Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society

In the soldering industry, a variety of lead-free solders have been developed as a part of restricting lead in electronic packaging. Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) lead-free solder is regarded as one of the most superior candidates, owing to its low melting point and high solderability as well as the mechanical property. On the other hand, the mechanical property of SAC solder is directly influenced by intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in the solder joint. Although IMCs in SAC solder play an important role in bonding solder joints and impart strength to the surrounding solder matrix, a large amount of IMCs may cause poor strength, due to their brittle nature. In other words, the mechanical properties of SAC solder are of some concern because of the formation of large and brittle IMCs. As the IMCs grow, they may cause poor device performance, resulting in the failure of the electronic device. Therefore, new solder technologies which can control the IMC growth are necessary to address these issues satisfactorily. There are an advanced nanotechnology for microstructural refinement that lead to improve mechanical properties of solder alloys with nanoparticle additions, which are defined as nano-reinforced solders. These nano-reinforced solders increase the mechanical strength of the solder due to the dispersion hardening as well as solderability of the solder. This paper introduces the nano-reinforced solders, including its principles, types, and various properties.

Keywords nano-reinforced solder, lead-free, intermetallic compound, solderability, mechanical properties