The microstructure characterization of ultrasmall eutectic Bi-Sn solder bumps on Au/Cu/Ti and Au/Ni/Ti under-bump metallization

The microstructure of the ultrasmall eutectic Bi-Sn solder bumps on Au/Cu/Ti and Au/Ni/Ti under-bump metallizations (UBMs) was investigated as a function of cooling rate. The ultrasmall eutectic Bi-Sn solder bump, about 50 μm in diameter, was fabricated by using the lift-off method and reflowed at various cooling rates using the rapid thermal annealing system. The microstructure of the solder bump was observed using a backscattered electron (BSE) image and the intermetallic compound was identified using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and an x-ray diffractometer (XRD). The Bi facet was found at the surface of the ultrasmall Bi-Sn solder bumps on the Au/Cu/Ti UBM in almost all specimens, and the interior microstructure of the bumps was changed with the solidification rate. The faceted and polygonal intermetallic compound was found in the case of the Bi-Sn solder bump on the Au (0.1 μm)/Ni/Ti UBM, and it was confirmed to be the (Au_1−x−yBi_xNi_y)Sn₂ phase by XRD. The intermetallic compounds grown form the Au (0.1 μm)/Ni/Ti UBM interface, and they interrupted the growth of Bi and Sn phases throughout the solder bump. The ultrasmall eutectic Bi-Sn solder bumps on the Au (0.025 μm)/Ni/Ti UBM showed similar microstructures to those on the Au/Cu/Ti UBM.     

一种低成本倒装芯片用印刷凸焊点技术的研究

利用化学镀底部金属化层结合丝网印刷制作凸焊点的技术,通过剪切实验得到了凸焊点的剪切强度,用电子显微镜对失效表面进行了分析研究,应用SEM及EDAX分析了凸焊点的组织结构与成分变化,对热老炼后凸焊点的强度变化进行了研究。结果表明凸焊点内部组织结构的变化是剪切失效的主要原因。经X光及扫描声学显微镜检测,表明组装及填充工艺很成功。对已完成及未进行填充的两种FCOB样品进行热疲劳实验对比,发现未进行填充加固的样品在115周循环后出现失效,而经填充加固后的样品通过了1 000周循环,表明下填料明显延长了倒装焊封装的热疲劳寿命。     

Effect of cooling rate on the isothermal fatigue behavior of CBGAsolder joints in shear

This paper investigates the distribution characteristics of the isothermal fatigue lifetime of ceramic ball grid array (CBGA) solder joints in shear. Placement direction of the board-level assembly on the oven conveyor during reflow critically influences the fatigue lifetime of solder joints in shear: the front or outer solder joints have a longer shear lifetime than the rear or inner ones. The solder joints that moved diagonally during reflow have a longer fatigue lifetime and a tighter distribution. Cracks initiated in the eutectic solder region on the card and package side and tend to propagated in that region, while final failure occurred mainly on the card-said eutectic solder region. This phenomenon can be explained that the front or outer solder bumps have a resistant effect to the gas fluid which passes through the rear or inner solder bumps, and lower these solder joints' cooling rate during solidification. Fast cooling rate can cause a more fine-grained and homogeneous microstructure in eutectic solder alloy, which can delay crack initiation and slow crack growth. When the board-level assembly moves diagonally during reflow, the resistant effect of front solder bumps to the gas fluid reduces markedly. So the fatigue lifetime of solder joints and its distribution characteristic enhance substantially. The theories of fluid dynamics and heat transmission are used to calculate the decrease of gas fluid velocity and the corresponding reduction of mean coefficient of heat transfer (h_m)     

The effect of aging on microstructure,room temperature deformation,and fracture of Sn-Bi/Cu solder joints

The effects of isothermal aging on the microstructure and mechanical behavior of Sn-Bi/Cu solder joints are reported. Lap shear solder joints of eutectic Sn-Bi solder were aged for 3 to 30 days at 80°C and then loaded to failure in shear. Changes in the joint microstructure including interphase coarsening, intermetallic growth, and evolution of the intermetallic/solder interface are documented. The aging experiments reveal the segregation of the Bi-rich phase of the solder to the intermetallic/solder interface. The ultimate shear strength and ductility of the joints are reported at strain rates of 4.0 × 10⁻¹ to 4.0 × 10⁻⁵ S⁻¹ for 3 and 30 days aging. The strength of the joints decreases with strain rate for both aging conditions; the ductility is low and independent of strain rate for the joints aged three days and increases considerably with reduced strain rate for joints, aged 30 days. Fractographs and cross sections of the failed joints detail the effect of aging on the fracture mechanism.     

