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Impact of Isothermal Aging on Long-Term Reliability of Fine-Pitch Ball Grid Array Packages with Sn-Ag-Cu Solder Interconnects: Die Size Effects

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Abstract

The interaction between isothermal aging and long-term reliability of fine-pitch ball grid array (BGA) packages with two different die sizes was investigated. Both 5 mm × 5 mm and 10.05 mm × 10.05 mm die-attached packages with Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu (wt.%) solder balls were used to compare the correlation between the internal strain difference and isothermal aging on microstructural evolution during thermal cycling. To determine their long-term reliability, the samples were isothermally aged and thermally cycled from 0°C to 100°C with 10-min dwell time. Based on Weibull plots for each aging condition, the packages with large dies attached showed shorter characteristic lifetimes, because of the relatively higher stress, but showed less lifetime degradation with isothermal aging compared with the smaller die-attached samples. Microstructure analysis using orientation imaging microscopy (OIM) revealed the evolution of the microstructure during thermal cycling, showing a higher degree of recrystallization inside the bulk solder for joints that were isothermally aged and experienced higher stress. The possible mechanisms giving rise to these observations are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Component Quality and Technology Group, Cisco Systems, Inc., San Jose, CA, 95134, USA

    Tae-Kyu Lee, Weidong Xie & Kuo-Chuan Liu

  2. Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Bite Zhou & Thomas Bieler

Authors
  1. Tae-Kyu Lee
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  2. Weidong Xie
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  3. Bite Zhou
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  4. Thomas Bieler
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  5. Kuo-Chuan Liu
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Correspondence to Tae-Kyu Lee.

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Lee, TK., Xie, W., Zhou, B. et al. Impact of Isothermal Aging on Long-Term Reliability of Fine-Pitch Ball Grid Array Packages with Sn-Ag-Cu Solder Interconnects: Die Size Effects. J. Electron. Mater. 40, 1967–1976 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-011-1702-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-011-1702-1

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