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Effect of Sb and Ag Addition and Aging on the Microstructural Evolution, IMC Layer Growth, and Mechanical Properties of Near-Eutectic Sn-Bi Alloys

  • Topical Collection: Electronic Packaging and Interconnections 2023
  • Published:
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Abstract

Low-melting-point Sn-Bi solder joints (melting point: 139°C) show remarkable resistance to damage accumulation during aggressive thermal cycling. In this study, we used isothermal aging at 85°C of near eutectic Sn-Bi solder joints to determine the effect of Sb in solid solution and Ag3Sn intermetallic on microstructural evolution and the resulting mechanical properties as a way to explain the thermal cycling behavior. Most importantly, the Sb in solid solution in these alloys resulted in higher strength and improved creep resistance when compared to eutectic Sn-Bi. In contrast to Sn-Pb and Sn-Ag-Cu Pb-free alloys, all the near-eutectic Sn-Bi alloys tested showed significant age hardening. In both the unaged and aged conditions, both Sb and Ag additions individually increased the saturation stress of the eutectic Sn-Bi solder joint, but Ag had a more significant effect. However, when both Sb and Ag were added to eutectic Sn-Bi, the saturation stress was lower than when 1 wt.% Ag alone was added. In terms of relative behavior, the Sb-free 42Sn-Bi-1Ag aged for 250 h had the highest saturation stress of all tested alloys, while as-reflowed eutectic Sn-Bi had the lowest saturation stress. These results suggest that the alloy design strategy for Sn-Ag-Cu alloys, i.e., assuming that the effects of individual alloying elements are additive and independent, is not valid when Sb is added to Sn-Bi low-temperature solder.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) and Scalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Engagement (SCALE) at Purdue.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Hannah N. Fowler, Sukshitha Achar Puttur Lakshminarayana, Sean Yenyu Lai, Sui **ong Tay, Aleena Masaeng, Ganesh Subbarayan, John E. Blendell & Carol A. Handwerker

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  1. Hannah N. Fowler
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  2. Sukshitha Achar Puttur Lakshminarayana
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  3. Sean Yenyu Lai
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Correspondence to Hannah N. Fowler.

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Fowler, H.N., Puttur Lakshminarayana, S.A., Lai, S.Y. et al. Effect of Sb and Ag Addition and Aging on the Microstructural Evolution, IMC Layer Growth, and Mechanical Properties of Near-Eutectic Sn-Bi Alloys. J. Electron. Mater. 53, 1284–1298 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-023-10866-0

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