Residual shear strength of Sn-Ag and Sn-Bi lead-free SMT joints after thermal shock

In this study, two lead-free solder alloys, namely 50 tin-50 bismuth (Sn-Bi) and 96.5 tin-3.5 silver (Sn-Ag), were studied for their use in surface mount solder joints. They have been considered as potential replacements for 63 tin-37 lead (Sn-Pb) solder. All joints were subjected to various cycles of thermal shock with temperature ranging from -25 to 125/spl deg/C. Shear tests were conducted on joints with and without thermal shock treatment. Another thermal shock cycle (-25 to 85/spl deg/C) was carried out on Sn-Bi solder joints for comparison. Their performance against thermal shock was compared with eutectic Sn-Pb solder by evaluating their residual shear strength and studying their microstructural change. For the Sn-Ag solder, a fine rod-like Ag/sub 3/Sn intermetallic was formed in the solder matrix after the thermal shock. On the other hand, Bi-rich and Sn-rich phases appeared in the Sn-Bi solder after the -25 to 125/spl deg/C thermal shock. Moreover, fine cracks were observed along the Bi-rich grain-like phase boundary. These were not observed in the Sn-Bi solder with the -25 to 85/spl deg/C thermal shock treatment. Voids and cracks were also observed in the joint of Sn-Bi solder alloy after 1000 thermal shock cycles. In addition, the thickness of intermetallic compound (IMC) of three solder alloys gradually grew with the number of thermal shock cycles. These defects reduced the strength of solder joint and led to thermal fatigue failure. In general, the shear strength is found to decrease with increasing number of thermal shock cycles. The Sn-Ag solder was better than the Sn-Bi solder in terms of residual thermal shock shear strength. Sn-Bi solder showed good properties when it was treated with the -25 to 85/spl deg/C thermal shock. It has a strong potential to replace Sn-Pb solder in low temperature applications such as consumer electronics. The Sn-Ag solder is suitable for high temperature applications.     

A reliability comparison of electroplated and stencil printed flip-chip solder bumps based on UBM related intermetallic compound growth properties

The effects of under bump metallurgy (UBM) microstructures on the intermetallic compound (IMC) growth of electroplated and stencil printed eutectic Sn-Pb solder bumps were investigated. The process parameters and their effects on UBM surface morphology and UBM shear strength were studied. For the electroplating process, the plating current density was the dominant factor to control the Cu UBM microstructure. For the stencil printing process, the zincation process has the most significant effect on the Ni UBM surface roughness and Ni grain sizes. In both processes, the good adhesion of UBM to aluminum can be obtained under suitable UBM processing conditions. Samples with different UBM microstructures were prepared using the two processes. The resulting samples were thermal aged at 85/spl deg/C, 120/spl deg/C, and 150/spl deg/C. It was observed that the Cu UBM surface roughness had larger effect on the IMC growth and solder ball shear strength than the Ni UBM surface roughness. The thickness of Cu/sub 3/Sn and Cu/sub 6/Sn/sub 5/ IMC depended strongly on the UBM microstructure. However, for Ni/Au UBM, no significant dependence was observed. More likely, the thickness of Au-Ni-Sn IMC near the IMC/solder interface was controlled by the amount of gold and the gold diffusion rate in the solder. Shear tests were performed after thermal aging tests and thermal/humidity tests. Different failure modes of different sample groups were analyzed. Electroless Ni UBM has been developed because it is a mask-less, low-cost process compared to electroplated Cu UBM. This study demonstrated that the process control was much easier for Ni UBM due to its lower reactivity with Sn material. These properties made Ni UBM a promising candidate for the lead-free solder applications.     

