Interconnections based on Bi-coated SnAg solder balls

To decrease the bonding temperature required for eutectic SnAg solder, SnAg solder bumps were chemically coated with a pure Bi layer. During heating, a low melting eutectic forms between the Bi coating and the SnAg, enabling bonding at temperatures below the melting points of either pure Bi or SnAg solder. As the composition of the molten solder changes toward more dilute Bi concentrations, the melting point in the joint region increases and the joint solidifies. After solidification the joints will no longer melt at the original bonding temperature. Bi-coated SnAg solder balls were joined to metallized substrates at temperatures ranging from 180°C to 250°C. The microstructure at the joint interface was characterized by the SEM/EDS technique. As expected, at 180°C the Bi-coated SnAg solder balls melted only locally at the interfacial regions between the ball and the substrate and so retained their spherical shape during bonding. After solidification there were a lot of small Bi precipitates in the joint region. At higher temperatures, the wetting was evidently better, and there were less Bi precipitates, because the melt was more dilute in bismuth. In all cases, Bi formed relatively small, equi-axed precipitates instead of the eutectic structure found in eutectic Sn-Bi solder joints