Testing of the quality of solder joints through the analysis of their thermal behaviour with an interferometric laser probe

We present an optical contactless method for testing the quality of solder joints in surface mounted components by measuring their thermal dynamic behaviour. We detect surface normal displacements induced by Joule heating with a high resolution interferometnc laser probe. This probing method, based upon a homodyne Michelson interferometer, is an interesting tool for investigating the mechanisms of heat deposition and flow inside electronic devices. It allows the precise time evolution of the surface normal displacement to be measured (the laser probe has subnanometric resolution). This new approach of thermal behaviour laser testing is based upon the analysis of the diffusion of heat produced by the Joule effect in the structure (lead, solder and copper strip) from short current pulses and will influence heat diffusion. Solder joint failures (intermetallics, hidden voids, etc. ) behave as a thermal barrier. The optical test consists of measuring the dynamics of the solder joint expansion, and the variations from a standard response (good quality solder joints) will reveal defects. Important variations have been observed in solder joints that have undergone thermal cycling ageing tests. We have also investigated the thermal response of joints on IMS (insulated metallic substrate) and epoxy substrates. They show a very different time response.     

Laser probe measurements of quality evolution of solder joints during thermal cycling ageing tests

We present the results of a non-destructive measuring method allowing us to characterize the evolution of solder joints during thermal cycling ageing tests. The method uses a high resolution optical probe to detect selectively pure Joule and Peltier thermal responses of the solder joint subject to a given current pulse. The results show the Peltier and Joule responses to be good indicators for the evaluation of the age and the degradation of solder joints.     

Experimental and Finite Element Method Studies of J-Lead Solder Joint Reliability

A comprehensive experimental and numerical study of solder joints for plastic leaded chip carrier (PLCC) 84-Pin, 1.27 mm pitch was carried out. The reliability of solder joints was assessed through accelerated thermal cycling at the temperature range of - 55℃-125℃. The samples were taken out to observe the evolution in microstructure, such as grain coarsening, initiation and propagation of cracks. It was found that the Pb-rich phases segregated gradually and formed a continuous layer adjacent to the intermetallic compound (IMC) layer with increasing the number of thermal cycles, resulting in cracks near the solder/lead interface. The response of stress and strain was studied using nonlinear finite element method (FEM), and the results agreed well with the experimental data.     

Applying a physics-of-failure model to predicting surface mount solder joint reliability

To address the wide variety of solder joint configurations, the authors have developed and applied a physics-of-failure model to predicting the service life of solder joints under thermal cycling conditions. The wide variety of solder joint geometries, materials and environments makes it impractical to develop and apply empirical models to predicting the service life of solder joint interconnects. On the other hand, a physics-of-failure model that describes the failure mechanisms in solder joints can be applied to a wide range of conditions. The physics-of-failure model framework is described and a model is demonstrated for predicting the failure of a leadless surface mount solder joint under slow thermal cycling conditions.     

Decrease in fatigue life of Sn - 3.8 wt-%Ag - 1.2 wt-%Cu alloy solder joints due to thermal cycling

Abstract

Copper plates joined with a thin solder layer (60 μm thick) of Sn - 3.8 wt-%Ag - 1.2 wt-% Cu alloy were subjected to heat treatments: a thermal cycling of a temperature range between 321 K and 381 K (Δ T = 60 K) and an isothermal heating at 357 K, and then subjected to a fatigue test at 6 MPa stress amplitude. Solder joints made with a thin solder layer of Sn - Pb eutectic alloy were also examined for comparison. After heat treatments, the η phase developed and dispersed at the bonding interface of the solder joints with increasing numbers of thermal cycling and with increasing time of isothermal heating. Small voids also appeared in the η phase after heat treatments. Fine cracks appeared in the η phase after thermal cycling for 2000 cycles and higher, but no cracks were observed after isothermal heating. There was no large difference in fatigue lifetime after thermal cycling between Sn - Ag - Cu alloy solder joints and Sn - Pb eutectic alloy solder joints. The fatigue lifetime of Sn - Ag - Cu alloy solder joints and Sn - Pb eutectic alloy solder joints was 2 - 3 × 105 with no thermal cycling and was greatly reduced to 0.1 - 0.6 × 10⁵ after 8000 thermal cycles. The fatigue lifetime was also decreased to 0.6 - 1.0 × 10⁵ after isothermal heating for 16 000 min, but the decrease in fatigue lifetime was gradual compared to that after thermal cycling. The decrease in fatigue lifetime after smaller numbers of thermal cycles is explained by coarsening of the η phase, and the large decrease in fatigue lifetime after a large number of thermal cycles is explained by the appearance of cracks in the η phase during thermal cycling.     

