Issues and Whisker Mitigation for those

Using SAC Solder and Tin Surface Finishes

Polina Snugovsky, Celestica

Latest Findings in Tin Whiskers in Electronics Webinar

October 29, 2015

1
 Outline

Whiskers in SAC305 assemblies

Difference in Sn-Pb and Pb-free solder joints

Importance of assembly materials and cleanliness

Importance of component quality and cleanliness

Whisker testing consideration

T. Munson, Foresite SAC Whiskers?
Whisker growth from solder with REE Circuit Assembly, June 2007

Carol Handweker, Purdue University

participated in failure analysis

1
Whiskers

1a
Flux residue

P. Snugovsky, Z. Bagheri and M. Romansky, Whisker Growth on SAC Solder Joints:

2
Microstructure Analysis, SMTA 2008. http://nepp.nasa.gov/whisker
 Printed Circuit Assembly
Vast majority of whisker studies are focused on piece parts (components)
Recommended mitigation: Matte Sn, Thick Sn, Ni underplaying, Sn alloys, JESD201
Component leads are electrically and mechanically fixed to the board with a molten solder
Max peak temperature
Sn-Pb 225C
Pb-free 260C

SAC305 soldering, target peak reflow temperature 240C

Solder

Plated Sn
Melting T - 231.6C

3
 Will Whiskers Grow on Pb-Free PCA?
During reflow using SAC305 solder
Heating TTSOP20 before reflow
217C - Solder starts melting
232C - Electroplated Sn melts
232C to reflow peak T - molten solder is Sn - 12m
mixing with Sn
Cooling
Solder or high Sn content Sn-Ag-Cu alloy
solidifies
Component coverage after assembly may
be thicker or thinner than electroplated Sn
before assembly TTSOP20 after reflow

Solder -
2m
No original
electroplated Sn after
Pb-free reflow

4
 Strategic Environmental Research and Development
Program (SERDP) Project WP1753 Technical objective
Perform systematic tin-whisker testing to improve the reliability of military
electronics
Provide an analytical framework to assess functional risk of whiskers to
military electronic systems
Four years project 2010 to 2015
Year 1 Screening experiments
Contamination
Solder with Rare Earth Elements
Year 2 Board design, build, and testing
Year 3 - 4 Testing and analysis, and modeling
55C to 85C PC
-55C to 85C TC
85C/85%RH
25 C/85%RH
Principal Investigator Stephan Meschter, BAE System
Principal Investigator Polina Snugovsky, Celestica

Whisker Formation Induced by Component and Assembly Ionic Contamination, JEM, Vol 41, Issue 2 ,2012
on-line : http://www.springerlink.com/openurl.asp?genre=article&id=doi:10.1007/s11664-011-1808-5
Whisker Formation on SAC305 Soldered Assemblies, JOM, Vol. 66, No. 11, 2014
5
on-line: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11837-014-1183-9
Screening Experiments: Boards and Components

Test Vehicle - Practical boards and kits

SOIC8
DIP14T

PLCC44
SOIC20
SOT143

SOT23
QFP44

QFP100

TSSOP20

QFP208

6
 Post Assembly Contamination for Whisker Growth
Non-coated assemblies
72

12 12 48

As received Boards & Cleaned Boards & Cleaned Boards &

As received Components Cleaned Components Contaminated Components
3 3 3 3
3 3 3 3
48
N F1 F2 F3 N F1 F2 F3
12 12 12 12

NaCl Na2SO4 (CH3CH2)2NH2Br NaCl + Na2SO4

SAC305 solder No-clean flux

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

N F1 F2 F3 N F1 F2 F3 N F1 F2 F3 N F1 F2 F3
Post soldering assembly treatment

N No post assembly contamination F2 - ROL1

F1 ORH1 F3 - ROL0
7
 Test Vehicle: SOT Board
Designation Lead Lead # of # of
SOT Part No. Frame Finish Leads Parts
Package Material

