Whisker growth on Sn thin film accelerated under gamma-ray irradiation

Abstract

We report on the growth of tin (Sn) metal whiskers that is significantly accelerated under gammaray irradiation. The studied Sn thin film, evaporated on glass substrate, was subjected to a total of 60 hours of irradiation over the course of 30 days. The irradiated sample demonstrated enhanced whisker development, in both densities and lengths, resulting in an acceleration factor of ∼50. We attribute the observed enhancement to gamma-ray induced electrostatic fields, affecting whisker growth kinetics. These fields are due to the substrate charging under ionizing radiation of gammarays. We propose that gamma-ray irradiation can be a tool for accelerated testing of whisker propensity.