Research Progress on the Solder Joint Reliability of Electronics Using in Deep Space Exploration

The spacecraft for deep space exploration missions will face extreme environments,including cryogenic temperature,intense radiation,wide-range temperature variations and even the combination of conditions mentioned above.Harsh environments will lead to solder joints degradation or even failure,resulting in damage to onboard electronics.The research activities on high reliability solder joints using in extreme environments can not only reduce the use of onboard protection devices,but effectively improve the overall reliability of spacecraft,which is of great significance to the aviation industry.In this paper,we review the reliability research on SnPb solder alloys,Sn-based lead-free solder alloys and In-based solder alloys in extreme environments,and try to provide some suggestions for the follow-up studies,which focus on solder joint reliability under extreme environments.

EFFECTS OF LEAD WIDTHS AND PITCHES ON RELIABILITY OF QUAD FLAT PACKAGE(QFP)SOLDERED JOINTS

The finite element method（FEM） is used to analyze the effects of lead widths and pitches on reliability of soldered joints. The optimum simulation for QFP devices is also researched. The results indicate that when the lead pitches are the same, the maximum equivalent stress of the soldered joints increases with the increasing of lead widths, while the reliability of the soldered joints reduces. When the lead widths are the same, the maximum equivalent stress of the soldered joints doesn＇t decrease completely with the increasing of lead pitches, a minimum value of the maximum equivalent stress values exists in all the curves. Under this condition the maximum equivalent stress of the soldewed joints is relatively the least, the reliability of soldered joints is high and the assembly is excellent. The simulating results indicate the best parameter： The lead width is 0.2 mm and lead pitch is 0.3 mm （the distance between two leads is 0.1 mm）, which are benefited for the micromation of QFP devices now. The minimum value of the maximum equivalent stress of soldered joints exists while lead width is 0.25 mm and lead pitch is 0.35 mm （the distance between two leads is 0.1 mm）, the devices can serve for a long time and the reliability is the highest, the assembly is excellent. The simulating results also indicate the fact that the lead width is 0.15 mm and lead pitch is 0.2 mm maybe the limit of QFP, which is significant for the high lead count and micromation of assembly.

Study on solder joint reliability of ceramic ball grid array component based on design of experiment method

Four process parameters, pad diameter, stencil thickness, ball diameter and stand-off were chosen as four control factors. By using an L25 （5^6 ） orthogonal array the ceramic ball grid array （ CBGA ） solder joints which have 25 different combinations of process parameters were designed. The numerical models of all the 25 CBGA solder joints were developed using the Sugrace Evolver. Utilizing the sugrace coordinate exported from the 25 CBGA solder joints numerical models, the finite element analysis models were set up and the nonlinear finite element analysis of the CBGA solder joints under thermal cycles were pegrormed by ANSYS. The thermal fatigue life of CBGA solder joint was calculated using Coffin-Manson equation. Based on the calculated thermal fatigue life results, the range analysis and the variance analysis were pegrormed. The results show that the fatigue life of CBGA solder joint is affected by the pad diameter, the stencil thickness, the ball diameter and the stand-off in a descending order, the best combination of process parameters results in the longest fatigue life is 0.07 mm stand-off, 0.125 mm stencil thickness of, 0.85 mm ball diameter and 0. 89 mm pad diameter. With 95% confidence the pad diameter has a significant effect on the reliability of CBGA solder joints whereas the stand-off, the stencil thickness and the ball diameter have little effect on the reliability of CBGA solder joints.

QUICK ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY FOR RELIABILITY OF SOLDER JOINTS IN BALL GRID ARRAY (BGA) ASSEMBLY——PART Ⅰ: CREEP CONSTITUTIVE RELATION AND FATIGUE MODEL

In this study, a new unified creep constitutive relation and a mod- ified energy-based fatigue model have been established respectively to describe the creep flow and predict the fatigue life of Sn-Pb solders. It is found that the relation successfully elucidates the creep mechanism related to current constitutive relations. The model can be used to describe the temperature and frequency dependent low cycle fatigue behavior of the solder. The relation and the model are further employed in part Ⅱ to develop the numerical simulation approach for the long-term reliability assessment of the plastic ball grid array (BGA) assembly.

