Skip to main content
Log in

High impact reliability and high temperature performance of Fe and Bi added Sn-1Ag-0.5Cu solder alloys

  • Published:
Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this paper, the impact performance of the novel Fe and Bi added Sn-1Ag-0.5Cu solders has been thoroughly evaluated under severe thermal aging at 200 °C temperature for 100, 200 and 300 h. Impact absorbed energy was determined using Charpy impact testing machine having a 5.4 m/s impact speed. The impact absorbed energy increased from 8.1 to 9.7 J with 0.05 wt.% Fe and 1 wt.% Bi addition to SAC105, raising by about 20%. With the increase in Bi content, the impact energy of the alloy did not further increase. The changes in the impact absorbed energies were corroborated by the corresponding modulus of toughness. Microstructure study via optical microscopy as well as field emission scanning electron microscopy showed that Bi reduces the sizes of the β-Sn dendrites as well as IMCs particles (Ag3Sn and Cu6Sn5) and, thereby, strengthens the alloy. These microstructural modifications improve the strength but decrease the ductility and, as a result, influence the impact toughness of the alloys. The microstructures of Fe and Bi added SAC105 solder alloys showed better stability than SAC105 during high thermal aging due to the Fe and Bi presence in the solder, which then led to their mechanical stability during severe thermal aging.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. K.J. Puttlitz, G.T. Galyon, Impact of the ROHS directive on high-performance electronic systems. J. Mater. Sci: Mater. Electron. 18, 347–365 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  2. D.R. Frear, Issues related to the implementation of Pb-free electronic solders in consumer electronics. J. Mater. Sci: Mater. Electron. 18, 319–330 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  3. J.-W. Yoon, S.-B. Jung, Effect of isothermal aging on intermetallic compound layer growth at the interface between Sn-3.5Ag-0.75Cu solder and Cu substrate. J. Mater. Sci. 39, 4211–4217 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. D.A. Shnawah, S.B.M. Said, M.F.M. Sabri, I.A. Badruddin, F.X. Che, High-reliability low-Ag-content Sn-Ag-Cu solder joints for electronics applications. J. Electron. Mater. 41, 2631–2658 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. F. Cheng, F. Gao, J. Zhang, W. Jin, X. Xiao, Tensile properties and wettability of SAC0307 and SAC105 low Ag lead-free solder alloys. J. Mater. Sci. 46, 3424–3429 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. P.-C. Shih, K.-L. Lin, Interfacial microstructure and shear behavior of Sn–Ag–Cu solder balls joined with Sn–Zn–Bi paste. J. Alloys Compd. 422, 153–163 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. C.M.L. Wu, D.Q. Yu, C.M.T. Law, L. Wang, Microstructure and mechanical properties of new lead-free Sn-Cu-RE solder alloys. J. Electron. Mater. 31, 928–932 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Y.W. Wang, Y.W. Lin, C.T. Tu, C.R. Kao, Effects of minor Fe, Co, and Ni additions on the reaction between SnAgCu solder and Cu. J. Alloys Compd. 478, 121–127 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. H. Xie, N. Chawla, K. Mirpuri, Thermal and mechanical stability of Ce-containing Sn-3.9Ag-0.7Cu lead-free solder on Cu and electroless Ni-P Metallizations. J. Electron. Mater. 41, 3249–3258 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. B. Ali, Advancement in microstructure and mechanical properties of lanthanum-doped tin-silver-copper lead free solders by optimizing the lanthanum doping concentration, Solder. Surf. Mount. Technol., 27 (2015) 69–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. T. Laurila, J. Hurtig, V. Vuorinen, J.K. Kivilahti, Effect of Ag, Fe, Au and Ni on the growth kinetics of Sn–Cu intermetallic compound layers. Microelectron. Reliab. 49, 242–247 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. L. Yang, Effects of Ag particles content on properties of Sn0.7Cu solder. J. Mater. Sci: Mater. Electron. 24, 1405–1409 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  13. A.A. El-Daly, A.E. Hammad, A. Fawzy, D. A. Nasrallh, Microstructure, mechanical properties, and deformation behavior of Sn–1.0Ag–0.5Cu solder after Ni and Sb additions, Mater Des, 43 (2013) 40–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. A.A. El-Daly, A.M. El-Taher, Improved strength of Ni and Zn-doped Sn–2.0Ag–0.5Cu lead-free solder alloys under controlled processing parameters, Mater Des, 47 (2013) 607–614

