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Microstructure evolution and shear behavior of Pb–16Sn–7.5Sb–xAg/Cu joints

  • Metals & corrosion
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Abstract

The aerospace industry requires a reliable solder with a melting point of about 240 °C that does not produce tin whiskers. The Pb–16Sn–7.5Sb-based solders, with a melting point of about 240 °C, would be the candidate solders. This paper studied the microstructure and shear strength of the Pb–16Sn–7.5Sb–xAg/Cu solder joints. The Cu3Sn formed at the interface of Pb–16Sn–7.5Sb–xAg/Cu after soldering at 260 °C. The thickness of Cu3Sn IMC is proportional to the square root of time until the SbSn phase in the solder is exhausted. Adequate Ag addition in Pb–16Sn–7.5Sb solder increases the activation energy of Cu3Sn, inhibiting the rapid growth of Cu3Sn. Therefore, after soldering for 5 min, the thickness of Cu3Sn layer in Pb–16Sn–7.5Sb/Cu solder joint is 2.2 μm, which is reduced to 1.2 μm in Pb–16Sn–7.5Sb–1Ag/Cu solder joint. The shear strength of the solder joint increases with the thickness of the Cu3Sn layer when the thickness of the Cu3Sn layer is below 1.2 μm, then decreases when the Cu3Sn layer is too thick. The solder joint, with a thin and flat Cu3Sn IMC layer, shows high shear strength. After soldering for 5 min, the shear strength of the Pb–16Sn–7.5Sb–1Ag/Cu solder joint achieves 32 MPa, about 60% higher than the Pb–16Sn–7.5Sb/Cu joint.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge financial support from the National Science and Technology Project of China (No. 15452252).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, Hunan, China

    Xiaodi Zhang, Richu Wang, Chaoqun Peng, Zhiyong Cai, Xiang Peng & Jian Peng

  2. Key Laboratory of Electronic Packaging and Advanced Functional Materials, Changsha, 410083, Hunan, China

    Xiaodi Zhang, Richu Wang, Chaoqun Peng, Zhiyong Cai, Xiang Peng & Jian Peng

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  1. Xiaodi Zhang
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Contributions

Xiaodi Zhang: Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology, Visualization, Writing-original draft. Richu Wang: Conceptualization, Writing Reviewing and Editing. Chaoqun Peng: Writing Reviewing and Editing. Zhiyong Cai: Funding acquisition, Writing Reviewing and Editing, Supervision. Xiang Peng: Writing Reviewing and Editing, Supervision. Jian Peng: Funding acquisition, Project administration, Writing Reviewing and Editing, Supervision.

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Correspondence to Jian Peng.

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Zhang, X., Wang, R., Peng, C. et al. Microstructure evolution and shear behavior of Pb–16Sn–7.5Sb–xAg/Cu joints. J Mater Sci (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-024-09938-1

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