An exPerimental study of effect of solder joint geometry on thermal cycle life in SMT

The geometry of solder joint in SMT is one of the important factors whichdetermine the solder joint reliability. In this study, a type of solder joint specimen has beendesigned and is subjected to thermal cycling to failure between -55 ℃ to +125 ℃ with a 36℃/min heating and cooling rate and 10 min temperature holding times. The solder jointgeometry is castellated and controlled with different solder fillet shape and stand off height.A statistical analysis of the scattered thermal cycle lives of solder joints by two parameterWeibull's probability density function has been carried out in this paper. The experimentalresults show that the more reliable solder joint geometry has flat or slight convex solderfillet with a stand off height larger than 0.1 mm. The results may be the recommendedguideline to design optimal solder joint geometry.

Experimental and Finite Element Method Studies of J-Lead Solder Joint Reliability

A comprehensive experimental and numerical study of solder joints for plastic leaded chip carrier (PLCC) 84-Pin, 1.27 mm pitch was carried out. The reliability of solder joints was assessed through accelerated thermal cycling at the temperature range of - 55℃-125℃. The samples were taken out to observe the evolution in microstructure, such as grain coarsening, initiation and propagation of cracks. It was found that the Pb-rich phases segregated gradually and formed a continuous layer adjacent to the intermetallic compound (IMC) layer with increasing the number of thermal cycles, resulting in cracks near the solder/lead interface. The response of stress and strain was studied using nonlinear finite element method (FEM), and the results agreed well with the experimental data.

Interfacial intermetallic compound growth and shear strength of low-silver SnAgCuBiNi/Cu lead-free solder joints

The growth rule of the interfacial intermetallic compound （IMC） and the degradation of shear strength of Sn-0.SAg-0.5Cu-2.0Bi-0.05Ni （SACBN）/Cu solder joints were investigated in comparison with Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu （SAC305）/ Cu solder joints aging at 373, 403, and 438 K. The results show that （Cul-x,Nix）6Sn5 phase forms between the SACBN solder and Cu substrate during soldering. The interracial IMC thickens constantly with the aging time increasing, and the higher the aging temperature, the faster the IMC layer grows. Compared with the SAC305/Cu couple, the SACBN/Cu couple exhibits a lower layer growth coefficient. The activation energies of IMC growth for SACBN/Cu and SAC305/Cu couples are 111.70 and 82.35 kJ/mol, respectively. In general, the shear strength of aged solder joints declines continuously. However, SACBN/Cu solder joints exhibit a better shear strength than SAC305/Cu solder joints.

Mg_(2)Sn-induced whisker growth on the surfaces of Mg/Sn/Mg ultrasonic-assisted soldering joints

In this paper,the phenomena of Mg_(2)Sn-induced Sn whisker growth were explored on the surfaces of Mg/Sn/Mg ultrasonic-assisted soldering joints after aging treatment.The in-situ observation and thermal analysis confirmed that the formation and the corrosion of Mg_(2)Sn nanoparticles were the dominant reason of Sn whisker growth.The Mg_(2)Sn accumulation at the grain boundaries would pin the dislocation slip and affect the continuity of whisker growth,and the boundary angle would thus play a decisive role in the growth shape of Sn whiskers due to the pining effect of Mg_(2)Sn.This study might be conducive to elucidating the growth behavior of Sn whiskers and provide the exploration strategy to further improve the bonding strength of Mg/Sn/Mg ultrasonic-assisted soldering joints.

Solder joint geometry of tin-lead alloy and its application in electronic packaging

By employing the minimum energy theorem, the Potential energy controlling equation, which consists of surface energy and gravitational energy for molten meniscus, was investigated. The soder joint geometry of molten tin-lead soder alloy for chip component and thin quad flat package were simulated with finite element method. The simulation results 0f solder joint geometry are coincident well with the experimental results. The solder joint geometry was applied to study the solder joint reliability for chip component RC3216.The thermal cycling tests revealed that the solder joint geometry plays an important ro1e in solder joint reliability.

