A corrosion investigation of solder candidates for high-temperature applications

The step-soldering approach is being employed in the multi-chip module technology. High-lead-containing alloys are among the solders currently being used in this approach. Au-Sn and Au-Ge based candidate alloys have been proposed as alternative solders for this application. In this work, a corrosion investigation was carried out on potential ternary lead-free candidate alloys based on these binary alloys for high-temperature applications. These promising ternary candidate alloys were determined by the CALPHAD approach based on the solidification criterion and the nature of the phases predicted in the bulk solder. This work reveals that the Au-Sn-based candidate alloys close to the eutectic composition (20 wt.% Sn) are more corrosion resistant than the Au-Ge-based ones.