Effects of Ce and La Additions on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Sn-9Zn Solder Joints

The effects of rare-earth elements on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Sn-9Zn alloys and solder joints in ball grid array packages with Ni/Au(ENIG) surface finishes have been investigated. Metallographic observations showed that (Ce_0.8Zn_0.2)Sn₃ and (La_0.9Zn_0.1)Sn₃ intermetallic compounds appeared in the solder matrix of Sn-9Zn-0.5Ce and Sn-9Zn-0.5La alloys, respectively. Both fiber- and hillock-shaped tin whiskers were inhibited in the Sn-9Zn-0.5Ce solder, while tin fibers were still observed on the surface of oxidized (La_0.9Zn_0.1)Sn₃ intermetallics in Sn-9Zn-0.5La after air exposure at room temperature. Mechanical testing indicated that the tensile strength of Sn-9Zn alloys doped with Ce and La increased significantly, and the elongation decreased, in comparison with the undoped Sn-9Zn. The bonding strengths of the as-reflowed Sn-9Zn-0.5Ce and Sn-9Zn-0.5La solder joints were also improved. However, aging treatment at 100°C and 150°C caused degradation of ball shear strength in all specimens. During the reflowing and aging processes, AuZn₈ intermetallic phases appeared at the interfaces of all solder joints. In addition, Zn-rich phases were observed to migrate from the solder matrix to the solder/pad interfaces of the aged specimens.     

Effect of thermal cycling on the growth of intermetallic compounds at the Sn-Zn-Bi-In-P lead-free solder/Cu interface

The low-temperature Sn-9Zn-1.5Bi-0.5In-0.01P lead-free solder alloy is used to investigate the intermetallic compounds (IMCs) formed between solder and Cu substrates during thermal cycling. Metallographic observation, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and electron diffraction analysis are used to study the IMCs. The γ-Cu₅Zn₈ IMC is found at the Sn-9Zn-1.5Bi-0.5In-0.01P/Cu interface. The IMC grows slowly during thermal cycling. The fatigue life of the Sn-9Zn-1.5Bi-0.5In-0.01P solder joint is longer than that of Pb-Sn eutectic solder joint because the IMC thickness of the latter is much greater than that of the former. Thermodynamic and diffusivity calculations can explain the formation of γ-Cu₅Zn₈ instead of Cu-Sn IMCs. The growth of IMC layer is caused by the diffusion of Cu and Zn elements. The diffusion coefficient of Zn in the Cu₅Zn₈ layer is determined to be 1.10×10⁻¹² cm²/sec. A Zn-rich layer is found at the interface, which can prevent the formation of the more brittle Cu-Sn IMCs, slow down the growth of the IMC layer, and consequently enhance the fatigue life of the solder joint.     

Effects of Trace Amounts of Rare Earth Additions on Microstructure and Properties of Sn-Bi-Based Solder Alloy

The effect of trace amounts of rare earth additions on the microstructure and properties were studied for the Sn-58Bi and Sn-58Bi-Ag solder alloys. At the same time, the intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in the solder alloys and intermetallic layer (IML) thickness at the solder/Cu substrate interface were investigated, both as-reflowed and after high-temperature aging. The results indicate that adding trace amounts of rare earth (RE) elements has little influence on the melting temperature and microhardness of the solders investigated, but adding RE elements improves the wettability and shear strength of the Sn-58Bi and Sn-58Bi-Ag solder alloys. In addition, it was found that the addition of RE elements not only refines the microstructure and size of the IMC particles, but also decreases the IML thickness and shear strength of the Sn-58Bi solder joint after high-temperature aging. Adding trace amounts of RE elements is superior to adding trace amounts of Ag for improving the properties of the Sn-58Bi solder. The reason may be related to the modification of the microstructure of the solder alloys due to the addition of trace amounts of RE elements.     

