Publications

Electronic components and micro-sensors utilize ceramic substrates, copper and aluminum interconnect and silicon. The joining of these combinations require pre-metallization such that solders with fluxes can wet such combinations of metals and ceramics. The paper will present a new solder alloy that can bond metals, ceramics and composites. The alloy directly wets and bonds in air without the use flux or premetallized layers. The paper will present typical processing steps and joint microstructures in copper, aluminum, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, and silicon joints.

An assessment was made of the manufacturability of hybrid microcircuit test vehicles assembled using three Pb-free solder compositions 96.5Sn--3.5Ag (wt.%), 91.84Sn--3.33Ag--4.83Bi, and 86.85Sn--3.15Ag--5.0Bi--5.0Au. The test vehicle substrate was 96% alumina; the thick film conductor composition was 76Au--21Pt--3Pd. Excellent registration between the LCCC or chip capacitor packages and the thick film solder pads was observed. Reduced wetting of bare (Au-coated) LCCC castellations was eliminated by hot solder dipping the I/Os prior to assembly of the circuit card. The Pb-free solders were slightly more susceptible to void formation, but not to a degree that would significantly impact joint functionality. Microstructural damage, while noted in the Sn-Pb solder joints, was not observed in the Pb-free interconnects.

Materials compatibility studies of aged, engineered materials and hardware are critical to understanding and predicting component reliability, particularly for systems with extended stockpile life requirements. Nondestructive testing capabilities for component reliability would significantly enhance lifetime predictions. For example, if the detection of crack propagation through a solder joint can be demonstrated, this technique could be used to develop baseline information to statistically determine solder joint lifelengths. This report will investigate high frequency signal response techniques for nondestructively evaluating the electrical behavior of thick film hybrid transmission lines.

A new solderability test method has been developed at Sandia National Laboratories that simulates the capillary flow physics of solders on circuit board surfaces. The solderability test geometry was incorporated on a circuit board prototype that was developed for a National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) program. The work was conducted under a cooperative research and development agreement between Sandia National Laboratories, NCMS, and several PWB fabricators (AT&T, IBM, Texas Instruments, United Technologies/Hamilton Standard and Hughes Aircraft) to advance PWB interconnect technology. The test was used to investigate the effects of environmental prestressing on the solderability of printed wiring board (PWB) copper finishes. Aging was performed in a controlled chamber representing a typical indoor industrial environment. Solderability testing on as-fabricated and exposed copper samples was performed with the Sn-Pb eutectic solder at four different reflow temperatures (215, 230, 245 and 260°C). Rosin mildly activated (RMA), low solids (LS), and citric acid-based (CA) fluxes were included in the evaluation. Under baseline conditions, capillary flow was minimal at the lowest temperatures with all fluxes. Wetting increased with temperature at both baseline and prestressing conditions. Poor wetting, however, was observed at all temperatures with the LS flux. Capillary flow is effectively restored with the CA flux.