Influence of Thermal Cycling on the Microstructure and Shear Strength of Sn3.5Ag0.75Cu and Sn63Pb37 Solder Joints on Au/Ni Metallization

The influence of thermal cycling on the microstructure and joint strength of Sn3.5Ag0.75Cu （SAC） and Sn63Pb37 （SnPb） solder joints was investigated. SAC and SnPb solder balls were soldered on 0.1 and 0.9 μm Au finished metallization, respectively. After 1000 thermal cycles between -40℃ and 125℃, a very thin intermetallic compound （IMC） layer containing Au, Sn, Ni, and Cu formed at the interface between SAC solder joints and underneath metallization with 0.1 μm Au finish, and （Au, Ni, Cu）Sn4 and a very thin AuSn-Ni-Cu IMC layer formed between SAC solder joints and underneath metallization with 0.9 μm Au finish. For SnPb solder joints with 0.1 μm Au finish, a thin （Ni, Cu, Au）3Sn4 IMC layer and a Pb-rich layer formed below and above the （Au, Ni）Sn4 IMC, respectively. Cu diffused through Ni layer and was involved into the IMC formation process. Similar interfacial microstructure was also found for SnPb solder joints with 0.9μm Au finish. The results of shear test show that the shear strength of SAC solder joints is consistently higher than that of SnPb eutectic solder joints during thermal cycling.     

热循环条件下SnAgCu/Cu焊点金属间化合物生长及焊点失效行为

研究了热循环过程中SnAgCu/Cu焊点界面金属间化合物的生长规律及焊点疲劳失效行为。提出了热循环条件下金属间化合物生长的等效方程以及焊点界面区不均匀体模型,并用有限元模拟的方法分析了热循环条件下焊点界面区的应力应变场分布及焊点失效模式。研究结果表明:低温极限较低的热循环,对应焊点的寿命较低。焊点的失效表现为钎料与金属间化合物的界面失效,且金属间化合物厚度越大,焊点中的累加塑性功密度越大,焊点越容易失效。     

Microstructural Evolution and Cracking of Pb-free Ball Grid Array Assemblies under Thermal Cycling

Two kinds of CBGA （ceramic ball grid array） assemblies were made by reflow soldering process using two different Pb-free solders. Microstructural evolution and cracks induced by thermal cycling in CBGA assemblies were examined by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and finite element method （FEM）. Before thermal cycling, intermetallic compounds （IMCs） Cu6Sn5 and Ag3Sn were observed at the solder interface between Cu and Ag metallizations, respectively. After thermal cycling, another IMC Cu3Sn was observed near the Cu pad in both two assemblies and the layers of Cu6Sn5 and Ag3Sn became thicker. As a result of thermal cycling, cyclic stress and strain were accumulated in the solder joint leading to fatigue cracking. Both experiments and FEM revealed that cracks preferred to initiate at the corner of each solder joint. Multi-modes of the crack propagation were found in the two assemblies. Based on Coffin-Manson equation, the thermal fatigue life was calculated and the predicted life showed good agreement with the experimental results.     

Influence of thermal cycling on fatigue strength of Cu/Sn/Cu solder joints

Abstract

The influence of thermal cycling on the fatigue life of Cu/Sn/Cu solder joints has been examined. Copper plates were bonded with tin foil (with a solder thickness of 60 µm) and suffered thermal cycling in a temperature range of 55 or 125 K. Then they were subjected to fatigue testing at a shear stress amplitude of 2 MPa and a frequency of 3.6 Hz. With the increasing number of the thermal cycles, the fatigue life decreased from 3.0×10⁵ to 5.0×10⁴ at thermal cycle 6000. However, the fatigue life did not change so much during thermal cycling in different temperature ranges. When the solder joints suffered the thermal cycling, the η phase at the bonding interface coarsened and elongated, and its arrangement became irregular. After larger numbers of thermal cycles, fine cracks appeared in the η phase parallel to the interface. After fatigue testing, circular patterns were observed inside the bonded region on a fracture surface, and their shape and size became irregular and larger with the increasing number of thermal cycles, respectively. These showed that the reduction in fatigue life was caused by improved propagation of the fatigue crack following changes in the morphology and arrangement of the η phase during thermal cycling.     