BGA SOT3 Alloy 42 Matte Sn 3 64

2N7002
SOT23-3
QFP SOT5 Cu194 Matte Sn 5 40
NC7S08M5X
24.7 x 20 cm x 0.236 mm thick panel SOT23-5
SOT6 Alloy 42 Matte Sn 6 17
2N7002DW-7-F
SOT363

SOT (Small Lead material Composition

outline
Alloy 42 Fe-42Ni
transistor)
Cu194 Cu2.1-2.6Fe-0.015-0.15P-0.05-0.2Zn

6 cm square
Immersion tin finish printed wire board
SOT3 SOT5 SOT6
8
 Experiment Schematic
Cleaned Contaminated
Components* Components**

SAC305 board assembly

Cleaned Cleaned Contaminated Contaminated

Components Components + Components + Components +
+ Cleaned Contaminated Cleaned Contaminated
Assembly Assembly*** Assembly Assembly***

0-0 0-1 1-0 1-1

*The level of contamination 10 times below typical acceptable industry level
**The piece part level of chlorine contamination was selected to be within the industry levels
encountered (no standards exist) about 3 g/in2
***The assembly level of equivalent chlorine contamination was selected to be within the J-STD-001
industry limits typically used to provide satisfactory electrical function about 10 g/in2
9
 Whisker Count and Measuring Summary
Component Counted Measured Component Counted Measured
PCTC, 1750 cycles HT/HH, 1000 hours
SOT3 216 216 SOT3 2438 867
SOT6 179 179 SOT6 1106 486
SOT5 No No SOT5 12020 3388
Total 395 395 Total 15564 4741
TC, 2110 cycles HT/HH, 4000 hours
SOT3 9130 691 SOT3 24639 197
SOT6 9866 1606 SOT6 37641 185
SOT5 5883 63 SOT5 13106 107
Total 24879 2360 Total 75386 489
Whisker
Component Counted Measured occurrence/length,
Whisker density
All 134478 11461 Whisker morphology
(straight or kinked)
Whisker angle
Whisker diameter

Whisker Formation on SAC305 Soldered Assemblies, The Journal of The

Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS), Vol. 66, No. 11, 2014), Page
2320-2333 10
on-line: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11837-014-1183-9
Whiskers Growing from Solder Joint Fillets

Solid partners.
Flexible solutions.

Palatino 48 Arial 24
Presentation to XXX Arial 16
00 Month 2006
 General Phenomenon of Sn Whisker Formation in Sn-Pb
and Pb-free Solder
Sn whisker formation is a
Sn-Pb
general phenomenon that may
occur under certain conditions
to pure Sn and Sn alloys
including solder

The limited length of Sn

Pb-Free
whiskers growing from Sn-Pb
generally does not raise
concerns with respects to
electrical short circuits

Sn based Pb-free solder fillets

(clean assembly) may also grow Whiskers and hillocks after 500 hrs of
short whiskers in some storage at 85C/85%RH followed by -55C
conditions to 85C air to air cycling,1000 cycles
Celestica Laboratories

12
 Whisker Growth From SAC305 Joints
PCTC 50 to 85 C, 1750 cycles TC -55 to 85 C, 2110 cycles

SOT3 SOT6
Solder
Board Types

10 whiskers Solder
per part Current
300 work
whiskers
per part

HT/HH 85C/85%RH, 4000 hours LT/HH 25C/85%RH, 4000 hours

SOT6 PLCC
SOT5

1400 whiskers
200 whiskers
per part
per part
13
9
Whiskers Grow From SAC305 Solder Fillet (cont.)
TC -55 to 85 C, 2110 cycles, cross-section

SOT6 Top view SOT6 Cross-section

Lead

SOT6

Cross-section line

Alloy42 115m whisker

14 12
 Whiskers Grow From SAC305 Solder Fillet (cont.)
TC -55 to 85 C, 2110 cycles, cross-section
Particularly in the regions around the leads and pads where solder
becomes rather thin - 3 to 25 m
SOT5 C194 lead
1
2
SOT6 3