Experimental characterization and mechanical behavior analysis of intermetallic compounds of Sn–3.5Ag lead-free solder bump with Ti/Cu/Ni UBM on copper chip

Due to today’s trend towards ‘green’ products, the environmentally conscious manufacturers are moving toward lead-free schemes for electronic devices and components. Nowadays the bumping process has become a branch of the infrastructure of flip chip bonding technology. However, the formation of excessively brittle intermetallic compound (IMC) between under bump metallurgy (UBM)/solder bump interface influences the strength of solder bumps within flip chips, and may create a package reliability issue. Based on the above reason, this study investigated the mechanical behavior of lead-free solder bumps affected by the solder/UBM IMC formation in the duration of isothermal aging. To attain the objective, the test vehicles of Sn–Ag (lead-free) and Sn–Pb solder bump systems designed in different solder volumes as well as UBM diameters were used to experimentally characterize their mechanical behavior. It is worth to mention that, to study the IMC growth mechanism and the mechanical behavior of a electroplated solder bump on a Ti/Cu/Ni UBM layer fabricated on a copper chip, the test vehicles are composed of, from bottom to top, a copper metal pad on silicon substrate, a Ti/Cu/Ni UBM layer and electroplated solder bumps. By way of metallurgical microscope and scanning-electron-microscope (SEM) observation, the interfacial microstructure of test vehicles was measured and analyzed. In addition, a bump shear test was utilized to determine the strength of solder bumps. Different shear displacement rates were selected to study the time-dependent failure mechanism of the solder bumps. The results indicated that after isothermal aging treatment at 150 °C for over 1000 h, the Sn–Ag solder revealed a better maintenance of bump strength than that of the Sn–Pb solder, and the Sn–Pb solder showed a higher IMC growth rate than that of Sn–Ag solder. In addition, it was concluded that the test vehicles of copper chip with the selected Ti/Cu/Ni UBMs showed good bump strength in both the Sn–Ag and Sn–Pb systems as the IMC grows. Furthermore, the study of shear displacement rate effect on the solder bump strength indicates that the analysis of bump strength versus thermal aging time should be identified as a qualitative analysis for solder bump strength determination rather than a quantitative one. In terms of the solder bump volume and the UBM size effects, neither the Sn–Ag nor the Sn–Pb solders showed any significant effect on the IMC growth rate.     

The effect of soldering process variables on the microstructure and mechanical properties of eutectic Sn-Ag/Cu solder joints

Fundamental understanding of the relationship among process, microstructure, and mechanical properties is essential to solder alloy design, soldering process development, and joint reliability prediction and optimization. This research focused on the process-structure-property relationship in eutectic Sn-Ag/Cu solder joints. As a Pb-free alternative, eutectic Sn-Ag solder offers enhanced mechanical properties, good wettability on Cu and Cu alloys, and the potential for a broader range of application compared to eutectic Sn-Pb solder. The relationship between soldering process parameters (soldering temperature, reflow time, and cooling rate) and joint microstructure was studied systemati-cally. Microhardness, tensile shear strength, and shear creep strength were measured and the relationship between the joint microstructures and mechani-cal properties was determined. Based on these results, low soldering tempera-tures, fast cooling rates, and short reflow times are suggested for producing joints with the best shear strength, ductility, and creep resistance.     

Isothermal aging effects on the microstructure and solder bump shear strength of eutectic Sn37Pb and Sn3.5Ag solders

The reliability of the eutectic Sn37Pb (63%Sn37%Pb) and Sn3.5Ag (96.5%Sn3.5%Ag) solder bumps with an under bump metallization (UBM) consisting of an electroless Ni(P) plus a thin layer of Au was evaluated following isothermal aging at 150 °C. All the solder bumps remained intact after 1500 h aging at 150 °C. Solder bump microstructure evolution and interface structure change during isothermal aging were observed and correlated with the solder bump shear strength and failure modes. Cohesive solder failure was the only failure mode for the eutectic Sn37Pb solder bump, while partial cohesive solder failure and partial Ni(P) UBM/Al metallization interfacial delamination was the main failure mode for eutectic Sn3.5Ag solder bump.     

Void Evolution in Sub-100-Micron Sn-Ag Solder Bumps during Multi-reflow and Aging and its Effects on Bonding Reliability

The evolution of voids in the interfacial region of electroplated Sn-3.0Ag solder bumps on electroplated Cu and its effects on bonding reliability were studied. Results show that volume shrinkage resulted in void formation during multi-reflow, while the Kirkendall effect led to void formation during aging. A thick η-phase and voids at the boundaries among Cu₆Sn₅ grains promoted the void growth in the ε-phase. Though the formation of voids had a trivial weakening effect on the shear strength of the solder joints, the voids were a threat to the bonding reliability of solder bumps.     