Effect of thermal cycling on the adhesion strength of Sn-9Zn-xAg-Cu interface

The effect of thermal cycling on the adhesion strength of the Sn-9Zn-xAg-Cu interface has been investigated by using pull-off tester, X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectrometer. The Sn-9Zn-xAg lead-free solders offer a better thermal cyclic resistance than the 63Sn-37Pb and Sn-9Zn solder alloys. The adhesion strength of the Sn-9Zn-Cu interface increases from 4.4 /spl plusmn/ 0.4 MPa to 13.8 /spl plusmn/ 0.9 MPa with increasing the thermal cycles from zero to three times but it decreases to 8.5 /spl plusmn/ 0.8 MPa for five cycles. The Sn-9Zn-xAg solder alloys (x=0.5, 2.5, and 3.5 wt%) have a similar tendency and the maximum adhesion strength of 21.41 /spl plusmn/ 1.5 MPa for the Sn-9Zn-2.5Ag solder alloy has been obtained after three thermal cycles. The adhesion strength of the Sn-9Zn-1.5Ag-Cu interface increases from 7.8 /spl plusmn/ 0.6 to 16.6 /spl plusmn/ 0.9 MPa with increasing the thermal cycles from 0 to 5 times.     

Effect of Cr additions on interfacial reaction between the Sn-Zn-Bi solder and Cu/electroplated Ni substrates

Intermetallic compounds (IMCs) growth on the Sn-8Zn-3Bi (-Cr) solder joints with Cu and electroplated Ni substrates was investigated after aging at 150 °C. It was found that the IMCs were the Cu₅Zn₈ and Ni₅Zn₂₁ at the solder/Cu and solder/Ni interface, respectively. The IMCs growth rate at the Sn-8Zn-3Bi-Cr/Cu and Ni interface was slower than that at Sn-8Zn-3Bi/Cu interface (about 1/2 times) and Sn-8Zn-3Bi/Ni interface (about 1/4 times) during aging. The reason may be that Cr reacts with Zn and forms the Sn-Zn-Cr phase which block the diffusion of Zn atom to the interface and slow down the IMCs growth rate.     

Effect of substrate metallization on interfacial reactions and reliability of Sn-Zn-Bi solder joints

The scope of this paper covers a comprehensive study of the lead-free Sn-Zn-Bi solder system, on Cu, electrolytic Ni/Au and electroless Ni(P)/Au surface finishes. This includes a study of the shear properties, intermetallic compounds at the substrate-ball interface and dissolution of the under bump metallization. The Sn-8Zn-3Bi (wt.%) solder/Cu system exhibited a low shear load with thick IMCs formation at the interface. The dissolution of the Cu layer in the Sn-Zn-3Bi solder is higher than that of the other two Ni metallizations. It was found that the formation of a thick Ni-Zn intermetallic compound (IMC) layer at the solder interface of the electrolytic Ni bond pad reduced the mechanical strength of the joints during high temperature long time liquid state annealing. The solder ball shear-load for the Ni(P) system during extended reflow increased with an increase of reflow time. No spalling was noticed at the interface of the Sn-Zn-3Bi solder/Ni(P) system. Sn-8Zn-3Bi solder with electroless Ni(P) metallization appeared as a good combination in soldering technology.     

Interfacial Reactions Between Sn-Zn Alloys and Au Substrate

The interfacial reactions of Sn-xZn/Au couples aged at 160°C were investigated. When the Zn content was 3?wt.%, binary Au-Sn intermetallic compounds (IMCs) and ternary Au-Sn-Zn phase were formed at the interface. Both binary Au-Sn and Au-Zn and ternary Au-Sn-Zn IMCs were formed at the Sn-5Zn/Au interface. When the Zn content was 7?wt.%, Sn-xZn/Au couples were completely transformed into an Au-Zn system. Based on ln?d?=?nln?t?+?ln?k, where d is IMC thickness, t is aging time, and n is the growth exponent, the n value of Sn-xZn/Au (x?<?5?wt.%) couples was between 0.25 and 0.33. Sn-xZn/Au (x?=?7?wt.% to 15?wt.%) couples also had similar results when the aging times were 144?h. The n value of the Sn-50Zn/Au couple was 0.5, and the reaction mechanism was diffusion controlled. The n value for the Sn-90Zn/Au couple was 0.19. The results indicated that adding Zn to Sn-Zn alloys would change the reaction system from the Au-Sn system into the Au-Zn system.     

