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Electromigration-induced Pb and Sn whisker growth in SnPb solder stripes

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Abstract

Electromigration at 5 × 104 A/cm2 and 100 °C was conducted to grow composite Pb/Sn whiskers from SnPb solders, in which a Pb whisker grows first and then a whisker of Sn grows. In some cases, small Sn islands are embedded in Pb whiskers. The diameter of a composite whisker is <1 μm, which is much smaller than that of spontaneous Sn whisker growth on leadframes. The growth orientation of Pb whiskers was in the [110], [1¯11], and [112] directions. This investigation proposes that compressive stress generated by electromigration at the anode provides the force driving whisker growth. Therefore, accelerated tests of whisker growth at higher temperatures using electromigration are feasible.

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Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank the National Science Council of Taiwan, Republic of China, for financially supporting this research under Contract No. NSC 96-2628-E-009-010-MY3.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Hsin-chu, 30010, Taiwan, Republic of China

    C.C. Wei, P.C. Liu & Chih Chen

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, 90095-1595

    K.N. Tu

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  1. C.C. Wei
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  2. P.C. Liu
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  3. Chih Chen
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  4. K.N. Tu
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Correspondence to Chih Chen.

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Wei, C., Liu, P., Chen, C. et al. Electromigration-induced Pb and Sn whisker growth in SnPb solder stripes. Journal of Materials Research 23, 2017–2022 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2008.0253

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