Eutectic Sn-Ag solder bump process for ULSI flip chip technology

A novel eutectic Pb-free solder bump process, which provides several advantages over conventional solder bump process schemes, has been developed. A thick plating mask can be fabricated for steep wall bumps using a nega-type resist with a thickness of more than 50 μm by single-step spin coating. This improves productivity for mass production. The two-step electroplating is performed using two separate plating reactors for Ag and Sn. The Sn layer is electroplated on the Ag layer. Eutectic Sn-Ag alloy bumps can be easily obtained by annealing the Ag/Sn metal stack. This electroplating process does not need strict control of the Ag to Sn content ratio in alloy plating solutions. The uniformity of the reflowed bump height within a 6-in wafer was less than 10%. The Ag composition range within a 6-in wafer was less than ±0.3 wt.% Ag at the eutectic Sn-Ag alloy, analyzed by ICP spectrometry. SEM observations of the Cu/barrier layer/Sn-Ag solder interface and shear strength measurements of the solder bumps were performed after 5 times reflow at 260°C in N₂ ambient. For the Ti(100 nm)/Ni(300 nm)/Pd(50 nm) barrier layer, the shear strength decreased to 70% due to the formation of Sn-Cu intermetallic compounds. Thicker Ti in the barrier metal stack improved the shear strength. The thermal stability of the Cu/barrier layer/Sn-Ag solder metal stack was examined using Auger electron spectrometry analysis. After annealing at 150°C for 1000 h in N₂ ambient, Sn did not diffuse into the Cu layer for Ti(500 nm)/Ni(300 nm)/Pd(50 nm) and Nb(360 nm)/Ti(100 nm)/Ni(300 nm)/Pd(50 nm) barrier metal stacks. These results suggest that the Ti/Ni/Pd barrier metal stack available to Sn-Pb solder bumps and Au bumps on Al pads is viable for Sn-Ag solder bumps on Cu pads in upcoming ULSIs     

Impact strength of Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu solder bumps during isothermal aging

In order to investigate the fracture behavior of Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu solder bump, solder balls with the diameter of 0.76 mm were soldered on Cu pad in this study, then high speed impact test and static shear test of solder bumps were carried out to measure the joint strength of the soldering interface. The effect of isothermal aging on joint strength as well as fracture behavior of solder bumps was investigated, and the composition of the fracture surface was identified by means of EPMA. The results indicate that the fracture is inside the bulk solder in low speed shear test regardless of the aging effect, thus the maximum load reflects the solder strength rather than the interfacial strength. It is also found that under 1 m/s impact loading, the crack initiation position is changed from solder/Cu₆Sn₅ interface to Cu₃Sn/Cu interface after long time isothermal aging, and the fracture occurs inside the bulk solder accompanying with intermetallic compound in both of the as-soldered and aged joints. The thickened multiple IMC layers during isothermal aging account for the degraded impact resistance, and the change of the solder matrix is another factor for reduced impact resistance owing to Sn residue on the fracture surface.     

Contact resistance and shear strength of the solder joints formed using Cu bumps capped with Sn or Ag/Sn layer

Solder joints were successfully bonded by joining Ag/Sn/Cu bumps and Ag/Sn/Cu layers at 200°C for 30 sec under 20 MPa, 40 MPa, and 80 MPa using thermo-compression bonder. The solder joints were aged at 150°C up to 1000 h. The strength of the solder joints was measured by the shear test and the contact resistance was measured using four-point probe method. The microstructure of the solder joints and the fracture modes after shear test were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with the energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS). Results showed that the electrical resistance of the solder joints decreased, and the shear strength of the solder joints increased after aging treatment. The fracture modes were observed to move from the interfacial failure between solder and intermetallic compounds (IMCs) to the interfacial failure between IMCs. It was considered that the transition of fracture modes was closely related with the microstructure evolution of the solder joints, especially the transformation of IMC phases during the aging treatment.     

