Effect of Cu additives on Sn whisker formation of Sn(Cu) finishes

Sn whisker formation on Sn(Cu) finishes has been studied. (1) With respect to the thickness effect, we found that Sn whisker density for pure Sn and Sn0.7Cu finishes has a linear relationship with the finish thickness. The safety thickness for Sn and Sn0.7Cu finishes is about 10 μm and 20 μm, respectively. (2) With respect to the alloying effect, we found that Sn whisker formation could be retarded by increasing Cu content in the Sn(Cu) finishes. We conclude that the Cu additives could reduce the two major driving forces of the Sn whisker formation, i.e., metal underlayer dissolution and thermal stress. The Cu additives self-formed a Cu-Sn compound barrier layer, which effectively prevents the reaction and dissolution with the metal underlayer. On the other hand, the Cu additives precipitated out as Cu-Sn compound in the Sn(Cu) finish layer, which is believed to be the reason for smaller values of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) for Sn(Cu) alloys. The smaller CTE values results in a lower thermal stress level in the Sn(Cu) finishes.