Development of Al, Mn, \u26 Zn doped Sn-Ag-Cu-X solders for electronic assembly

摘要

The global electronic assembly community is striving for a robust replacement for leaded solders due to increased environmental regulations. A family of Pb-free solder alloys based on Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) compositions has shown promise; but reliability issues in certain assembly and operating environments have arisen. Elemental (X) additions (Al, Mn, Zn) to SAC3595 were developed recently for better control of heterogeneous nucleation in solder joint solidification. Cu substrate solderability of these SAC+X alloys was investigated at concentrations between 0.01-0.25 wt. % using globule wetting balance tests due to concern about increased oxidation during reflow. Asymmetric four point bend (AFPB) tests were conducted on as-soldered and thermally aged specimens to investigate correlation between decreased shear strength and extended aging time; a common phenomenon seen in solder joints in service. Composition dependence of these X additions also was explored in simplified Cu joints by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and joint microstructure analysis to determine the coupling between undercooling and solidification morphology on single and multiple reflow cycles. Interesting observations by methods such as x-ray diffraction (XRD) and nano-indentation of SAC solder joints with aluminum elemental additions led to promising results and provided a possible solution to promoting heterogeneous nucleation and high reliability in these solder alloys.