Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2011
Whisker formation in pure Sn coatings on Cu conductors is a serious impediment to the development of Pb-free electronics manufacturing. Understanding whisker formation is complicated by the fact that it is the result of multiple materials kinetic processes including interdiffusion, intermetallic formation and stress generation We report preliminary studies of whisker growth kinetics and stress evolution aimed at developing a fundamental understanding of the whisker growth process. A proposed model of point defect mediated stress generation provides a simple picture of how the different processes are connected.