Morphology of intermetallic compounds formed between lead-free Sn-Zn based solders and Cu substrates

The morphologies of intermetallic compounds formed between Sn-Zn based solders and Cu substrates were investigated in this study. The investigated solders were Sn-9Zn, Sn-8.55Zn-0.45Al, and Sn-8.55Zn-0.45Al-0.5Ag. The experimental results indicated that the Sn-9Zn solder formed Cu₅Zn₈ and CuZn₅ compounds on the Cu substrate, while the Al-containing solders formed the Al_4.2Cu_3.2Zn_0.7 compound. The addition of Ag to the Sn-8.55Zn-0.45Al solder resulted in the formation of the AgZn₃ compound at the interface between the Al_4.2Cu_3.2Zn_0.7 compound and the solder. Furthermore, it was found that the cooling rate of the specimen after soldering had an effect on the quantity of AgZn₃ compound formed at the interface. The AgZn₃ compound formed with an air-cooling condition exhibited a rougher surface and larger size than with a water-quenched condition. It was believed that the formation of the AgZn₃ compound at the interface occurs through heterogenous nucleation during solidification.