Thermomechanical behavior of monolithic Sn-Ag-Cu solder and copper fiber reinforced solders

Abstract

Solder joints provide both electrical and mechanical interconnections between a silicon chip and the packaging substrate in an electronic application. The thermomechanical cycling in the solder causes numerous reliability challenges, mostly because of the mismatch of the coefficient of thermal expansion between the silicon chip and the substrate. The actual transition to lead-free solders and the trend towards hotter-running, miniaturized and higher current density chips aggravate this situation. Therefore, improved solder joints, with higher resistance to creep and low cycle fatigue, are necessary for future generations of microelectronics. This study focuses on a thermomechanical behavior comparison between monolithic Sn-Ag-Cu, copper fiber and copper ribbon cylindrical reinforced solders. The composite solders were found to reduce the inelastic strain range of the joint relative to monolithic solder, but at the expense of increased stress range.