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An Investigation of Microstructure and Microhardness of Sn-Cu and Sn-Ag Solders as Functions of Alloy Composition and Cooling Rate

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Abstract

The microstructure and microhardness of Sn-xAg and Sn-xCu solders were investigated as functions of alloy composition and cooling rate. The Ag compositions examined varied from 0.5 wt.% to 3.5 wt.%, while Cu varied from 0.5 wt.% to 2.0 wt.%. Three cooling rates were employed during solidification: 0.02°C/s (furnace cooling), about 10°C/s (air cooling), and 100°C/s or higher (rapid solidification). Sn grain size and orientation were observed by cross-polarization light microscopy and electron-backscattering diffraction (EBSD) techniques. The microhardness was measured to correlate the mechanical properties with alloy compositions and cooling rates. From this study, it was found that both alloy composition and cooling rate can significantly affect the Sn grain size and hardness in Sn-rich solders. The critical factors that affect the microstructure–property relationships of Sn-rich solders are discussed, including grain size, crystal orientation, dendrite cells, twin boundaries, and intermetallic compounds (IMC).

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the Center for Electronic Packaging Materials (ERC) of the MEST/KOSEF (Grant No. R11-2000-085-08006-0).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, KAIST, 335 Gwahangno, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Republic of Korea

    Sun-Kyoung Seo & Hyuck Mo Lee

  2. IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY, 10598, USA

    Sung K. Kang & Da-Yuan Shih

Authors
  1. Sun-Kyoung Seo
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  2. Sung K. Kang
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  3. Da-Yuan Shih
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  4. Hyuck Mo Lee
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Correspondence to Hyuck Mo Lee.

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Seo, SK., Kang, S.K., Shih, DY. et al. An Investigation of Microstructure and Microhardness of Sn-Cu and Sn-Ag Solders as Functions of Alloy Composition and Cooling Rate. J. Electron. Mater. 38, 257–265 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-008-0545-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-008-0545-x

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