Microstructure characterization of Sn-Ag solder joints between stud bumps and metal pads

The microstructure of the flip-chip solder joints fabricated using stud bumps and Pb-free solder was characterized. The Au or Cu stud bumps formed on Al pads on Si die were aligned to corresponding metal pads in the substrate, which was printed with Sn-3.5Ag paste. Joints were fabricated by reflowing the solder paste. In the solder joints fabricated using Au stud bumps, Au-Sn intermetallics spread over the whole joints, and the solder remained randomly island-shaped. The δ-AuSn, ε-AuSn₂, and η-AuSn₄ intermetallic compounds formed sequentially from the Au stud bump. The microstructure of the solder joints did not change significantly even after multiple reflows. The AuSn₄ was the main phase after reflow because of the fast dissolution of Au. In the solder joints fabricated using Cu stud bumps, the scallop-type Cu₆Sn₅ intermetallic was formed only at the Cu interface, and the solder was the main phase. The difference in the microstructure of the solder joints with Au and Cu stud bumps resulted from the dissolution-rate difference of Au and Cu into the solder.     

Effect of burn-in on shear strength of 63Sn-37Pb solder joints on an Au/Ni/Cu substrate

A study was performed to examine the effect of burn-in and Au-plating thickness on the shear strength of 63Sn-37Pb solder joints in ball grid array (BGA) packages. The Au-plating thicknesses of 0.3 μm, 0.6 μm, 0.9 μm, and 1.4 μm were evaluated. An isothermal aging temperature of 150°C was employed to simulate burn-in conditions. The evolution of the bulk solder microstructure and intermetallic compounds at the solder joint interface were characterized and correlated to the measured shear strength. The strength of the solder joints with 0.3-μm Au plating was approximately three times higher than the thicker platings after aging. Solder joints with 0.3-μm Au plating failed within the solder matrix, and their strength was dependent upon the bulk solder microstructure and composition. The weakness of the solder joints with thicker Au platings was attributed to the formation of a brittle AuSn₄/Ni₃Sn₄ interface and a ductile Pb-rich layer at the interface.     

Effects of Pd addition on Au stud bumps/Al pads interfacial reactions and bond reliability

The main purposes for developing low-alloyed Au bonding wires were to increase wire stiffness and to control the wire loop profile and heat-affected zone length. For these reasons, many alloying elements have been used for the various Au bonding wires. Although there have been many studies reported on wire strengthening mechanisms by adding alloying elements, few studies were performed on their effects on Au bonding wires and Al pad interfacial reactions. Palladium has been used as one of the important alloying elements of Au bonding wires. In this study, Au-1wt.%Pd wire was used to make Au stud bumps on Al pads, and effects of Pd on Au/Al interfacial reactions, at 150°C, 175°C, and 200°C for 0 to 1200 h thermal aging, were investigated. Cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and electron probe microanalysis (EMPA) were performed to identify intermetallic compound (IMC) phases and Pd behavior at the Au/Al bonding interface. According to experimental results, the dominant IMC was Au₅Al₂, and a Pd-rich layer was at the Au wire and Au-Al IMC. Moreover, Au-Al interfacial reactions were significantly affected by the Pd-rich layer. Finally, bump shear tests were performed to investigate the effects of Pd-rich layers on Au wire bond reliability, and there were three different failure modes. Cracks, accompanied with IMC growth, formed above a Pd-rich layer. Furthermore, in longer aging times, fracture occurred along the crack, which propagated from the edges of a bonding interface to the center along a Pd-rich layer.     

Soldering-induced Cu diffusion and intermetallic compound formation between Ni/Cu under bump metallization and SnPb flip-chip solder bumps

Nickel-based under bump metallization (UBM) has been widely used as a diffusion barrier to prevent the rapid reaction between the Cu conductor and Sn-based solders. In this study, joints with and without solder after heat treatments were employed to evaluate the diffusion behavior of Cu in the 63Sn-37Pb/Ni/Cu/Ti/Si₃N₄/Si multilayer structure. The atomic flux of Cu diffused through Ni was evaluated from the concentration profiles of Cu in solder joints. During reflow, the atomic flux of Cu was on the order of 10¹⁵–10¹⁶ atoms/cm²s. However, in the assembly without solder, no Cu was detected on the surface of Ni even after ten cycles of reflow. The diffusion behavior of Cu during heat treatments was studied, and the soldering-process-induced Cu diffusion through Ni metallization was characterized. In addition, the effect of Cu content in the solder near the solder/intermetallic compound (IMC) interface on interfacial reactions between the solder and the Ni/Cu UBM was also discussed. It is evident that the (Cu,Ni)₆Sn₅ IMC might form as the concentration of Cu in the Sn-Cu-Ni alloy exceeds 0.6 wt.%.     

