Reliability issues of lead-free solder joints in electronic devices

Abstract

Electronic products are evolving towards miniaturization, high integration, and multi-function, which undoubtedly puts forward higher requirements for the reliability of solder joints in electronic packaging. Approximately 70% of failure in electronic devices originates during the packaging process, mostly due to the failure of solder joints. With the improvement of environmental protection awareness, lead-free solder joints have become a hot issue in recent years. This paper reviews the research progress on the reliability of lead-free solder joints and discusses the influence of temperature, vibration, tin whisker and electromigration on the reliability of solder joints. In addition, the measures to improve the reliability of solder joints are analyzed according to the problems of solder joints themselves, which provides a further theoretical basis for the study of the reliability of solder joints of electronic products in service.

Shear Strength and Aging Characteristics of Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu/Cu Solder Joint Reinforced with ZrO2 Nanoparticles

“…Sn-Ag-Cu, Sn-Bi, Sn-In, Sn-Cu and Au-Sn are some of the potential lead-free solders used in the microelectronic packaging [3]. Among these Sn-3 wt.% Ag-0.5 wt.% Cu (SAC 305) solder is the primary candidate because their moderate melting temperature, good solderability, electrical performance, high-temperature resistance and mechanical properties such as strength and ductility [3,4]. The potential drawback in SAC 305 solder is the excessive growth of the Cu-Sn (Cu 6 Sn 5 and Cu 3 Sn) inter-metallic compounds (IMC) at the solder/Cu interface due to the reactive wetting of Sn on copper substrate [4].…”

“…Among these Sn-3 wt.% Ag-0.5 wt.% Cu (SAC 305) solder is the primary candidate because their moderate melting temperature, good solderability, electrical performance, high-temperature resistance and mechanical properties such as strength and ductility [3,4]. The potential drawback in SAC 305 solder is the excessive growth of the Cu-Sn (Cu 6 Sn 5 and Cu 3 Sn) inter-metallic compounds (IMC) at the solder/Cu interface due to the reactive wetting of Sn on copper substrate [4]. Alloying and nanoparticles (NPs) addition are the methods adopted in general to refine the IMC and to enhance the solderability and mechanical properties of SAC solder [3].…”

“…Alloying and nanoparticles (NPs) addition are the methods adopted in general to refine the IMC and to enhance the solderability and mechanical properties of SAC solder [3]. Presently, research in ceramic NPs reinforced SAC solder is given more attention owing to their stability in the solder matrix and the positive contribution in Ag 3 Sn IMC refinement, reliability as well as the suppression of the Cu 6 Sn 5 IMC at the solder/Cu interface [3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. Tsao et al and Chuang et al observed an overall increase in mechanical properties such as yield strength, tensile strength and micro-hardness in the SAC 305 solder alloy after the addition of TiO 2 and Al 2 O 3 NPs [5,6].…”

Review of Health Prognostics and Condition Monitoring of Electronic Components

“…By considering the effect of diagnosis function in PLC, the calculated failure rate is better than the conventional failure rate [22]. The failure of solder joints is analyzed under the influence of temperature, vibration, and other stress parameters [23]. Condition monitoring of solder joints for the reliability of SnAgCu lead-free products, solder joints are the critical parameter to be observed.…”

Direct Drop-on-Demand Printing of Molten Solder Bumps on ENIG Finishing at Ambient Conditions Through StarJet Technology

“…If the IMC exceeds a certain thickness, the inhomogeneous inner crystal needle structure of Ni-Sn IMC leads to an overall more brittle structure. This brittle structure shows a lack of mechanical stability and leads to failure [21], [24], [25]. However, besides the diffusion of solder into the nickel layer, it must be considered that the substrate heating can also lead to a diffusion of nickel through the gold layer of the ENIG coating [20].…”