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Nanomechanical Characterization of Lead Free Solder Joints

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Abstract

The mechanical properties of a lead free solder are strongly influenced by its microstructure, which is controlled by its thermal history including solidification rate and thermal aging after solidification. In our ongoing research, we are exploring aging effects in lead free solder joints, and correlating the results to measured behavior from miniature bulk tensile samples. As a part of these efforts, the mechanical properties and creep behavior of lead free solders are being characterized by nano-mechanical testing of single SAC305 solder joints extracted from PBGA assemblies. Using nanoindentation techniques, the stress–strain and creep behavior of the SAC solder materials have been explored at the joint scale. Mechanical properties characterized included the elastic modulus, hardness, and yield stress. The test results show that the mechanical properties (modulus, hardness) of single grain SAC305 joints were dependent on the crystal orientation. Using a constant force at max indentation, the creep response of the solder joint materials has also been measured as a function of the applied stress level. An approach has been developed to estimate tensile creep strain rates for low stress levels using nanoindentation creep data measured at very high compressive stress levels.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Center for Advanced Vehicle Electronics and Extreme Environment (CAVE3). We thank the members of iNEMI for providing the joint samples tested in this work.

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Correspondence to Jeffrey C. Suhling .

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© 2014 The Society for Experimental Mechanics

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Hasnine, M., Mustafa, M., Suhling, J.C., Prorok, B.C., Bozack, M.J., Lall, P. (2014). Nanomechanical Characterization of Lead Free Solder Joints. In: Shaw III, G., Prorok, B., Starman, L., Furlong, C. (eds) MEMS and Nanotechnology, Volume 5. Conference Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Mechanics Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00780-9_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00780-9_2

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-00780-9

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