Effect of adding Sb on microstructure and adhesive strength of Sn-Ag solder joints

This study investigates the influence of adding Sb on the microstructure and adhesive strength of the Sn3.5Ag solder. Both solidus and liquidus temperatures increase as Sb additions increase. Adding 1.5wt.%Sb leads to the narrowest range (6.6°C) between the solidus and liquidus temperature of the solder. Adding Sb decomposes the as-soldered ringlike microstructure of Sn3.5Ag and causes solid-solution hardening. The as-soldered hardness increases with increasing Sb addition. For long-term storage, adding Sb reduces the size of the rodlike Ag₃Sn compounds. The hardness also increases with increasing Sb addition. Adding Sb depresses the growth rate of interfacial intermetallic compounds (IMCs) layers, but the difference between 1% and 2% Sb is not distinct. For mechanical concern, adding Sb improves both adhesive strength and thermal resistance of Sn3.5Ag, where 1.5% Sb has the best result. However, adding Sb causes a variation in adhesive strength during thermal storage. The more Sb is added, the higher the variation reveals, and the shorter the storage time requires. This strength variation helps the solder joints to resist thermal storage.     

Influence of transient flow and solder bump resistance on underfill process

The underfill flow process is one of the important steps in Microsystems technology. One of the best known examples of such a process is with the flip-chip packaging technology which has great impact on the reliability of electronic devices. For optimization of the design and process parameters or real-time feedback control, it is necessary to have a dynamic model of the process that is computationally efficient yet reasonably accurate. The development of such a model involves identifying any factors that can be neglected with negligible loss of accuracy. In this paper, we present a study of flow transient behavior and flow resistance due to the presence of an array of solder bumps in the gap. We conclude (1) that the assumption of steady flow in the modeling of the flow behavior of fluids in the flip-chip packaging technology is reasonable, and (2) the solder bump resistance to the flow can not be neglected when the clearance between any two solder bumps is less than 60-70 μm. We subsequently present a new model, which extends the one proposed by Han and Wang in 1997 by considering the solder bump resistance to the flow.     

Fluxless wetting propeities of one-side-coated under bump metallurgy and top surface metallurgy

The wetting balance test was performed in an attempt to estimate the fluxless wetting properties of under bump metallurgy (UBM)-coated Si-wafer and top surface metallurgy (TSM)-coated glass substrate to SnPb solder. The wetting curves of the single-and double-side-coated UBM had a similar shape and the parameters characterizing the curve shape showed a similar tendency as a function of temperature. Wetting property estimation was possible with the new wettability indices from the wetting curves of one side-coated specimens; F_min, F_s, and t_s. Au/Cu/Cr UBM was better than Au/Ni/Ti UBM from the point of wetting time. For TSM, it was more effective to use Cu as a wetting layer with Au as a protection layer than to use Au as a wetting layer alone. The contact angle of one-side-coated Si-plate to SnPb solder can be calculated from the force balance equation by measuring static state force and tilt angle. The contact angles of Au/Cu/Cr and Au/Ni/Ti UBM of Si-wafer to SnPb solder were 59.9° and 63.9°, respectively. The contact angles of Au/Cu/Cr and Au/Cr TSM of glass to SnPb were 78.9 and 76.1°, respectively.     

Geometrical effect of bump resistance for flip-chip solder joints: Finite-element modeling and experimental results

The bump resistance of flip-chip solder joints was measured experimentally and analyzed by the finite-element method. Kelvin structures for flip-chip solder joints were designed and fabricated to measure the bump resistance. The measured value was only about 0.9 mΘ at room temperature, which was much lower than that expected. Three-dimensional (3-D) modeling was performed to examine the current and voltage distribution in the joint. The simulated value was 7.7 mΘ, which was about 9 times larger than the experimental value. The current crowding effect was found to be responsible for the difference in bump resistance. Therefore, the measured bump resistance strongly depended on the layout of the Kelvin structure. Various layouts were simulated to investigate the geometrical effect of bump resistance, and a significant geometrical effect was found. A proper layout was proposed to measure the bump resistance correctly. The Kelvin structure would play an important role in monitoring void formation and microstructure changes during the electromigration of flip-chip solder joints.     

