Effect of Bi Addition on Melting Behavior, Solder Joint Strength, and Thermal Aging Resistance of Sn-3.5Ag/Cu Joints
摘要
This study demonstrates that the addition of Bi to Sn-3.5Ag (SA) solder alloys effectively reduces the melting temperature and enhances the solder joint strength, even after prolonging the thermal aging treatment. The onset melting temperature of SA with 5 wt.% Bi (SAB5) was 198.6°C, which is much lower than that of SA (219.8°C). Furthermore, SAB5 would also lead to notable microstructural changes, including Bi precipitation and uniform dispersion after thermal aging, which provides precipitation and dispersion strengthening. Simultaneously, partial Bi solutes could reinforce the Sn matrix by solid-solution strengthening. Although Bi addition accelerated the growth of intermetallic compound (IMC) during aging, the increased intrinsic strength of the SAB5 alloy compensated for this effect, ensuring good soldering strength (66 MPa) and thermal stability. These results demonstrate the effect of Bi on the properties of the SA alloy for low-temperature and reliable electronic packaging applications.