Plasma reflow bumping of Sn-3.5 Ag solder for flux-free flip chip package application

A new flux-free reflow process using Ar+10%H/sub 2/ plasma was investigated for application to solder bump flip chip packaging. The 100-/spl mu/m diameter Sn-3.5wt%Ag solder balls were bonded to 250-/spl mu/m pitch Cu/Ni under bump metallurgy (UBM) pattern by laser solder ball bonding method. Then, the Sn-Ag solder balls were reflowed in Ar+H/sub 2/ plasma. Without flux, the wetting between solder and UBM occurred in Ar+H/sub 2/ plasma. During plasma reflow, the solder bump reshaped and the crater on the top of bump disappeared. The bump shear strength increased as the Ni/sub 3/Sn/sub 4/ intermetallic compounds formed in the initial reflow stage but began to decrease as coarse (Cu,Ni)/sub 6/Sn/sub 5/ grew at the solder/UBM interface. As the plasma reflow time increased, the fracture mode changed from ductile fracture within the solder to brittle fracture at the solder/UBM interface. The off-centered bumps self-aligned to patterned UBM pad during plasma reflow. The micro-solder ball defects occurred at high power prolonged plasma reflow.     

Intermetallic compounds and adhesion strength between the Sn-9Zn-1.5Ag-0.5Bi lead-free solder and unfluxed Cu substrate

The intermetallic compounds (IMCs) formed at the interface between the Sn-9Zn-1.5Ag-0.5Bi lead-free solder alloy and unfluxed Cu substrate have been investigated by x-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The melting point and melting range of the Sn-9Zn-1.5Ag-0.5Bi solder alloy are determined as 195.9°C and 10°C, respectively, by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Cu₆Sn₅ and Cu₅Zn₈ IMCs are formed between the Sn-9Zn-1.5Ag-0.5Bi/unfluxed Cu substrate wetted at 250°C for 10 sec. The interfacial adhesion strength changes from 10.27±0.68 MPa to 8.58±0.59 MPa when soldering time varies from 10 sec to 30 sec at 250°C.     

Microstructure, joint strength and failure mechanisms of SnPb and Pb-free solders in BGA packages

The microstructure, joint strength and failure mechanisms of SnPbAg, SnAg and SnAgCu solders on Cu/Ni/Au BGA pad metallization were investigated after multiple reflows or high temperature aging. In the SnPbAg system, a two-layer structure, i.e., Ni/sub 3/Sn/sub 4/ and (Au, Ni)Sn/sub 4/, was formed at the solder-substrate metallization interface after aging at 125, 150, and 175/spl deg/C. However, such structure was not present in the two Pb-free solder systems. Only a layer of Ni/sub 3/Sn/sub 4/ intermetallic compound in the SnAg system and a layer of Cu-Sn-Ni-Au intermetallic compound in the SnAgCu system were found at respective interfaces, even after the two solder systems had been heat treated for 1000 h at the afore-mentioned temperatures. The formation of the (Au, Ni)Sn/sub 4/ ternary compound in the SnPbAg system was due to re-settlement of Au at the interface which led to brittle failure in this system during ball shear testing. In contrast, SnAg and SnAgCu systems failed exclusively inside the solder ball during shear testing after aging at 150/spl deg/C for up to 1000 h. The two Pb-free solder systems showed good resistance to thermal aging with the solder ball shear strength being maintained at 1.60 to 1.70 kgf. The SnPbAg system degraded in mechanical performance with aging time and had strength as low as 1.20 kgf after aging at 150/spl deg/C for 1000 h. The growth rates of intermetallic compound layers at 125, 150, and 175/spl deg/C aging temperatures and the activation energy for the formation of different intermetallic compound layers were also determined in this investigation.     

Microstructure, solderability, and growth of intermetallic compounds of Sn-Ag-Cu-RE lead-free solder alloys

The near-eutectic Sn-3.5 wt.% Ag-0.7 wt.% Cu (Sn-3.5Ag-0.7Cu) alloy was doped with rare earth (RE) elements of primarily Ce and La of 0.05–0.25 wt.% to form Sn-3.5Ag-0.7Cu-xRE solder alloys. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of the addition of RE elements on the microstructure and solderability of this alloy. Sn-3.5Ag-0.7Cu-xRE solders were soldered on copper coupons. The thickness of the intermetallic layer (IML) formed between the solder and Cu substrate just after soldering, as well as after thermal aging at 170°C up to 1000 h, was investigated. It was found that, due to the addition of the RE elements, the size of the Sn grains was reduced. In particular, the addition of 0.1wt.%RE to the Sn-3.5Ag-0.7Cu solder improved the wetting behavior. Besides, the IML growth during thermal aging was inhibited.     