Reliability investigation and interfacial reaction of ball-grid-array packages using the lead-free Sn-Cu solder

The interfacial reactions between two Sn-Cu (Sn-0.7Cu and Sn-3Cu, wt.%) ball-grid-array (BGA) solders and the Au/Ni/Cu substrate by solid-state isothermal aging were examined at temperatures between 70°C and 170°C for 0 to 100 days. For the Sn-0.7Cu solder, a (Cu,Ni)₆Sn₅ layer was observed in the samples aged at 70–150°C. After isothermal aging at 170°C for 50 days, the solder/Ni interface exhibited a duplex structure of (Cu,Ni)₆Sn₅ and (Ni,Cu)₃Sn₄. For the Sn-3Cu solder, only the (Cu,Ni)₆Sn₅ layer was formed in all aged samples. Compared to these two Sn-Cu solders, the Cu content in the (Cu,Ni)₆Sn₅ layer formed at the interface increased with the Cu concentration in the Sn-xCu solders. And, the shear strength was measured to evaluate the effect of the interfacial reactions on the mechanical reliability as a function of aging conditions. The shear strength significantly decreased after aging for 1 day and then remained nearly unchanged by further prolonged aging. In all the samples, the fracture always occurred in the bulk solder. Also, we studied the electrical property of Cu/Sn-3Cu/Cu BGA packages with the number of reflows. The electrical resistivity increased with the number of reflows because of an increase of intermetallic compound (IMC) thickness.     

The joint strength and microstructure of fluxless Au/Sn solders in InP-based laser diode packages

The joint strength and microstructure of fluxless Au/Sn solders in InP-based laser-diode packages after thermal-aging testing were studied experimentally and numerically. Specimens were aged at 150°C for up to 64 days. The joint strength decreased as aging time increased. The microstructure and fracture surface of the Au/Sn solder joints showed that the joint strength decrease was caused by both the enlargement of the initial voids and an increase in the number of voids as the aging time increased. Finite-element method (FEM) simulations of joint strength were in good agreement with experimental measurements. Both experimental and numerical results indicate that the enlargement of the initial voids and an increase in the number of voids, caused by stress concentration as the aging period increased, resulted in the weakness of joint strength. The effect of temperature-cycling testing on the power variation of the InP laser diodes using fluxless Au/Sn solders was also studied. It was shown that the laser diodes operated in the stable condition up to 500 cycles.     

Effects of microstructural evolution and intermetallic layer growth on shear strength of ball-grid-array Sn-Cu solder joints

The shear strength of ball-grid-array (BGA) solder joints on Cu bond pads was studied for Sn-Cu solder containing 0, 1.5, and 2.5 wt.% Cu, focusing on the effect of the microstructural changes of the bulk solder and the growth of intermetallic (IMC) layers during soldering at 270°C and aging at 150°C. The Cu additions in Sn solder enhanced both the IMC layer growth and the solder/IMC interface roughness during soldering but had insignificant effects during aging. Rapid Cu dissolution from the pad during reflow soldering resulted in a fine dispersion of Cu₆Sn₅ particles throughout the bulk solder in as-soldered joints even for the case of pure Sn solder, giving rise to a precipitation hardening of the bulk solder. The increased strength of the bulk solder caused the fracture mode of as-soldered joints to shift from the bulk solder to the solder/IMC layer as the IMC layer grew over a critical thickness about 1.2 m for all solders. The bulk solder strength decreased rapidly as the fine Cu₆Sn₅ precipitates coarsened during aging. As a consequence, regardless of the IMC layer thickness and the Cu content of the solders, the shear strength of BGA solder joints degraded significantly after 1 day of aging at 150°C and the shear fracture of aged joints occurred in the bulk solder. This suggests that small additions of Cu in Sn-based solders have an insignificant effect on the shear strength of BGA solderjoints, especially during system use at high temperatures.     