Lead
Cu pad
Cross-section line Pad

2
3
1

15
Whisker lengths on clean and contaminated assemblies
300

Clean
250 500 hours at 85
C/85%RH
Whisker length, microns

As-received
200

With contaminated
150 components

With contaminated
100 components + ROL0

50

0
SOT23 SOIC8 QFP44 SOIC20 PLCC44

Use of clean components, boards and

post assembly cleaning significantly
reduces propensity of whisker
formation in Pb-free product

8
 Top whisker lengths on clean and contaminated
assemblies
SOT5, 25 C/85%RH, ~2.5 years
100
Whisker Length, microns

80

60

40

20

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
0-0 (below 10) 1-0 (below 10) 0-1 1-1

After 2.5 years in high humidity ambient conditions:

No whiskers longer than 10m on clean assembles
Long whiskers on NaCl contaminated assembly

17

17
SOT 5, 25 C/85RH, ~2.5 years
Components
% Leads
% Leads w Total Measured Longest
Cleanliness Components Components Leads w Whiskers Whiskers Whiskers Whisker
w Whiskers w Whiskers Whiskers

16 80
0-0 6.2 1.2 6 0 0
1 1
16 80
1-0 31.2 6.2 27 0 0
5 5
16 80
0-1 100 91.2 2040 203 92.1
16 73
16 80
1-1 100 98.8 2355 254 80.7
16 79

Clean components and clean assembly no

whiskers longer than 10m!
18 Global Technology and Innovation | 2014 | Celestica Confidential
SOT 3, 25 C/85RH, ~2.5 year
Components % Leads
% Leads w Total Measured Longest
Cleanliness Components Components Leads w Whiskers Whiskers Whiskers Whisker
w Whiskers w Whiskers Whiskers

48 144
0-0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0
48 144
1-0 2.1 1.7 1 0 0
1 1
48 144
0-1 25 12.5 117 2 30.6
12 18
48 144
1-1 14.6 6.9 16 5 82.9
7 10

19
 Level of Cleanliness and Whiskers
85 C/85%RH
1,000 hours 4,000 hours
Whiskers longer than 40m Whiskers longer than 100m
N u m b e r a n d le n g t h o f w h is k e r s lo n g e r th a n

200
180
160
140
120
40m

100
80
60
40
20
0
0-0 1-0 0-1 1-1

SOT5: Copper leads; SOT3 and

SOT5: Copper leads
SOT6: Alloy42 leads
Longest whiskers obtained in contaminated assemblies
2020
 Level of Cleanliness and Whiskers
Copper leads Alloy42 leads
Probability Plot of Length Probability Plot of Length
Lognormal - 95% CI Lognormal - 95% CI
99.99 99.99
Part Board Part Board
99.9 Contam Contam 99.9 Contam Contam
0 0 0 0
99 0 1 99 0 1
1 0 1 0
95 95
1 1 1 1
90
80 Loc Scale N AD P

Percent
Loc Scale N AD P
Percent

80
1.930 0.7101 620 0.918 0.019 70 1.694 0.6360 417 0.788 0.041
50 2.768 0.5272 394 3.289 <0.005
60 2.638 0.4894 126 1.824 <0.005
50
2.693 0.4050 392 2.934 <0.005 40 2.508 0.3586 176 1.416 <0.005
20 30 1.970 0.6273 509 1.025 0.011
2.113 0.6962 1354 0.737 0.055 20
5 10

1 85 C/85RH, 5

1
85 C/85RH,
0.1
0.01
1,000 hours 0.1
1,000 hours
1 10 0 0 0 1 10 0 0 0
10 20 30 10 20 3 0
Length (microns) Length (microns)
Project: 85C85RH SOT 1000+3000HR R9.MPJ; Worksheet: 1000hrSOT(Alloy = Cu) (Bias2=0) Project: 85C85RH SOT 1000+3000HR R2.MPJ; Worksheet: 1000hrSOT(Alloy = A42)(Bias2 = 0)

Probability Plot of Length

Lognormal - 95% CI

Shortest whiskers obtained in 99.9

Flux
Contam
99

clean components in clean

0
1
95
90 Loc Scale N AD P

assemblies 80
70
1.545 0.6552 374 1.187 <0.005
1.794 0.6513 240 1.707 <0.005
Percent