Effect of Zn Addition on Interfacial Reactions Between Sn-4Ag Solder and Ag Substrates

In this study, the effect of Zn (Zn = 1 wt.%, 3 wt.%, and 7 wt.%) additions to Sn-4Ag solder reacting with Ag substrates was investigated under solid-state and liquid-state conditions. The composition and microstructure of the intermetallic compounds (IMCs) significantly changed due to the introduction of different Zn contents. In the case of Sn-4Ag solder with 1 wt.% Zn, a continuous Ag-Sn IMC layer formed on the Ag substrates; discontinuous Ag-Zn layers and Sn-rich regions formed on the Ag substrates under liquid-state conditions when the Sn-4Ag solders contained 3 wt.% and 7 wt.% Zn. If 3 wt.% Zn was added to Sn-4Ag solder, the Ag-Sn IMC would be transformed into a Ag-Zn IMC with increasing aging time. Rough interfaces between the IMCs and the Ag substrates were observed in Sn-4Ag-7Zn/Ag joints after reflowing at 260°C for 15 min; however, the interfaces between the IMCs and the Ag substrates became smooth for Sn-4Ag-1Zn/Ag and Sn-4Ag-3Zn/Ag joints. The nonparabolic growth mechanism of IMCs was probed in the Sn-4Ag-3Zn/Ag joints during liquid-state reaction, and can be attributed to the detachment of IMCs. On the other hand, the effect of gravity was also taken into account to explain the formation of IMCs at the three different interfaces (bottom, top, and vertical) during the reflow procedure.     

Influence of interfacial reaction layer on reliability of chip-scale package joint from using Sn-37Pb and Sn-8Zn-3Bi solder

The microstructure of Sn-37Pb and Sn-8Zn-3Bi solders and the full strength of these solders with an Au/Ni/Cu pad under isothermal aging conditions were investigated. The full strengths tended to decrease as the aging temperature and time increased, regardless of the properties of the solders. The Sn-8Zn-3Bi had higher full strength than Sn-37Pb. In the Sn-37Pb solder, Ni₃Sn₄ compounds and irregular-shaped Pb-rich phase were embedded in a β-Sn matrix. The Ni₃Sn₄ compounds were observed at the interface between the solder and pad. The microstructure of the as-reflowed Sn-8Zn-3Bi solder mainly consists of the β-Sn matrix scattered with Zn-rich phase. Zinc first reacted with Au and then was transformed to the AuZn compound. With aging, Ni₅Zn₂₁ compounds were formed at the Ni layer. Finally, a Ni₅Zn₂₁ phase, divided into three layers, was formed with column-shaped grains, and the thicknesses of the layers were changed.     

Interfacial microstructure and shear strength of Ag nano particle doped Sn-9Zn solder in ball grid array packages

Sn-9Zn solder joints containing Ag nano particles were prepared by mechanically mixing Ag nano particles (0.3, 0.5 and 1 wt%) with Sn-9Zn solder paste. In the monolithic Sn-Zn solder joints, scallop-shaped AuZn₃ intermetallic compound layers were found at their interfaces. However, after the addition of Ag nano particles, an additional uniform AgZn₃ intermetallic compound layer well adhered to the top surface of the AuZn₃ intermetallic compound layer was found. In addition, in the solder ball region, fine spherical-shaped AgZn₃ intermetallic compound particles were observed as well as Zn-rich and β-Sn phases. With the addition of Ag nano particles, the shear strengths consistently increased with an increase in the Ag nano particle content due to the uniform distribution of fine AgZn₃ intermetallic compound particles. The shear strength of monolithic Sn-Zn and 1 wt% Ag nano particle content Sn-Zn solder joints after one reflow cycle were about 42.1 MPa and 48.9 MPa, respectively, while their shear strengths after eight reflow cycles were about 39.0 MPa and 48.4 MPa, respectively. The AgZn₃ IMCs were found to be uniformly distributed in the β-Sn phase for Ag particle doped Sn-9Zn composite solder joints, which result in an increase in the tensile strength, due to a second phase dispersion strengthening mechanism. The fracture surface of monolithic Sn-Zn solder exhibited a brittle fracture mode with a smooth surface while Sn-Zn solder joints containing Ag nano particles showed a typical ductile failure with very rough dimpled surfaces.     