Sn0.7Cu-xEr/Cu焊点界面反应及其化合物层生长行为研究

通过回流焊工艺制备了Sn0.7Cu-x Er/Cu(x=0,0.1,0.5)钎焊接头,研究钎焊温度及等温时效时间对接头的界面金属间化合物(IMC)的形成与生长行为的影响。结果表明:Sn0.7Cu钎料中微量稀土Er元素的添加,能有效抑制钎焊及时效过程中界面IMC的形成与生长。在等温时效处理过程中,随着时效时间的延长,界面反应IMC层不断增厚,在相同时效处理条件下,Sn0.7Cu0.5Er/Cu焊点界面IMC层的厚度略小于Sn0.7Cu0.1Er/Cu焊点界面的厚度。通过线性拟合方法,得到Sn0.7Cu0.1Er/Cu和Sn0.7Cu0.5Er/Cu焊点界面IMC层的生长速率常数分别为3.03×10–17 m2/s和2.67×10–17 m2/s。     

Intermetallic growth studies on Sn-Ag-Cu lead-free solder joints

Solid-state intermetallic compound (IMC) growth behavior plays an important role in solder joint reliability of electronic packaging assemblies. The morphology and growth of interfacial IMC compounds between 95.5Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Cu Pb-free solders and nickel/gold (Ni/Au) surface finish on BGA solder joint specimen is reported. Digital imaging techniques were employed in the measurement of the average IMC growth thickness. The IMC growth behavior subjected to isothermal aging exposure at 125°C, thermal cycling (TC), and thermal shock (TS) with upper soak temperatures of 125°C are compared. An equivalent isothermal aging time is proposed for comparison of IMC layer growth data. It was noted that IMC layer growth under thermal cycling and thermal shock aging gives an acceleration factor of 1.4 and 2.3 based on the equivalent isothermal aging time.     

Microstructure and thermal behavior of Sn-Zn-Ag solders

The microstructure and thermal behavior of the Sn-Zn-Ag solder were investigated for 8.73–9% Zn and 0–3.0% Ag. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis shows the Ag-Zn compound when the solder contains 0.1% Ag. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis results indicate that Ag₅Zn₈ and AgZn₃ become prominent when the Ag content is 0.3% and above. Meanwhile, the Zn-rich phase is refined, and the Zn orientations gradually diminish upon increase in Ag content. The morphology of the Ag-Zn compound varies from nodular to dendrite structure when the Ag content increases. The growth of the Ag-Zn compounds is accompanied by the diminishing of the eutectic structure of the Sn-9Zn solder. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) investigation reveals that the solidus temperature of these solders exists at around 198°C. A single, sharp exothermic peak was found for the solders with Ag content less than 0.5%. Liquidus temperatures were identified with the DSC analysis to vary from 206°C to 215°C when the Ag content ranges from 1.0% to 3.0%     

Inhibiting the formation of (Au1−xNix)Sn4 and reducing the consumption of Ni metallization in solder joints

The effects of adding a small amount of Cu into eutectic PbSn solder on the interfacial reaction between the solder and the Au/Ni/Cu metallization were studied. Solder balls of two different compositions, 37Pb-63Sn (wt.%) and 36.8Pb-62.7Sn-0.5Cu, were used. The Au layer (1 ± 0.2 μm) and Ni layer (7 ± 1 μm) in the Au/Ni/Cu metallization were deposited by electroplating. After reflow, the solder joints were aged at 160°C for times ranging from 0 h to 2,000 h. For solder joints without Cu added (37Pb-63Sn), a thick layer of (Au_1−xNi_x)Sn₄ was deposited over the Ni₃Sn₄ layer after the aging. This thick layer of (Au_1−xNi_x)Sn₄ can severely weaken the solder joints. However, the addition of 0.5wt.%Cu (36.8Pb-62.7Sn-0.5Cu) completely inhibited the deposition of the (Au_1−xNi_x)Sn₄ layer. Only a layer of (Cu_1-p-qAu_pNi_q)₆Sn₅ formed at the interface of the Cu-doped solder joints. Moreover, it was discovered that the formation of (Cu_1-p-qAu_pNi_q)₆Sn₅ significantly reduced the consumption rate of the Ni layer. This reduction in Ni consumption suggests that a thinner Ni layer can be used in Cu-doped solder joints. Rationalizations for these effects are presented in this paper.     

