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Progress in the design of new lead-free solder alloys

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Abstract

Various alloy design approaches have been employed to develop new lead-free solder alloys that can not only substitute for the lead-tin solders, but also offer significantly improved mechanical properties. Three new alloys are described in this article. In Sn-3.5Ag-1Zn (melting point ~217°C), the solidification structure and the eutectic precipitate morphology are6 refined by the addition of zinc. As a result, a high-strength, high-ductility solder with significantly improved creep resistance is obtained. In Bi-43Sn+2.5Fe, a eutectic alloy (melting point ~137°C), dispersion hardening by magnetically distributed iron particles retards both high-temperature deformation and microstructural coarsening, thus widening the useful service range of Bi-Sn eutectic alloys to much higher homologous temperatures than are typical for the Sn-Pb eutectic alloy. Lastly, Sn-Zn-In based alloys (melting point ~185°C) have been developed for consideration as a drop-in replacement for the neareutectic Sn-Pb alloy(melting point ~183°C).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey, USA

    Mark McCormack Ph.D. (postdoctoral member of the technical staff, member of TMS)

  2. Applied Materials and Metallurgy Research Group, AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey, USA

    Sungho Jin Ph.D. (supervisor, member of TMS)

Authors
  1. Mark McCormack Ph.D.
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  2. Sungho Jin Ph.D.
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McCormack, M., Jin, S. Progress in the design of new lead-free solder alloys. JOM 45, 36–40 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03222379

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03222379

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