Influence of Bi Addition on Pure Sn Solder Joints: Interfacial Reaction, Growth Behavior and Thermal Behavior

The effects of different Bi contents on the properties of Sn solders were studied. The interfacial reaction and growth behavior of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) layer(7/-Cu6Sn5 + e-Cu3Sn) for various soldering time and the influence of Bi addition on the thermal behavior of Sn-xBi solder alloys were investigated. The Cu6Sn5 IMC could be observed as long as the molten solder contacted with the Cu substrate. However, with the longer welding time such as 60 and 300 s, the Cu3Sn IMC was formed at the interface between Cu6Sn5 and Cu substrate. With the increase of soldering time, the thickness of total IMCs increased, meanwhile, the grain size of Cu6Sn5 also increased. An appropriate amount of Bi element was beneficial for the growth of total IMCs, but excessive Bi (≥ 5 wt%) inhibited the growth of Cu6Sn5 and Cu3Sn IMC in Sn-xBi/ Cu microelectronic interconnects. Furthermore, with the Bi contents increasing (Sn-l0Bi solder in this present investigation), some Bi particles accumulated at the interface between Cu6Sn5 layer and the solder.

CALCULATION OF THREE－DIMENSIONAL SOLDER JOINT FORMATION IN MICROELECTRONIC SURFACE MOUNT TECHNOLOGY

A finite element analysis for calculating three-dimensional(3-D) solder joint shape between chip component and substrate pad was carried out, and the effects of solder volume and pad extension beyond the edge of component on solder joint shapes were investigated. The resonable design ranges of solder volume and pad extension have been put forward.

THE DESIGN OF AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM FOR PREDICTING AND ANALYZING SOLDER JOINT SHAPE AND RELIABILITY INSMT

Solder joint reliability is one of critical problems detemining whether Sirface Mount Technology (SMT) can be used in the prohotion of important electronic products. Optimizing solder joint shape is one of effective ways to improve SMT solder joint reliability.In this paper. based on the theorem of minimum potential energy, an energy model of 3 - D solder joint shape is established,and the forma- tion of solder joint is numerically simulated by Surface Ecolver program. On the basis of the prediction of SMT solder joint shape,the mechanical model of analyzing solder joint reliability is established. An elasto - plasto - creep mateial model and its mechanical constitutive equaton are established for SnPb solder alloy, and the stress/strain response of SMT solder joint under thermal cyclical loabing is ana- lyzed with nonlinear 3 - D FEM. The fatigue life of solder joint is predicted according to Coffin- Manson fatigue life model. An integrated system for Predicting and analyzing SMT solder joint shape and reliability(PSAR) is developed.The system can analyze efficiently SMT solder joint reliability with the variation of structural parameters in the joint and give the optimal structure.

Effects of bismuth on growth of intermetallic compounds in Sn-Ag-Cu Pb-free solder joints

The effects of Bi addition on the growth of intermetallic compound (IMC) formation in Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Cu solder joints were investigated. The test samples were prepared by conventional surface mounting technology. To investigate the element diffusion and the growth kinetics of intermetallics formation in solder joint, isothermal aging test was performed at temperatures of 100, 150, and 190℃, respectively. The optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to observe microstructure evolution of solder joint and to estimate the thickness and the grain size of the intermetallic layers. The IMC phases were identified by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The results clearly show that adding about 1.0% Bi in Sn-Ag-Cu solder alloy system can refine the grain size of the IMC and inhibit the excessive IMC growth in solder joints, and therefore improve the reliability of the Pb-free solder joints. Through observation of the microstructural evolution of the solder joints, the mechanism of inhibition of IMC growth due to Bi addition was proposed.

Design of a visual system for predicting SMT solder joint shape

A visual software system has been developed for predicting and analyzing the shape of solder joints in surface mount technology (SMT). The formation of the solder joint is numerically simulated through Surface Evolver program and the calculation is automated with an additional controller. A preprocessor is developed in which process parameters determining the shape of solder joints can be input visually and transferred into Evolver program automatically. A postprocessor is built to analyze the global three dimensional shape and cross section profiles of solder fillets in multiple windows. Also, the application for predicting the solder joint shape of RC chip component is conducted with the PSJS system.

Finite element simulation for mechanical response of surface mounted solder joints under different temperature cycling

Nonlinear finite element simulation for mechanical response of surface mounted solder joint under different temperature cycling was carried out. Seven sets of parameters were used in order to evaluate the influence of temperature cycling profile parameters. The results show that temperature cycling history has significant effect on the stress response of the solder joint. Based on the concept of relative damage stress proposed by the authors, it is found that enough high temperature holding time is necessary for designing the temperature cycling profile in accelerated thermal fatigue test.