Effects of Co addition in eutectic Sn-3.5Ag solder on shear strength and microstructural development

In this study, the approach of composite solder using eutectic Sn-3.5Ag solder and Co was tried. Co particles and Sn-3.5Ag solder paste were mechanically mixed at Co weight fractions from 0.1% to 2.0%. For the Co-mixed Sn-3.5Ag solder pastes, their melting temperatures and spreading areas were measured. The solder pastes were stencil printed on test substrates and reflowed to form solder bumps. Ball shear test was performed to examine shear strength of Co-reinforced Sn-3.5Ag solder bumps. As a result, Co addition up to 2 wt.% did not alter the melting temperature under heating but reduced undercooling. The maximum shear strength of Co-reinforced Sn-3.5Ag solder bumps increased by 28% compared to normal ones. The increase in shear strength can be attributed to the (Cu,Co)₃Sn₂ intermetallic compounds.     

Preparation and Temperature Cycling Reliability of Electroless Ni(P) Under Bump Metallization

The reliability of electroless Ni(P) under-bump metallization (UBM) was evaluated via temperature cycling and solder bump shear strength tests. Commercial diodes and dummy dies fabricated in-house were used as substrates for the electroless Ni(P) UBM deposition. Solder bumps were formed after reflowing eutectic 63Sn37Pb solder foils over the Ni(P) UBM. The solder bump shear strength was measured before and after different temperature cycling. The results from this study showed that the UBM thickness and dimension had important effects on the solder bump shear strength and reliability. Both the larger UBM dimension and larger UBM thickness tended to induce higher stress in the UBM, which resulted in the lower solder bump shear strength and lower temperature cycling reliability. A better UBM structure solution for high current electronic packaging application is indicated in this paper     

Forming solder joints by sintering eutectic tin-lead solder paste

It is possible to form solder joints with mechanical integrity, but not mechanical strength comparable to that achieved by melting the solder, by sintering eutectic tin-lead solder paste where small amounts of eutectic Sn-Bi powder are added to the paste. This increases the rate of sintering through liquid-phase sintering.     

Electromigration in Sn-Bi Modified with Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane

Electromigration (EM) behavior of eutectic Sn-Bi modified with cage-type polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) trisilanol was investigated. A direct current (DC) was applied to solder joints newly designed for uniform current distribution throughout the joint. For this study, a current density of 10⁴ A/cm² was applied at 25°C and 50°C. The evolution of surface and interior microstructure due to current stressing was observed periodically using optical and scanning electron microscopy. The results revealed that the EM behavior was retarded significantly in solder joints with the addition of POSS trisilanol. Different from eutectic Sn-Bi solder joints, no continuous hillocks formed at the anode side and no cracks occurred at the cathode side in solder joints modified with POSS trisilanol even after 336 h of current stressing at 25°C. In addition, the accumulation of Bi/Sn phases at regions near the anode/cathode was also effectively limited. Joints stressed at 50°C also exhibited similar behavior. It is postulated that POSS trisilanol near the phase boundary provided significant restriction to the mass transport due to DC current stressing.     

Soldering method using longitudinal ultrasonic

An efficient ultrasonic soldering method of inserting the metal bumps into the solder is investigated in this work for electronic packaging. The effects of the process parameters such as the ultrasonic frequency, amplitude, dimensions of the metal bump and solder are analyzed through the viscoelastic modeling. The ultrasonic soldering was conducted using the Cu and Au bumps, and the acceptable bonding condition was determined from the tensile strength. Localized heating of the solder was achieved and the stirring action due to the ultrasonic influences the bond strength and microstructure of the eutectic solder. Since higher temperature is obtained with smaller solder, the proposed ultrasonic soldering method appears to be applicable to the high-density electronic packaging.     

Effect of cooling rate on microstructure and mechanical properties of eutectic Sn-Ag solder joints with and without intentionally incorporated Cu6Sn5 reinforcements

Solidification of eutectic Sn-Ag solder, with and without Cu₆Sn₅ composite reinforcements, on copper substrates, was investigated at two different cooling rates. The size, orientation, randomness, and overall morphology of the dendritic microstructure were examined as a function of cooling rate. Cu₆Sn₅ particle reinforcements were found to act as nucleation sites for dendrites, in addition to sites on the substrate/solder interface. The mechanical properties of these solders were also examined as a function of cooling rate. Solder joints with a lower load-carrying area were found to exhibit higher shear strength, but reduced ductility when compared to solder joints with more load carrying area.     

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.