The University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK

    Pearl A. Agyakwa, Li Yang, Elaheh Arjmand, Paul Evans, Martin R. Corfield & C. Mark Johnson

Authors
  1. Pearl A. Agyakwa
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  2. Li Yang
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  3. Elaheh Arjmand
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  4. Paul Evans
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Correspondence to Pearl A. Agyakwa.

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Agyakwa, P.A., Yang, L., Arjmand, E. et al. Damage Evolution in Al Wire Bonds Subjected to a Junction Temperature Fluctuation of 30 K. Journal of Elec Materi 45, 3659–3672 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-016-4519-0

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Keywords

  • Aluminum
  • wire bonds
  • power cycling
  • reliability
  • x-ray tomography
  • high cycle thermal fatigue