60
50
40
30
20
10
PCTC
5

1
50 C/85RH,
0.1
1,750 cycles
1 10 100
Length

21
Project: PWR CYC 1797 (250+480+1067) CYC ALL PARTS(MAY 1 2012) 2012-05-08.MPJ; Worksheet: Lead Alloy = Alloy 42
 -55C to 85C cycling: 2,110 cycles (500+1,610)
24,879 whiskers were counted
and 2,360 whiskers longer than 120
Individual Value Plot of Length

10 microns were measured 100

The whisker lengths are longer 80

for alloy 42 than copper lead

Length
60

terminations 40

The longest whiskers are: 20

SOT6 115 microns Board Contam

0
0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1
Part Contam 0 1 0 1
SOT3 64 microns Alloy
2,110 (1,610+500) cyc, Bias2=0
A42 Cu

SOT5 24 microns
On the alloy 42 lead solder joints,
several competing stress
relaxation mechanisms in Component Counted Measured
Percent
measured
addition to whisker growth were SOT3 9130 691
found 8%
SOT6 9866 1606 16%
Excessive deformation SOT5 5883 63 1%
Volume recrystallization Total 24879 2360 9%
Massive eruptions of the
recrystallized grains
22
Stress Relaxation: Massive Eruption, - 55 to 85C Cycling

SOT6, 0-0
First Cross-section Second Cross-section
Ion Beam Polishing

1
2 3

1 4
3

23
 Component Quality

Solid partners.
Flexible solutions.

Palatino 48 Arial 24
Presentation to XXX Arial 16
00 Month 2006
 Components: PLCC20 As Received
Sn plating thickness varies from 1 to 38 m
Cracks and contaminations

Contaminations

25
25
 Components: PLCC20 As Received
NaCl and Si -containing contaminations on the leads

26
26
Components: PLCC20 As Received
Voids, contamination and cracks in plating

Element Weight% Atomic%

SK 3.0 10.1

Cl K 0.7 2.0

Sn L 96.3 88.0

Totals 100.0

27
27
Components, SOT5 As Received
Exposed Cu Alloy C194

Skipped Sn plating

28
28
Components: SOT3 as received (cont.)
Exposed Alloy 42

Rough surface
with deep
groves

29
29
Industrial Components Quality
The RoHS Sn plating parts that meet plating criteria may have microstructural
characteristics that may affect whisker formation:

Uneven Sn plating
XRF measured thickness 8 to 10m may vary from 1m to 38m as we
found on PLCC; very thing Sn plating will be more prone for whisker
growth
Voids and cracks in plating
Exposed lead material Cu alloy and alloy 42

Contaminations
Cl, S, Si, Na, Br
high level within normal production lot variation
5.1 g/in2 Cl- ;10.4 g/in2 SO4-2
Main locations:
Surface roughness including voids and cracks
Grain boundaries
Gaps between the leads and plastic body
Edges and concave
30
30
Importance of Component and Assembly
Cleanliness
Solid partners.
Flexible solutions.

Palatino 48 Arial 24
Presentation to XXX Arial 16
00 Month 2006
Typical Pb-free Solder Joints
Exposed Sn
Rough surface
trapped contamination Solder
difficult to clean
higher propensity to whisker

Shrinkage void Oxidation Contamination

Top view Cross-sections

32

Lead-free joint roughness, SEM

 Microstructure and Whiskers: Sn Dendritic Growth
Uneven oxidation along the grain boundaries
creates local stress caused by difference in volume of Sn and Sn oxides
volume expansion about 29~34%
Promotes whisker formation

Sn oxide
Ag3Sn and Cu6Sn5

Whisker 130 m
Sn
length

SE image BSE image

33
 Microstructure and Whiskers: : Ag3Sn Role
Deterioration of solder around primary and
eutectic Ag3Sn in high humidity
Propagates from Ag3Sn/Sn boundary
Caused by difference in Ag3Sn and Sn
galvanic potentials
Occurs even in clean assemblies SOT23
Accelerated with contamination present