Thermal cycling test in Sn-Bi and Sn-Bi-Cu solder joints

The eutectic SnBi solder alloy is a candidate for Pb-free replacement of the conventional eutectic SnPb solders. This study presents series of results on the binary eutectic SnBi and ternary SnBi-1 wt % Cu a solder joints. Compositional analysis and wettability of the as-fabricated solder alloys are reported. In addition, microstructure, adhesion strength, fracture surface and contact resistance of the solder joints are also evaluated. The results of the wetting balance show that the addition of 1 wt % Cu has little effect on the contact angle of the eutectic SnBi solder alloy with various metallization layers. The adhesion strength of solder joints degrades abruptly after 2000 thermal cycles. In addition, thermal cycling would result in cracking in the solder joints, which is due to the mismatch in thermal expansion coefficients. Portions of the thermal fatigue cracks nucleate at the edge of the solder fillet, and then propagate along the solder/conductor interface. Some cracks are, however, through the Al₂O₃ substrate. The contact resistance of the solder/Cu joint does not increase after thermal cycling since the resistivity of Cu₆Sn₅ is lower than that of the solder. The solder joints of 42Sn-58Bi/Cu, SnBi-1Cu/Cu, 42Sn-58Bi/PtAg, and SnBi-1Cu/PtAg assemblies maintain their integrity after 2000 thermal cycles since the increase in contact resistance is rather small (ΔR<0.5 mΩ).     

The coupling effects of thermal cycling and high current density on Sn58Bi solder joints

Currently, one of the serious challenges in microelectronic devices is the miniaturization trend of packaging. As the decrease of joint dimension, electromigration (EM) and thermomechanical fatigue become critical issues for fine pitch packaging. The independent mechanisms of EM and thermomechanical fatigue are widely investigated and understood. However, the coupling effect of both conditions needs further exploration. The current study established the correlation between resistance and microstructure evolution of solder joint under the combination effect of thermal cycling and high current density and illustrated the different contributions of these two factors to the reliability of the joint through the comparison monopoly tests. The results revealed that cracks had more impact on resistance increase than phase segregation. The resistance evolution could be divided into three stages. First, the resistance mitigated due to the phase coarsening. Second, Joule heating effect made the resistance increase slowly. Third, EM led to the resistance increase rapidly. The high current density can help to improve the reliability of the solder joint under the coupling effect of thermal cycling and EM at the initial stage, but harmful to the consequence process.     

Temperature measurement at flip chip solder joint during electromigration test

Measuring the real temperature of a flip chip solder joint during an electromigration test has been a problem because of its small size and the local Joule heating due to a large applied current. A unique method that employs the electrical resistance change in the junction line between two solder joints was introduced to determine the temperature of the solder joint. The change in resistance was converted into temperature using a thermal coefficient of resistance of the junction line. The method accurately measured temperatures of the solder joint within 2 K until the solder joint resistance change ratio reached 100% due to growth of an electromigration void.     

Influence of nanoparticle addition on the formation and growth of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in Cu/Sn–Ag–Cu/Cu solder joint during different thermal conditions

Abstract

Nanocomposite lead-free solders are gaining prominence as replacements for conventional lead-free solders such as Sn–Ag–Cu solder in the electronic packaging industry. They are fabricated by adding nanoparticles such as metallic and ceramic particles into conventional lead-free solder. It is reported that the addition of such nanoparticles could strengthen the solder matrix, refine the intermetallic compounds (IMCs) formed and suppress the growth of IMCs when the joint is subjected to different thermal conditions such as thermal aging and thermal cycling. In this paper, we first review the fundamental studies on the formation and growth of IMCs in lead-free solder joints. Subsequently, we discuss the effect of the addition of nanoparticles on IMC formation and their growth under several thermal conditions. Finally, an outlook on the future growth of research in the fabrication of nanocomposite solder is provided.     

Direct simulation of fatigue failure in solder joints during cyclic shear

A numerical finite element analysis is undertaken to directly simulate failure of solder joint caused by cyclic shear deformation. In the model the tin (Sn)-silver (Ag)-copper (Cu) solder and two copper substrates constitute a lap-shear testing configuration. A progressive damage model is incorporated into the rate-dependent elastic-viscoplastic response of the solder alloy, resulting in the capability of simulating damage evolution and eventual failure through crack formation. The study concerns three different applied shear strain rates, 1, 10 and 100 s⁻¹, under both the monotonic and cyclic loading conditions. It is found that, in the reference case of monotonic loading, the strain at failure can be influenced significantly by the fracture path in the solder. There is a tendency for cracking to occur closer to the interface during cyclic loading. The initiation of fatigue cracks is generally insensitive to the applied strain rate. However, the total fatigue life, in terms of the number of cycles to final failure, is seen to decrease significantly in the case of highest strain rate.     

Numerical evaluation of thermal cycling reliability of high performance flip‐chip package assembly using submodeling analysis

Abstract

This paper applies the submodeling technique in analyzing thermal cycling reliability of high performance flip‐chip ball grid array package assemblies. The packages have one‐piece tunnel‐type heat spreaders with different lead widths, connected to chips using different thermal interface materials. The global model contains no solder bumps to simplify the analysis. The calculated displacement field of the global model is then interpolated on the boundary of the submodel that contains the critical solder bump. The submodel is solved using the prescribed displacement boundary conditions together with external thermal loads to evaluate thermomechanical reliability of the critical solder bump.     