InSb面阵探测器铟柱缺陷成因与特征研究

通过基于正性光刻胶的不同像元尺寸铟柱阵列及器件制备,研究In Sb面阵探测器铟柱缺陷成因与特征.分别研制了像元尺寸为50μm×50μm、30μm×30μm、15μm×15μm的面阵探测器的铟柱阵列,并制备出In Sb面阵探测器,利用高倍光学显微镜和焦平面测试系统对制备的芯片表面形貌、器件连通性及性能进行了检测与分析.研究结果表明:当像元尺寸为50μm×50μm时,芯片表面形貌和器件连通性测试结果较好;随着像元尺寸减小,芯片表面会出现铟柱相连或铟柱缺失缺陷,器件连通性测试结果与表面形貌相吻合.铟柱相连缺陷是由光刻剥离时残留铟渣引起的铟相连造成;铟柱缺失缺陷是由光刻时残留光刻胶底膜引起的铟柱缺失造成.器件相连缺陷元的响应电压与正常元基本相同,缺失缺陷元的响应电压基本为0,其周围最相邻探测单元响应电压相比正常元增加了约25%.器件缺陷元的研究结果,对通过优化探测器制作水平提升其性能具有重要参考意义.     

FCBGA高铅凸块non-wet的失效机制及基于封装工艺的解决方案

FCBGA封装芯片中晶片凸块和基片凸块之间的non-wet问题是一个已知的能导致严重低良品率和引入可靠性隐患的问题。本文研究了FCBGA封装形式中non-wet的典型失效模式和揭示了其生成机制, 并确定了晶片凸块表面残留的铅和锡氧化物是导致晶片凸块和基片凸块之间non-wet的主要成因。晶片凸块回流工艺实验表明,优化后的回流时间和氢气流速能显著减少和去除晶片凸块表面的铅锡氧化物,从而能把non-wet引起的报废率降低90%左右。 失效分析结果和量产数据都验证了本文揭示的non-wet的失效机制是正确的。 研究确定的凸块回流工艺的优化参数显著降低了non-wet引起的报废率,从而大大地节省了制造成本和提高了产能利用率。     

The influence of thermal aging on joint strength and fracture surface of Pb/Sn and Au/Sn solders in laser diode packages

The joint strength and fracture surface of Pb/Sn and Au/Sn solders in laserdiode packages after thermal-aging testing were studied experimentally. Specimens were aged at 150°C for up to 49 days. The joint strength decreased as aging time increased. The microstructure and fracture surface of the Pb/Sn and Au/Sn solder joints showed that the joint strength decrease was caused by both the enlargement of the initial voids and an increase in the number of voids as aging time increased. The formation of Kirkendall voids with intermetallic-compound (IMC) growth of the Pn/Sn solder as aging time increased was also a possible mechanism for the joint-strength reduction. Finite-element method (FEM) simulations were performed on the joint-strength estimation of Pb/Sn and Au/Sn solders in thermal-aging tests. The coupled thermal-elasticity-plasticity model was used to simulate distributions of the thermal and residual stresses, creep deformation, and joint-strength variations in the solder joints under various thermal-aging tests. Simulation results were in good agreement with the experimental measurements that the solder-joint strength decreased as aging time increased. The result suggests that the FEM is an effective method for analyzing and predicting the solder-joint strength in laserdiode packages.     

倒装芯片互连凸点电迁移的研究进展

电子产品向便携化、小型化、高性能方向发展,促使集成电路的集成度不断提高,体积不断缩小,采用倒装芯片互连的凸点直径和间距进一步减小和凸点中电流密度的进一步提高,由此出现电迁移失效引起的可靠性问题.本文回顾了倒装芯片互连凸点电迁移失效的研究进展,论述了电流聚集和焊料合金成分对凸点电迁移失效的影响,指出了倒装芯片互连凸点电迁移研究亟待解决的问题.     

微尺寸SnAg凸点的制备技术及其互连可靠性

用电镀法制备了尺寸小于100μm的面阵列Sn-3.0Ag凸点.芯片内凸点的高度一致性约1.42%,Φ100mm硅圆片内的高度一致性约3.57%,Ag元素在凸点中分布均匀.研究了不同回流次数下SnAg/Cu的界面反应和孔洞形成机理,及其对凸点连接可靠性的影响.回流过程中SnAg与Cu之间Cu6Sn5相的生长与奥氏熟化过程相似.SnAg/Cu6Sn5界面中孔洞形成的主要原因是相转变过程中发生的体积缩减.凸点的剪切强度随着回流次数的增多而增大,且多次回流后SnAg/Cu界面仍然结合牢固.Cu6Sn5/Cu平直界面中形成的孔洞对凸点的长期可靠性构成威胁.