Effects of TMF heating rates on damage accumulation and resultant mechanical behavior of Sn–Ag based solder joints

Solder joint reliability depends on several service parameters such as temperature extremes encountered, dwell times at these temperatures, and the ramp-rates representing the rate at which the temperature changes are imposed. TMF of Sn–Ag based solder alloy joints of realistic dimensions were carried out with dwell of 115 min and 20 min at 150 °C and −15 °C, respectively. Different heating rates were obtained by controlling the power input during heating part of TMF cycles. Surface damage and residual mechanical strength of these solder joints were characterized after 0, 250, 500, and 1000 TMF cycles to evaluate the role of TMF heating rate on the solder joint integrity.