Effect of solder filler thickness on the mechanical stability of fiber-solder-ferrule joint under temperature cyclic loading

The base materials of package and ferrule are often gold-coated Kovar and Invar, they both have relatively low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). Solder 63Sn37Pb dissolves Au substantially and forms brittle AuSn₄, which may cause catastrophic failure in the fiber-solder-ferrule (FSF) joint in the long-term application. It is well known that thermal fatigue creep is one of the crucial factors affecting the life and reliability of a solder joint in electronic and optoelectronic assemblies. Therefore, it is important to understand the behavior of the FSF joint under thermal cyclic loading. In this study, four different thicknesses of solder filler in a FSF joint were examined. By using the finite element method (FEM), the equivalent creep strains of eutectic lead-tin solder were compared. The joints were subjected to 5 cycles of temperature cycling test, i.e., −65 to 150^∘C. It was found that the thicker solder filler is subjected to a larger equivalent creep strain than the thinner solder filler. It is discussed the vertical shift of the optical fiber, which is sensitive to temperature and has effects on the power loss coupling. Modeling and experimental results show that 0.5 mm is the best inner diameter of ferrule that provides the lowest displacement and, thus, the lowest power loss under temperature cycle.     

Temperature cycling effects between Sn/Pb solder and electroless copper plated AIN substrate

Thermal cycling effects on Sn/Pb solder and electroless Cu-plated AIN substrates are investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns reveal the existence of Cu₂O for the electroless Cu-plated AIN after thermal cycling in an environmental chamber. Moisture in the chamber results in the oxidation of electroless plated Cu and fracture takes place at the Cu₂O/Cu interface. The oxidation of Cu is also confirmed by Auger depth profile and electrical sheet resistance measurement. For the solder/Cu/AIN system, fracture occurs at the Cu/solder interface. No intermetallic compounds between solder and Cu are found after thermal cycling. Stress resulting from the thermal expansion mismatch is the major cause of loss of adhesion     

Effects of electromigration on resistance changes in eutectic SnBi solder joints

The motivation of this study is tried to explore the relationship between resistance changes and microstructure evolution of eutectic SnBi solder joints under 10⁴ A/cm² of current density and 50 °C of ambient temperature. A novel type of one-dimensional solder joints was employed to achieve a true uniform distribution of current density, and a real-time data acquisition system was employed to investigate the voltage changes of the eutectic SnBi solder joints during electromigration process. This study suggested that the resistance remained initially due to the interaction between coarsened phase and Joule heating effect, and then increased due to the formation of continuous Bi-rich phase at anode interface, finally remained again due to the phase segregation of Bi- and Sn-rich phases.     

Intermetallic growth study on SnAgCu/Cu solder joint interface during thermal aging

The intermetallic compound (IMC) growth behavior at SnAgCu/Cu solder joint interface under different thermal aging conditions was investigated, in order to develop a framework for correlating IMC layer growth behavior between isothermal and thermomechanical cycling (TMC) effects. Based upon an analysis of displacements for actual flip-chip solder joint during temperature cycling, a special bimetallic loading frame with single joint-shear sample as well as TMC tests were designed and used to research the interfacial IMC growth behavior in SnAgCu/Cu solder joint, with a focus on the influence of stress–strain cycling on the growth kinetics. An equivalent model for IMC growth was derived to describe the interfacial Cu-Sn IMC growth behavior subjected to TMC aging as well as isothermal aging based on the proposed “equivalent aging time” and “effective aging time”. Isothermal aging, thermal cycling (TC) and TMC tests were conducted for parameter determination of the IMC growth model as well as the growth kinetic analysis. The SnAgCu/Cu solder joints were isothermally aged at 125, 150 and 175 °C, while the TC and TMC tests were performed within the temperature range from ?40 to 125 °C. The statistical results of IMC layer thickness showed that the IMC growth for TMC was accelerated compared to that of isothermal aging based on the same “effective aging time”. The IMC growth model proposed here is fit for predicting the IMC layer thickness for SnAgCu/Cu solder joint after any isothermal aging time or thermomechanical cycles. In addition, the results of microstructure evolution observation of SnAgCu/Cu solder joint subjected to TMC revealed that the interfacial zone was the weak link of the solder joint, and the interfacial IMC growth had important influence on the thermomechanical fatigue fracture of the solder joint.     

半导体制冷器工作参数的理论分析

从求解导热微分方程出发，通过合理的简化，将半导体制冷器电臂中的传热问题视为一维稳态导热，并把帕耳贴热看成是电臂冷端面的均匀有限热流，而焦耳热是电臂中的内热源，推导出半导体制冷器的理论工作参数，直接给出焦耳热在电臂冷端和热端的分配情况，无需任何假定，最后对实际工作环境下的半导体制冷器的工作状态作出简略分析。