Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T08:35:12.807Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Stress behavior of electroplated Sn films during thermal cycling

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Jae Wook Shin  and
Eric Chason
Jae Wook Shin*
Affiliation:
Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912
Eric Chason
Affiliation:
Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912
*
a) Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

The mechanical behavior of electroplated Sn thin films was investigated using thermal-expansion induced strain. For stress above a threshold value, the stress relaxation observed during the thermal cycles is well-described by a power law creep mechanism with exponents similar to those of the bulk material. However, the stress relaxation showed significant thickness dependence so that the relaxation in thicker films is faster than thinner films. The surface oxide was also shown to have a considerable effect on retarding the relaxation by inhibiting diffusion to the surface. The relevance of the stress relaxation to whisker formation in Sn-based coatings is discussed.

Keywords

SnThermal stressesThin film
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 24 , Issue 4 , April 2009 , pp. 1522 - 1528
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1Vandervelde, B., Gonzalez, M., Limaye, P., Ratchev, P., and Beyne, E.: Thermal cycling reliability of SnAgCu and SnPb solder joints: A comparison for several IC-packages. Microelectron. Reliab. 47, 259 (2007).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2Liang, J., Downes, S., Dariavach, N., Shangguan, D., and Heinrich, S.M.: Effects of load and thermal conditions on Pb-free solder joint reliability. J. Electron. Mater. 33, 1507 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3Abtew, M. and Selvaduray, G.: Lead-free solders in microelectronics. Mater. Sci. Eng., R 27, 95 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4Tu, K.N.: Interdiffusion and reaction in bimetallic Cu-Sn thin films. Acta Metall. 21, 347 (1973).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5Tu, K.N.: Irreversible processes of spontaneous whisker growth in bimetallic Cu-Sn thin-film reactions. Phys. Rev. B 49, 2030 (1994).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6Lee, B.Z. and Lee, D.N.: Spontaneous growth mechanism of tin whiskers. Acta Mater. 46, 3701 (1998).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7Weiss, D., Gao, H., and Arzt, E.: Constrained diffusional creep in UHV-produced copper thin films. Acta Mater. 49, 2395 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8Keller, R-M., Baker, S.P., and Arzt, E.: Stress-temperature behavior of unpassivated thin copper films. Acta Mater. 47, 415 (1999).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9Keller, R-M., Baker, S.P., and Arzt, E.: Quantitative analysis of strengthening mechanisms in thin Cu films: Effects of film thickness, grain size, and passivation. J. Mater. Res. 13, 1307 (1998).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10Thouless, M.D., Gupta, J., and Harper, J.M.E.: Stress development and relaxation in copper films during thermal cycling. J. Mater. Res. 8, 1845 (1993).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11Nix, W.D.: Mechanical properties of thin films. Metall. Trans. A 20, 2217 (1989).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12Flinn, P.A., Gardner, D.S., and Nix, W.D.: Measurement and interpretation of stress in aluminum-based metallization as a function of thermal history. IEEE Trans. Electron. Dev. 34, 689 (1987).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13Chason, E. and Sheldon, B.W.: Monitoring stress in thin films during processing. Surf. Eng. 19, 287 (2003).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14Freund, L.B. and Suresh, S.: Thin Film Materials (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2003), p. 90.Google Scholar
15Lee, J.G., Telang, A., Subramanian, K.N., and Bieler, T.R.: Modeling thermomechanical fatigue behavior of Sn-Ag solder joints. J. Electron. Mater. 31, 1152 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16Frost, H.J. and Ashby, M.F.: Deformation-Mechanism Maps (Pergamon Press, Elmsford, NY, 1982), pp. 6–16.Google Scholar
17Metals Handbook: Properties and Selection: Non-Ferrous Alloys and Special Purpose Materials, 10th ed., Vol. 2 (ASM, Metals Park, OH, 1990), pp. 517–526.Google Scholar
18Mathew, M.D., Yang, H., Movva, S., and Murty, K.L.: Creep deformation characteristics of tin and tin-based electronic solder alloys. Metall. Mater. Trans. A 36, 99 (2005).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19Shi, X.Q., Wang, Z.P., Yang, Q.J., and Pang, H.L.J.: Creep behavior and deformation mechanism map of Sn-Pb eutectic solder alloy. ASME J. Eng. Mater. Technol. 125, 81 (2003).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20McCabe, R.J. and Fine, M.E.: Creep of tin, Sb-solution-strengthened tin, and SbSn-precipitate-strengthened tin. Metall. Mater. Trans. A 33, 1531 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21Weertman, J. and Breen, J.E.: Creep of tin single crystals. J. Appl. Phys. 27, 1189 (1956).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
22Chen, T. and Dutta, I.: Effect of Ag and Cu concentrations on the creep behavior of Sn-based solers. J. Electron. Mater. 37, 347 (2008).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
23Park, C., Long, X., Haberman, S., Ma, S., Dutta, I., Mahajan, R., and Jadhav, S.G.: A comparison of impression and compression creep behavior of polycrystalline Sn. J. Mater. Sci. 42, 5182 (2007).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24Guo, Z., Pao, Y-H., and Conrad, H.: Plastic deformation kinetics of 95.5Sn4Cu0.5Ag solder joints. J. Electron. Packag. 117, 100 (1995).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
25Bang, W.H., Oh, K.H., Jung, J.P., Morris, J.W. Jr, and Hua, F.: The correlation between stress relaxation and steady-state creep of eutectic Sn-Pb. J. Electron. Mater. 34, 1287 (2005).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
26Choi, Y. and Suresh, S.: Size effects on the mechanical properties of thin polycrystalline metal films on substrates. Acta Mater. 50, 1881 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
27Shin, J.W. and Chason, E.: (submitted).Google Scholar