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Effect of Zn, Au, and In on the polymorphic phase transformation in Cu6Sn5 intermetallics

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Abstract

Cu6Sn5 is a critical intermetallic compound in soldering operations. Conventional equilibrium phase diagrams show that this compound is of either a hexagonal or monoclinic structure at temperatures above and below 186 °C, respectively. Under nonequilibrium conditions, the crystal structure is dependent on composition, temperature, and processing history. The effect of Zn, Au, and In on the hexagonal to monoclinic polymorphic transformation in Cu6Sn5 intermetallics is investigated using variable temperature synchrotron powder x-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. It is revealed that, as in the case of trace Ni additions, the alloying elements Zn and Au completely stabilize the hexagonal Cu6Sn5 and prevent the phase transformation. In contrast, In additions only partially stabilize the hexagonal Cu6Sn5.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge financial support from the University of Queensland-Nihon Superior collaborative research program. PXRD experiments were performed at the Australian Synchrotron Powder Diffraction Beamline (Project ID: AS121/PD/4524). The author thanks Mr. J. Read of The University of Queensland for valuable discussions and sample preparation; and the Queensland Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF-Q) at the University of Queensland for use of the DSC facility. G.Z. is financially supported by a University of Queensland International (UQI) Scholarship and a China Scholarship Council (CSC) Scholarship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nihon Superior Centre for the Manufacture of Electronic Materials (CMEM), School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia

    Guang Zeng, Stuart D. McDonald & Kazuhiro Nogita

  2. Powder Diffraction Beamline, The Australian Synchrotron, Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia

    Qinfen Gu

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  1. Guang Zeng
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  2. Stuart D. McDonald
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  3. Qinfen Gu
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  4. Kazuhiro Nogita
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Correspondence to Guang Zeng.

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Zeng, G., McDonald, S.D., Gu, Q. et al. Effect of Zn, Au, and In on the polymorphic phase transformation in Cu6Sn5 intermetallics. Journal of Materials Research 27, 2609–2614 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2012.247

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