PCTC HT/HH
Cu6Sn5

Ag3Sn Ag3Sn

34
 Contamination Trapped in Solder Joints
Components contamination
Element Weight% Atomic%
Cl K 1.21 3.78
Fe K 2.07 4.08
Ni K 0.95 1.78
Cu K 1.59 2.77
Sn L 94.18 87.59
Totals 100.00

Some Cl was found

trapped at the
Assembly contamination
thinnest part of the
joint between the lead
and Cu pad

35
 Sn Whiskers in Pb-free Solder with Ionic Contamination

Dave Hillman (Rockwell Collins) showed the role of ionic

contamination as Sn whisker initiator
Sn whisker lengths were impacted by ionic contamination levels

Courtesy of D. Hillman

D. Hillman The Role of Ionic Contamination as a Tin Whisker Initiator, IPC/SMTA2010.

36
 Long Sn Whiskers in Pb-free Solder with Ionic Contamination (cont.)

Nihon Superior Co., Ltd* investigated the relationship between whisker growth
in conditions of heat and humidity and surface corrosion accelerated by the
residues of the fluxes
Wave soldering, hand soldering, and reflow soldering.
Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu (SAC305) and Sn-0.7Cu-0.06Ni-0.1Ge (SN100C) solder
60C/90%RH and 85C/85%RH
Whiskers long enough to compromise circuit reliability
The JEITA Activity report** of solder whisker growth indicated that Sn whiskers
also form on solders
The wetting behavior of Pb-free solders is worse than is the case for Sn-Pb
solders
High flux activity is required to enforce good wetting
The active agents used for this contain Cl or Br and cause corrosion
The corrosion of solder may be a trigger for whisker formation
Processing conditions need to be controlled during reflow, as does the flux
composition, to prevent the formation of Sn whiskers on Pb-free solder
joints
* K. Howell et.al. "Effect of Soldering Method and Flux Type on Tin Whisker Growth" 4th international symposium on tin
whisker growth 2010
37 ** T. Tsukui, JEITA Activity report of solder whisker growth. 2nd international symposium on whisker growth, 2008
 Long Sn Whiskers in Pb-free Solder with Ionic Contamination (cont.)
The work by A Baate at al* reports on Sn whisker formation on solder
During 85C/85% RH
A nitrogen atmosphere and an air atmosphere
Three fluxes with different concentrations of HBr
activators
Sn whiskers were not formed on solder fillets when using
a halogen free flux or
a nitrogen atmosphere

Solder joints reflowed in an air atmosphere using

halogenated flux examined a large amount of Sn-oxide
penetrated into the solder fillet
The formation of Sn oxide results in a volume expansion
The formation of Sn oxide can be a source of
compressive stress
To release this stress, Sn whiskers grow from the Sn
surface

* A. Baate, K. S Kim, K. Suganuma, S. Huang, B. Jurcik, S. Nozawa and M. Ueshima, Effects of

Reflow Atmosphere and Flux on Sn Whisker Growth of Sn-Ag-Cu Solders, J. Material Science,
Vol. 21, 2010,

38
 Whisker Growth Location Difference

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Flexible solutions.

Palatino 48 Arial 24
Presentation to XXX Arial 16
00 Month 2006
 Whisker Growth Location Difference
Temperature Cycling Isothermal High Humidity

Greatest whisker
Greatest whisker
frequency in lead frequency in pad
area area
Histogram of Location
Histogram of Location
2500 Alloy
Alloy A42
900
A42 Cu
800
Alloy 42 Cu
2000
Cu
700

Frequency
600 1500
Frequency

500

400 1000

300 Cu Alloy 42
500
200

100
0
0 1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5 Location
Location
Project: 85C85RH SOT 1000+4000HR R8.MPJ; Worksheet: 1000hrSOT (Bias2=0)
SOT3(A42) SOT5(Cu) SOT6(A42) 2110 -55 to +85C Cyc

More whiskers in joints with Cu

Much more whiskers in joints
leads
with Alloy 42 leads
Alloy 42 leads reduce whiskering in
Cu pad area
Thermal shock cycling: 2,110 cycles (500+1,610)
SOT6 (1-1)
150 m

