Role of intrinsic stresses in the phenomena of tin whiskers in electrical connectors

The connector industry is at a crossroads with respect to selecting lead-free coatings in response to legislation and customer demands. Component manufacturers have long used tin-lead coatings because of lead´s ability to inhibit tin whisker formation. Several lead-free alternate finishes such as pure tin, tin-bismuth, tin-copper, tin-zinc, Pd, and Pd-Ni-Au have been proposed. One simple, economical, and easy drop-in replacement is pure matte tin. Unfortunately, pure tin films have a fairly high risk of whisker formation. Factors, such as substrate material, plating process variables, and assembly operations also play a role in whisker generation. The stresses imposed at each process step pose a serious threat to whiskering. We have critically evaluated three matte tin chemistries by changing bath composition and deposition parameters. We also characterized stresses in these matte tin coatings by using flexure beam and X-ray diffraction techniques. This paper identifies stress types encountered in various connector applications, provides an insight to the users about practical situations, and suggests whisker mitigation strategies. The impact of environmental (e.g., temperature and humidity) stresses on tin coatings is also discussed.