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. J. Koo, J. Chang, Y.W. Lee, S.J. Hong, K.-S. Kim, H.M. Lee, New Sn–0.7Cu-based solder alloys with minor alloying additions of Pd, Cr and Ca. J. Alloys Compd. 608, 126–132 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. D.A.-A. Shnawah, M.F.M. Sabri, I.A. Badruddin, S.B.M. Said, F.X. Che, The bulk alloy microstructure and mechanical properties of Sn–1Ag–0.5Cu–xAl solders (x = 0, 0.1 and 0.2 wt. %). J. Mater. Sci: Mater. Electron. 23, 1988–1997 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  17. M.H. Mahdavifard, M.F.M. Sabri, D.A. Shnawah, S.M. Said, I.A. Badruddin, S. Rozali, The effect of iron and bismuth addition on the microstructural, mechanical, and thermal properties of Sn–1Ag–0.5Cu solder alloy. Microelectron. Reliab. 55, 1886–1890 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. S.-K. Seo, S.K. Kang, D.-Y. Shih, H.M. Lee, The evolution of microstructure and microhardness of Sn–Ag and Sn–Cu solders during high temperature aging. Microelectron. Reliab. 49, 288–295 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. I.E. Anderson, J.L. Harringa, Elevated temperature aging of solder joints based on Sn-Ag-Cu: Effects on joint microstructure and shear strength. J. Electron. Mater. 33, 1485–1496 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. N. Mookam, K. Kanlayasiri, Evolution of intermetallic compounds between Sn-0.3Ag-0.7Cu low-silver lead-free solder and Cu substrate during thermal aging. J. Mater. Sci. Technol 28, 53–59 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. H. Ma, J.C. Suhling, A review of mechanical properties of lead-free solders for electronic packaging. J. Mater. Sci. 44, 1141–1158 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. H. Ma, Effects of temperature and strain rate on the mechanical properties of lead-free solders. J. Mater. Sci. 45, 2351–2358 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Z. Chen, M. He, A. Kumar, G.J. Qi, Effect of interfacial reaction on the tensile strength of Sn-3.5Ag/Ni-P and Sn-37Pb/Ni-P solder joints. J. Electron. Mater. 36, 17–25 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. P.T. Vianco, J.A. Rejent, P.F. Hlava, Solid-state intermetallic compound layer growth between copper and 95.5Sn-3.9Ag-0.6Cu solder. J. Electron. Mater. 33, 991–1004 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. C.-Y. Yu, J. Lee, W.-L. Chen, J.-G. Duh, Enhancement of the impact toughness in Sn–Ag–Cu/Cu solder joints via modifying the microstructure of solder alloy. Mater. Lett. 119, 20–23 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. N. Zhang, Y. Shi, Y. Lei, Z. Xia, F. Guo, X. Li, Effect of thermal aging on impact absorbed energies of solder joints under high-strain-rate conditions. J. Electron. Mater. 38, 2132–2147 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. C. Yang, G. Xu, S.W.R. Lee, X. Zhang, Brittle fracture of intermetallic compounds in SAC solder joints under high speed ball pull/pin pull and Charpy impact tests, in: 2013 IEEE 63rd Electronic Components and Technology Conference, 2013, pp. 1294–1299

  28. O. Shengquan, X. Yuhuan, K.N. Tu, M.O. Alam, Y.C. Chan, Micro-impact test on lead-free BGA balls on Au/electrolytic Ni/Cu bond pad, in: Proceedings Electronic Components and Technology, 2005. ECTC ‘05., 2005, pp. 467–471 Vol. 461

  29. V.L. Nguyen, H.-K. Kim, Mechanical properties of lead-free solder joints under high-speed shear impact loading. J. Electron. Mater. 43, 4171–4178 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. H. Tsukamoto, T. Nishimura, S. Suenaga, S.D. McDonald, K.W. Sweatman, K. Nogita, The influence of solder composition on the impact strength of lead-free solder ball grid array joints. Microelectron. Reliab. 51, 657–667 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. C.-Y. Yu, W.-Y. Chen, J.-G. Duh, Improving the impact toughness of Sn–Ag–Cu/Cu–Zn Pb-free solder joints under high speed shear testing. J. Alloys Compd. 586, 633–638 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. N. Zhang, Y. Shi, F. Guo, F. Yang, Study of the impact performance of solder joints by high-velocity impact tests. J. Electron. Mater. 39, 2536–2543 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. T. Kobayashi, A. Lee, K.N. Subramanian, Impact behavior of thermomechanically fatigued Sn-based solder joints. J. Electron. Mater. 38, 2659–2667 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Z. Cai, J.C. Suhling, P. Lall, M.J. Bozack, Mitigation of lead free solder aging effects using doped SAC-X alloys, in: Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm), 2012 13th IEEE Intersociety Conference on, 2012, pp. 896–909

  35. E. Hodúlová, M. Palcut, E. Lechovič, B. Šimeková, K. Ulrich, Kinetics of intermetallic phase formation at the interface of Sn–Ag–Cu–X (X = Bi, In) solders with Cu substrate. J. Alloys. Compd. 509, 7052–7059 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. A.R. Fix, W. Nüchter, J. Wilde, Microstructural changes of lead-free solder joints during long-term ageing, thermal cycling and vibration fatigue, Solder. Surf. Mount. Technol, 20 (2008) 13–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. D.A. Shnawah, M.F.M. Sabri, I.A. Badruddin, S.B.M. Said, T. Ariga, F.X. Che, Effect of Ag content and the minor alloying element Fe on the mechanical properties and microstructural stability of Sn-Ag-Cu solder alloy under high-temperature annealing. J. Electron. Mater. 42, 470–484 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support granted by University of Malaya under UMRG Grants project No: RP003B/13AET and RP014B/13AET, and under PPP grant project No: PG184-2015B.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mohd Faizul Mohd Sabri.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare to have no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ali, B., Sabri, M.F.M., Said, S.M. et al. High impact reliability and high temperature performance of Fe and Bi added Sn-1Ag-0.5Cu solder alloys. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 28, 7277–7285 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-017-6412-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-017-6412-x

Keywords

Navigation