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A Review of Interface Microstructures in Electronic Packaging Applications: Brazing and Welding Technologies

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Abstract

This report examines the role of interfaces in electronic packaging applications, with a focus on brazing and welding technologies. A previous article addressed interfaces in soldering technology. The discussion considers the roles of base materials, filler metals, including coatings and surface finishes, and brazing and welding processes on interface performance and reliability. Several case studies illustrate the effects of interfaces on the physical and mechanical metallurgy of the joint. Interfaces often develop unexpected microstructures owed to an inherent metastability such that their physical and mechanical properties cannot always be predicted based on equilibrium principles.

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Notes

  1. The plain strain effect is particularly significant in soft solder joints because the filler metals are considerably weaker than the base materials and typically have higher strain rate sensitivities.

  2. The ASTM F19 test specimen can be used to assess the synergistic roles of interface microstructure, process parameters, and residual stresses in a braze joint. Its relatively simple geometry is also well-suited for validating computational models based on finite element analysis.

  3. The entire metallization stack on the ceramic began with the ENEPIG finish on top of a Cu conductor layer between the latter and a Ti/W adhesion layer on the ceramic surface.

  4. The combination of Cu and Au is not a preferred surface finish due to the rapid interdiffusion between Cu and Au, which can take place at room temperature. Fortunately, short storage times between lid fabrication and device sealing did not allow the interdiffusion activity to impede the resistance welding process.

  5. Multiple test points as well as the absence of a Mn peak eliminated sampling volume effects as the source of the Mo signal.

  6. The Al and Cu layers were deposited on a 0.05-µm Ti adhesion layer; the base material was a Si wafer.

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Acknowledgements

The information presented in this report was the result of research and development activities by a large number of dedicated staff and technologists across Sandia over several decades. I would like to acknowledge a few of those individuals: A. Kilgo, B. McKenzie, R. Grant, W. Wallace (dec.), M. Neilsen, P. Hlava (ret.), W. Buttry (ret.), J. Rejent (ret.), M. Grazier (ret.), J. Martin, S. Williams, T. Garcia, and G. Zender (ret.). The author expresses his sincere gratitude to Dr. Rebecca Wheeling for her timely review of the manuscript. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525. This paper describes objective technical results and analysis. Any subjective views or opinions that might be expressed in the paper do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the United States Government.

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    Paul T. Vianco

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Vianco, P.T. A Review of Interface Microstructures in Electronic Packaging Applications: Brazing and Welding Technologies. JOM 74, 3557–3577 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-022-05308-x

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