Comparative studies on microelectronic reliability issue of Sn whisker growth in Sn-0.3Ag-0.7Cu-1Pr solder under different environments

In this study, comparative studies on Sn whisker growth in Sn-0.3Ag-0.7Cu-1Pr solder under different environments were conducted to investigate factors like ambient temperature, oxygen level, and 3.5 wt% NaCl solution on whisker growth. The experimental results revealed that ambient temperature and oxygen level are two important factors that could determine the oxidation rate of PrSn₃ phase, thus indirectly affecting the growth rate of Sn whiskers. In addition, mechanisms of whisker growth under these three environments were established from the perspective of atom diffusion based on the “compressive stress-induced” theory. Although whiskers under different environments were all squeezed out from Pr oxides (hydroxides), the forms of their driving forces were different. For whiskers squeezed out in air whether at room temperature or 150 °C, the driving force is the compressive stress produced by lattice expansion due to the oxidation of PrSn₃ phase. The representative example was whiskers' growth at 150 °C, which could be simplified as three stages: (1) squeezing out, (2) cracking and (3) bursting out. For whisker growth in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, the driving force for much fewer whiskers' growth was proposed to come from lateral stress provided by interfacial IMC layer growth. Moreover, Sn nanoparticles and their agglomerations were also found to form under the driving force of the potential difference between Sn atoms and Sn crystals. Their morphologies could also be affected by factors of ambient temperature, oxygen level and Cl^? ions in corrosive liquid.