Depressing effect of 0.2wt.%Zn addition into Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu solder alloy on the intermetallic growth with Cu substrate during isothermal aging

The formation and growth of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in lead-free solder joints, during soldering or subsequent aging, have a significant effect on the thermal and mechanical behavior of solder joints. In this study, the effects of a 0.2wt.%Zn addition into Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu (SAC) lead-free solder alloys on the growth of IMCs with Cu substrates during soldering and subsequent isothermal aging were investigated. During soldering, it was found that a 0.2wt.%Zn addition did not contribute to forming the IMC, which was verified as the same phase structure as the IMC for Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu/Cu. However, during solid-state isothermal aging, the IMC growth was remarkably depressed by the 0.2 wt.% Zn addition in the SAC solder matrix, and this effect tended to be more prominent at higher aging temperature. The activation energy for the overall IMC growth was determined as 61.460 and 106.903 kJ/mol for Sn-Ag-Cu/Cu and Sn-Ag-Cu-0.2Zn/Cu, respectively. The reduced diffusion coefficient was confirmed for the 0.2Zn-containing solder/Cu system. Also, thermodynamic analysis showed the reduced driving force for the Cu₆Sn₅ IMC with the addition of Zn. These may provide the evidence to demonstrate the depressing effect of IMC growth due to the 0.2wt.%Zn addition in the Sn-Ag-Cu solder matrix.     

Characterization of lead-free solders and under bump metallurgies for flip-chip package

A variety of Pb-free solders and under bump metallurgies (UBMs) was investigated for flip chip packaging applications. The result shows that the Sn-0.7Cu eutectic alloy has the best fatigue life and it possess the most desirable failure mechanism in both thermal and isothermal mechanical tests regardless of UBM type. Although the electroless Ni-P UBM has a much slower reaction rate with solders than the Cu UBM, room temperature mechanical fatigue is worse than on the Cu UBM when coupled with either Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Cu or Sn-3.5Ag solder. The Sn-37Pb solder consumes less Cu UBM than all other Pb-free solders during reflow. However, Sn-37Pb consumes more Cu after solid state annealing. Studies on aging, tensile, and shear mechanical properties show that the Sn-0.7Cu alloy is the most favorable Pb-free solder for flip chip applications. When coupled with underfill encapsulation in a direct chip attach (DCA) test device, the Sn-0.7Cu bump with Cu UBM exhibits a characteristic life or 5322 cycles under -55/spl deg/C/+150/spl deg/C air-to-air thermal cycling condition.     

Comparative study of wetting behavior and mechanical properties (microhardness) of Sn-Zn and Sn-Pb solders

In this paper the solder balling, wetting, spreading, slumping and microhardness testing of the Sn-Zn based solders have been compared with the Sn-Pb solder. Two types of solders (Sn-9Zn and Sn-8Zn-3Bi) have been investigated along with Sn-37Pb solder for reference. The variation of these tests has been done as a function of reflow temperature from 220-250 °C. Solder balls of these three solder pastes after 15 min heating at 230 °C show no ball formation surrounding the central ball. Spread test shows that above 240 °C Sn-9Zn is very good and can be comparable to Sn-37Pb. The wetting angle of Sn-9Zn (39°) at 250 °C is even lower than the Sn-37Pb solder (41°). In case of Sn-8Zn-3Bi, the wetting angle is very high (77°) at 220 °C, which is unacceptable but it drops down to 48° at 250 °C. Line profiles of slump test show that after preheating at 160 °C, Sn-9Zn behaves similar to Sn-37Pb with better distinction in the finer pitch (120 μm). Microhardness shows two different characteristics for eutectic and non-eutectic solder pastes. Hardness of Sn-37Pb and Sn-9Zn (eutectic) decreases with increasing reflow temperature while the microhardness of Sn-8Zn-3Bi (non-eutectic) increases with increasing reflow temperature. Microstructural characterization at 220 and 250 °C shows grain coarsening in Sn-37Pb and Sn-9Zn solders, which cause the hardness to drop a little. For Sn-8Zn-3Bi, with increasing temperature the amount of hard Bi segregation increases which is the main cause of the rise in hardness. SEM images show the formation of Pb rich islands in Sn-37Pb, formation of Zn rod from spheroids in Sn-9Zn and precipitation of Bi-rich phase in Sn-8Zn-3Bi are the important features that contribute to different hardness nature.     

