Electromigration and solid state aging of flip chip solder joints and analysis of tin whisker on lead-frame

Electromigration and solid state aging in flip chip joint, and whisker on lead frame of Pb-containing (eutectic SnPb) and Pb-free solders (SnAg _3.5, SnAg_3.8Cu_0.7, and SnCu_0.7), have been studied systematically, using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX), and synchrotron radiation.; The high current density in flip chip joint drives the diffusion of atoms of eutectic SnPb and SnAgCu. A marker is used to measure the diffusion flux in a half cross-sectioned solder joint. SnAgCu shows higher resistance against electromigration than eutectic SnPb. In the half cross-sectioned solder joint, void growth is the dominant failure mechanism. However, the whole solder balls in the underfill show that the failure mechanism is a result from the dissolution of electroless Ni under bump metallization (UBM) of about 10 μm thickness.; The growth rate between intermetallic compounds in molten and solid solders differed by four orders of magnitude. In liquid solder, the growth rate is about 1 μm/min; the growth rate in solid solder is only about 10 −4 μm/min. The difference is not resulting from factors of thermodynamics, which is the change of Gibbs free energy before and after intermetallic compound formation, but from kinetic factors, which is the rate of change of Gibbs free energy. Even though the difference in growth rate between eutectic SnPb and Pb-free solders during solid state aging was found, the reason behind such difference shown is unclear.; The orientation and stress levels of whiskers are measured by white X-ray of synchrotron radiation. The growth direction is nearly parallel to one of the principal axes of tin. The compressive stress level is quite low because the residual stress is relaxed by the whisker growth.