The global electronic assembly community is striving to accommodate the replacement of Pb-containing solders, primarily Sn-Pb alloys, with Pb-free solders due to environmental regulations and market pressures. Of the Pb-free choices, a family of solder alloys based on the Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) ternary eutectic (T eut. = 217°C) composition have emerged with the most potential for broad use across the industry, but the preferred (typically near-eutectic) composition is still in debate. This review will attempt to clarify the characteristic microstructures and mechanical properties of the current candidates and recommend alloy choices, a maximum operating temperature limit, and directions for future work. Also included in this review will be an exploration of several SAC + X candidates, i.e., 4th element modifications of SAC solder alloys, that are intended to control solder alloy undercooling and solidification product phases and to improve the resistance of SAC solder joints to high temperature thermal aging effects. Again, preliminary alloy recommendations will be offered, along with suggestions for future work.

Development of Sn–Ag–Cu and Sn–Ag–Cu–X alloys for Pb-free electronic solder applications

This study included a comparison of the baseline Sn-3.5Ag eutectic to one near-eutectic ternary alloy, Sn-3.6 Ag-1.0Cu and two quaternary alloys, Sn-3.6Ag-1.0Cu-0.15Co and Sn-3.6Ag-1.0 Cu-0.45 Co, to increase understanding of the beneficial effects of Co on Sn-Ag-Cu solder joints cooled at 1–3 C/sec, typical of reflow practice. The results indicated that joint microstructure refinement is due to Co-enhanced nucleation of the Cu6Sn5 phase in the solder matrix, as suggested by Auger elemental mapping and calorimetric measurements. The Co also reduced intermetallic interface faceting and improved the ability of the solder joint samples to maintain their shear strength after aging for 72 hr at 150 C. The baseline Sn-3.5Ag joints exhibited significantly reduced strength and coarser microstructures.

Alloying effects in near-eutectic Sn-Ag-Cu solder alloys for improved microstructural stability

The mechanical behavior of Sn-rich solder/Cu joints is highly sensitive to processing variables such as solder reflow time, cooling rate, and subsequent thermal aging. In this article, we focus on the lap shear behavior of Sn-3.5Ag/Cu joints as a function of solder yield strength and intermetallic thickness. Experimental results showed that the shear strength of the solder joints is primarily controlled by the mechanical properties of the solder, and not the intermetallic thickness. The thickness of intermetallic, however, controlled the fracture mode of the solder joints. At intermetallic thicknesses greater than 20 µm, brittle fracture between Cu6Sn5 and Cu3Sn was the most common failure mechanism. Finite-element simulations were carried out to evaluate the effect of solder properties and of intermetallic thickness and morphology on lap shear behavior. The finite-element simulations corroborated the experimental findings, i.e., that increased solder strength results in increased joint strength. The simulations also showed that thicker intermetallics, especially of nodular morphology, yielded higher local plastic shear strain and work hardening rate.

Influence of reflow and thermal aging on the shear strength and fracture behavior of Sn-3.5Ag solder/Cu joints

The shear strength behavior and microstructural effects after aging for 100 h and 1,000 h at 150°C are reported for near-eutectic Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) solder joints (joining to Cu) made from Sn-35Ag (wt%) and a set of SAC alloys (including Co- and Fe-modified SAC alloys) All joints in the as-soldered and 100-h aged condition experienced shear failure in a ductile manner by either uniform shear of the solder matrix (in the strongest solders) or by a more localized shear of the solder matrix adjacent to the Cu6Sn5 interfacial layer, consistent with other observations After 1,000 h of aging, a level of embrittlement of the Cu3Sn/Cu interface can be detected in some solder joints made with all of the SAC alloys and with Sn-35Ag, which can lead to partial debonding during shear testing However, only ductile failure was observed in all solder joints made from the Co- and Fe-modified SAC alloys after aging for 1,000 h Thus, the strategy of modifying a strong (high Cu content) SAC solder alloy with a substitutional alloy addition for Cu seems to be effective for producing a solder joint that retains both strength and ductility for extended isothermal aging at high temperatures

Elevated temperature aging of solder joints based on Sn-Ag-Cu: Effects on joint microstructure and shear strength

Diffusion bonding of Al7075 to Ti–6Al–4V using Cu coatings and Sn–3.6Ag–1Cu interlayers

The shear deformation behavior of two lead-free solder compositions, Sn-3.5Ag (wt.%) and Sn-3.6Ag-1.0Cu (wt.%), both on copper substrates, was studied using an asymmetric four point bend technique. Four test joints were obtained from one master specimen of each composition, and each joint was subject to progressive loading, up to the maximum shear strength of the joint. One unstressed bar from each composition was retained as a reference. Each sample was metallo-graphically plished and lightly etched, and examined in a field emission scanning electron microscope (SEM) before shearing. Sheared joints were then re-examined in the SEM with no additional surface treatment. Compared with the traditional ring and plug method, the asymmetric four-point bend (AFPB) technique subjects the joints to a condition of pure shear, while providing an opportunity for unambiguous observation of microstructural features before and after shearing, without an intervening mechanical sectioning step. Shear banding in the Sn-rich matrix and crack nucleation in the vicinity of the intermetallic interface were observed at low displacements in the binary alloy. Evidence of non-homogeneous plastic flow in the matrix was seen at higher shear loading. No evidence of brittle fracture was observed in the Sn-3.6Ag-1.0 Cu alloy, with elastic deformation at low stress levels giving rise to plastic deformation at higher loading values. Results show that the AFPB technique is a viable approach to the study of shear loading on solder joints.

Shear deformation in Sn-3.5Ag and Sn-3.6Ag-1.0Cu solder joints subjected to asymmetric four-point bend tests

The asymmetrical four-point bend shear (AFPB) test method was used to measure the shear strength and creep properties through the stress relaxation experiments using three different Pb-free solder joint compositions in an assolidified condition. Since it was difficult to shear the uniform specimens and the local bending usually occurs at the inner loading points, the notches were introduced at the joint line to preferentially weaken this region. The stress analysis by finite element modeling showed that the straight notches transform the parabolic shear stress distribution in the uniform specimen into a relatively uniform shear distribution along the bond line in the notched specimens. Therefore, the shear strength results from the notched specimens are expected to be much more accurate. Experiments showed that both the Sn-3.6Ag-1Cu (wt.%) and Sn-3.6Ag-1Cu-0.45Co joints have superior strength and creep properties as compared to the Sn-3.5Ag joint. However, there was no statistical difference between the shear strength of the Sn-3.6Ag-1Cu and Sn-3.6Ag-1Cu-0.45 Co joints. Moreover, the difference between the creep resistance of these two types of joints was small.

Application of an asymmetrical four point bend shear test to solder joints

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Shear deformation in Sn-3.5Ag and Sn-3.6Ag-1.0Cu solder joints subjected to asymmetric four-point bend tests

Application of an asymmetrical four point bend shear test to solder joints