Interfacial reaction and joint reliability of fine-pitch flip-chip solder bump using stencil printing method

This study was focused on the formation and reliability evaluation of solder joints with different diameters and pitches for flip chip applications. We investigated the interfacial reaction and shear strength between two different solders (Sn-37Pb and Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu, in wt.%) and ENIG (Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold) UBM (Under Bump Metallurgy) during multiple reflow. Firstly, we formed the flip chip solder bumps on the Ti/Cu/ENIG metallized Si wafer using a stencil printing method. After reflow, the average solder bump diameters were about 130, 160 and 190 μm, respectively. After multiple reflows, Ni₃Sn₄ intermetallic compound (IMC) layer formed at the Sn-37Pb solder/ENIG UBM interface. On the other hand, in the case of Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu solder, (Cu,Ni)₆Sn₅ and (Ni,Cu)₃Sn₄ IMCs were formed at the interface. The shear force of the Pb-free Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu flip chip solder bump was higher than that of the conventional Sn-37Pb flip chip solder bump.     

Intermetallic reactions in reflowed and aged Sn-9Zn solder ball grid array packages with Au/Ni/Cu and Ag/Cu pads

During the reflowing of Sn-9Zn solder ball grid array (BGA) packages with Au/Ni/Cu and Ag/Cu pads, the surface-finished Au and Ag film dissolved rapidly and reacted with the Sn-9Zn solder to form a γ₃-AuZn₄/γ-Au₇Zn₁₈ intermetallic double layer and ε-AgZn₆ intermetallic scallops, respectively. The growth of γ₃-AuZn₄ is prompted by further aging at 100°C through the reaction of γ-Au₇Zn₁₈ with the Zn atoms dissolved from the Zn-rich precipitates embedded in the β-Sn matrix of Sn-9Zn solder BGA with Au/Ni/Cu pads. No intermetallic compounds can be observed at the solder/pad interface of the Sn-9Zn BGA specimens aged at 100°C. However, after aging at 150°C, a Ni₄Zn₂₁ intermetallic layer is formed at the interface between Sn-9Zn solder and Ni/Cu pads. Aging the immersion Ag packages at 100°C and 150°C caused a γ-Cu₅Zn₈ intermetallic layer to appear between ε-AgZn₆ intermetallics and the Cu pad. The scallop-shaped ε-AgZn₆ intermetallics were found to detach from the γ-Cu₅Zn₈ layer and float into the solder ball. Accompanied with the intermetallic reactions during the aging process of reflowed Sn-9Zn solder BGA packages with Au/Ni/Cu and Ag/Cu pads, their ball shear strengths degrade from 8.6 N and 4.8 N to about 7.2 N and 2.9 N, respectively.     

Mechanical strength of Sn-3.5Ag-based solders and related bondings

The tensile strengths of bulk solders and joint couples of Sn-3.5Ag-0.5Cu, Sn-3.5Ag-0.07Ni, and Sn-3.5Ag-0.5Cu-0.07Ni-0.01Ge solders and the shear strengths of ball grid array (BGA) specimens, solder-ball-attached Cu/Ni/Au metallized substrates were investigated. The tensile strength of the bulk is degraded by thermal aging. The Ni-containing solder exhibits lower tensile strength than Sn-3.5Ag-0.5Cu after thermal aging. However, the Ni-containing solder joints show greater tensile strength than the Cu/Sn-3.5Ag-0.5Cu/Cu joint. Fracture of the solder joint occurs between the intermetallic compound (IMC) and the solder. The shear strength and fracture mechanism of BGA specimens are the same regardless of solder composition.