Failure behaviors of Sn-0.3Ag-0.7Cu solder joint under creep and current stressing

The reliability issues such as creep, electromigration (EM), and thermal fatigue of solder joints in real service condition have gained much attention due to the rapid development of electronic devices towards multi-function, miniaturizing and portable tendency. There are many studies focusing on microstructure changes of solder joints under the single condition of creep, EM, or thermal fatigue. However, few studies focus on the coupling effect(s) of the above mentioned impact factors during the failure process of a solder joint. In this study, Sn-0.3Ag-0.7Cu which has much lower cost than Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu under the coupling stressing of EM and creep were investigated. The in-situ microstructure and resistance of the solder joints were observed and measured during the failure process. The results indicated that the lifetime, the fracture location, and the fracture mode of solder joint were significantly changed by the coupling effect(s) of creep and EM.