Interfacial intermetallic growth and mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes reinforced Sn3.5Ag0.5Cu solder joint under current stressing

In this work, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with various weight percentages of 0.01 wt%, 0.05 wt%, 0.1 wt% were incorporated into Sn3.5Ag0.5Cu (SAC) solder matrix by mechanical blending followed by reflow process. The microstructure with interfacial intermetallics (IMCs) growth were investigated after aging at 100 C and a current density of 1.2 × 10⁴ A/cm² for 336 h. CNTs were found to be homogeneously dispersed into the solder matrix by EDX analysis. Experimental results revealed that microporosities existed in some areas of doped solders, which retarded the formation of Ag₃Sn IMCs. The growth of IMCs for CNTs reinforced solders was less significantly than that of the plain solder, because CNTs affected the reaction mechanisms of both Cu₅Sn₆ and Cu₃Sn at the anode side and alleviated IMCs growth and solder dissolution into Cu substrate at the cathode side. A slight decrease in melting temperature for CNT reinforced solders was found compared to that of the plain solder. The CNT doped solders demonstrated promising improved shear strength and hardness. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.