Solder micro-bumps, which serve as interconnects between stacked dies in 3D electronic packages, are typically very thin (25μm or less) and contain a high proportion of intermetallic compounds (IMCs). This makes micro-bumps brittle, and prone to fracture, particularly under drop conditions. In this paper, the fracture mechanics and mechanisms of SAC305 solder micro-bumps attached to Cu metallizations are studied as functions of the proportion of IMC in the joint. The effects of IMC content, IMC composition (i.e., the relative amounts of Cu3Sn and Cu6Sn5), strain rate, and mode mixity on both fracture toughness and fracture mechanism were investigated. The fracture mechanisms were studied via quantitative fractography. It was found that fracture toughness decreases dramatically (∼80%) with increase in IMC content (from ∼22% to 100%IMC). In all samples, the majority of the fracture surface comprised IMC/Sn interface failure, which constitutes the predominant fracture mechanism. With increasing aging, the proportion of ductile fracture of Sn decreases, fracture through Cu6Sn5 cleavage increases, and more Cu3Sn/Cu6Sn5 interface failure is observed. In general, bulk fracture properties of Cu3Sn plays little role in the fracture process. Thin joints also frequently display an alternating crack path between the two solder-substrate interfaces with the crack transitioning from one interface to the other, through the intervening Sn. Such crack transition between two surfaces increases with increase in IMC content, as long as there is intervening Sn, and may be utilized to improve the fracture toughness of thin joints. Finally, joint fracture toughness decreased with increase in both strain rate and mode mixity.
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ASME 2015 International Technical Conference and Exhibition on Packaging and Integration of Electronic and Photonic Microsystems collocated with the ASME 2015 13th International Conference on Nanochannels, Microchannels, and Minichannels
July 6–9, 2015
San Francisco, California, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Electronic and Photonic Packaging Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-5689-5
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Fracture Mechanisms in Sn-Ag-Cu Solder Micro-Bumps for 3D Microelectronic Packages Available to Purchase
Babak Talebanpour,
Babak Talebanpour
Washington State University, Pullman, WA
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Indranath Dutta
Indranath Dutta
Washington State University, Pullman, WA
Search for other works by this author on:
Babak Talebanpour
Washington State University, Pullman, WA
Indranath Dutta
Washington State University, Pullman, WA
Paper No:
IPACK2015-48125, V002T02A003; 7 pages
Published Online:
November 19, 2015
Citation
Talebanpour, B, & Dutta, I. "Fracture Mechanisms in Sn-Ag-Cu Solder Micro-Bumps for 3D Microelectronic Packages." Proceedings of the ASME 2015 International Technical Conference and Exhibition on Packaging and Integration of Electronic and Photonic Microsystems collocated with the ASME 2015 13th International Conference on Nanochannels, Microchannels, and Minichannels. Volume 2: Advanced Electronics and Photonics, Packaging Materials and Processing; Advanced Electronics and Photonics: Packaging, Interconnect and Reliability; Fundamentals of Thermal and Fluid Transport in Nano, Micro, and Mini Scales. San Francisco, California, USA. July 6–9, 2015. V002T02A003. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/IPACK2015-48125
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