The presentation will take place during the session, titled “Pb-Free Solders and Other Materials for Emerging Interconnect and Packaging Technologies: Solder Alloy Design for Challenging Applications” on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 10:15 a.m.
The intermetallic compound layer that forms at the interface between a solder and the substrate is generally regarded as an important part of the joint that can affect its reliability in service. The nature of the intermetallic and, most importantly, the rate at which it grows at the elevated temperatures to which a joint may be subjected in service, varies with the alloy. In this paper, the authors report the results of study of the formation and growth of the intermetallic layer formed by eight alloys that are representative of solders currently in use or under consideration. These results could provide a guide to the selection of lead-free solders for particular applications.