Mechanical properties of QFP micro-joints soldered with lead-free solders using diode laser soldering technology

Soldering experiments of quad flat package(QFP) devices were carried out by means of diode laser soldering system with Sn-Ag-Cu and Sn-Cu-Ni lead-free solders, and competitive experiments were also carried out not only with Sn-Pb eutectic solders but also with infrared reflow soldering method. The results indicate that under the conditions of laser continuous scanning mode as well as the fixed laser soldering time, an optimal power exists, while the optimal mechanical properties of QFP micro-joints are gained. Mechanical properties of QFP micro-joints soldered with laser soldering system are better than those of QFP micro-joints soldered with IR reflow soldering method. Fracture morphologies of QFP micro-joints soldered with laser soldering system exhibit the characteristic of tough fracture, and homogeneous and fine dimples appear under the optimal laser output power.

Evolution of AuSnx intermetallic compounds in laser reflowed micro-solder joints

To investigate the effect of Au thickness on evolution of AuSnx IMCs, pads with 0. 1, 0. 5 and 4. 0 μm thickness of Au surface finish were utilized. Laser reflowed solder joints were aged in 125℃ isothermal ovens. Results indicated that little IMC formed at the interface of solder and pad with 0. 1 μm thickness of Au. Even in condition of 744 hours aging, thickness of lMCs did not increase obviously. As for the joints with 0. 5 μm thickness of Au, most of AuSn4 IMCs stayed at the inteornce and were in needle-like or dendritic morphology. With the increase of aging time, AuSn4 IMCs beeame flat and changed to a continuous layer. In the joints with 4. 0 μm thickness of Au on pads, AuSn, AuSn2, AuSn4 IMCs and Au2Sn phase formed at the interface. As aging time was increased, more Sn rich IMCs formed at the interface, and evolved to AuSn4 IMCs in condition of long time aging. Thickness of AuSn4 IMCs reached about 30μm.

Influence of Thermal Cycling on the Microstructure and Shear Strength of Sn3.5Ag0.75Cu and Sn63Pb37 Solder Joints on Au/Ni Metallization

The influence of thermal cycling on the microstructure and joint strength of Sn3.5Ag0.75Cu （SAC） and Sn63Pb37 （SnPb） solder joints was investigated. SAC and SnPb solder balls were soldered on 0.1 and 0.9 μm Au finished metallization, respectively. After 1000 thermal cycles between -40℃ and 125℃, a very thin intermetallic compound （IMC） layer containing Au, Sn, Ni, and Cu formed at the interface between SAC solder joints and underneath metallization with 0.1 μm Au finish, and （Au, Ni, Cu）Sn4 and a very thin AuSn-Ni-Cu IMC layer formed between SAC solder joints and underneath metallization with 0.9 μm Au finish. For SnPb solder joints with 0.1 μm Au finish, a thin （Ni, Cu, Au）3Sn4 IMC layer and a Pb-rich layer formed below and above the （Au, Ni）Sn4 IMC, respectively. Cu diffused through Ni layer and was involved into the IMC formation process. Similar interfacial microstructure was also found for SnPb solder joints with 0.9μm Au finish. The results of shear test show that the shear strength of SAC solder joints is consistently higher than that of SnPb eutectic solder joints during thermal cycling.

Effect of Lanthanum on Driving Force for Cu_6Sn_5 Growth and Improvement of Solder Joint Reliability

By means of adding low content of rare earth element La into Sn60 Pb40 solder alloy, the growth of Cu 6Sn 5 intermetallic compound at the interface of solder joint is hindered, and the thermal fatigue life of solder joint is increased by 2 times. The results of thermodynamic calculation based on diffusion kinetics show that, the driving force for Cu 6Sn 5 growth is lowered by adding small content of La in Sn60 Pb40 solder alloy. Meanwhile, there is an effective local mole fraction range of La, in which, 0 18% is the limited value and 0 08% is the best value.

Influence of electroless Sn/Bi on Sn/Pb soldered joint strength

The solder joint strength of Pb/Sn soldering aluminum with electroless layer Sn/Bi and Cu was studied. The results show that the joint shear strength of electroless Sn/Bi on aluminum surface is lower than that of Cu. A Pb-riched region with porosity is formed in region of soldering fillet with electroless Sn/Bi. Both the electroless Sn/Bi layer and Pb-riched layer become thicker, which are the reasons why the shear strength of the solder joint with electroless Sn/Bi on aluminum surface is lower than that of electroless Cu, and the higher the thickness of the electroless Sn/Bi layer is, the lower the shear strength of solder joint is.