Board Level Drop Test for Evaluating the Reliability of High-Strength Sn–Bi Composite Solder Pastes with Thermosetting Epoxy

Abstract

The Sn–Bi solder paste is commonly used in electronic assembly and packaging, but its brittleness causes poor reliability in shock environments. In this study, the mechanical reliability of Sn–Bi solder paste and Sn–Bi composite solder paste with thermosetting epoxy (TSEP Sn–Bi) was investigated with the board level drop test. The crack characterizations of solder joints were evaluated using a stereomicroscope after the dye and pull test. The microstructure characterization and failure types of solder joints were analyzed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) was employed to investigate the initial phase identification and elemental analysis. Compared with Sn–Bi solder paste, the results show that the TSEP Sn–Bi solder pastes reduced the proportion of the complete failure and partial failure of the solder joints during the drop test. The microstructure observation of the crack path showed that the Sn–Bi/TSEP Sn–Bi solder joints were reinforced through the cured epoxy resin. The number of drops of the Sn–Bi/TSEP Sn–Bi-x (x = 3, 5, 7) solder joints had 1.55, 2.57, and over 3.00 times that of Sn–Bi/Sn–Bi solder joints after the board level drop test.

Microstructure and Shear Behaviour of Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu Composite Solder Pastes Enhanced by Epoxy Resin

“…The research result indicated that the appropriate addition of epoxy resin could notably improve the spreadability and shear properties of Sn-Bi solder pastes. Moreover, the thermal reliability and drop characteristics of Sn-Bi epoxy solder joints were enhanced, which could mainly benefit from the mechanical refinement of epoxy resin [ 17 , 18 ].…”