100 m

50 m

41
Whiskers Grow From SAC305 Solder Fillet (cont.)
In high temperature high humidity environment majority of the whiskers
grow from SAC305 solder layer around Cu pad

HT/HH 85C/85%RH, 4000 hours

SOT6

Cross-section
98m Whisker

Cu pad

42
 Conclusions 1
Based on systematic study of electronic assemblies with leaded components
covered with SAC305 solder the following conclusions can be made:

Whiskers grow from solder fillets around component leads and Cu pads, particularly
where the solder is thinner than 25 microns thick

Very long whiskers grow from SAC305 fillet

The 85 C/85%RH 1,000 hour exposure on an assembly resulted in whisker

lengths longer than the JESD201 piece part test limits for 4,000 hours.

The -55 to 85 C exposure on an Alloy42 assembly resulted in whisker lengths

longer than the JESD201 piece part test limits

The 25C/85RH ~2.5 year exposure on an assembly resulted in whisker lengths

longer than the JESD201 piece part test limits for 4,000 hours

43
 Conclusions 2
Lead material and contamination level are the most significant factors contributing
to whisker growth

The primary source of whisker stress is SAC305 solder is oxidation and corrosion
in high humidity at high and ambient temperature

The greatest whisker density and whisker length was on joints with Cu leads
soldered to Cu pads

The primary source of whisker growth stress at thermal cycling is attributed to

SAC305 and substrate coefficient of expansion mismatch

The greatest whisker density and whisker length was on joints with Alloy 42
leads

Contaminated assemblies exhibited the greatest whisker growth

Clean parts on cleaned assemblies shows low propensity to whisker

no whisker growth greater than 10 microns in room temperature high humidity

in long storage 44
 Conclusions 3
Whisker location in solder joint depends on environmental conditions

In temperature cycling, majority of the whiskers grow from the fillets around
the leads top part of the SAC305 solder joint

In isothermal high humidity testing, majority of the whiskers grow from solder
around Cu pads - bottom part of the SAC305 solder joint

45
 Testing Considerations

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Flexible solutions.

Palatino 48 Arial 24
Presentation to XXX Arial 16
00 Month 2006
Whisker Testing Considerations
Periodic removal
Whisker observed at 500 hours did not grow further and inspection of
when examined at 1500 hours (500+1000 hours) whiskers will result
in under-reported
Red circles show positions where the whisker observed at
whisker length as a
500 hours did not grow further when examined at 1500
function of time
hours (500+1000) hours
Green arrow shows where new whiskers appeared

500 hr 1,500 hr

500 hr
1,500 hr
47
 Testing consideration: 85C/85%RH
SOT5 1-0, U26, lead 1 SOT5, 1-1, U37, lead 5 SOT5, 1-1, U38, lead 2

1,000 hours

1,000+3,000 hours

Interruption of humidity tends to halt whisker growth

Increasing successive inspection intervals will result in longer reported lengths
48
 Testing consideration: -55 to 85C
SOT6, 1-1 U76, lead 1 SOT6, 0-0, U80, lead 6 SOT3, 0-1, U36, lead 3

500 cycles

500+1,610
cycles

Interruption of thermal cycling may have a tendency to halt whisker growth

Increasing successive inspection intervals will result in longer reported lengths
Ultra Thin Whiskers, 25 C/85RH, 2.5 year
Long whiskers are very thin 0.1- 0.4m
Cannot be detected up to X600 - X1,000

X100

Length 80.7 m
Diameter 0.3m
X1,000 X3,000
50
 Ultra Thin Whiskers, 25 C/85RH, 2.5 year

X300 X900

51
X250 X3000
Ultra Thin Whiskers, 25 C/85RH, 2.5 year
Extremely thin whiskers are mostly strait, but may be kinked as well

Extremely thin
kinked whiskers

X100 X2500
Extremely thin
strait whiskers

52
X800 X2500
Ultra Thin Whiskers, 25 C/85RH, 2.5 year
Long whisker is hardly visible at X600!

X100

X100

X600

X8000
53
 Testing Consideration
Periodic removal and inspection of whiskers will result in under-reported
whisker length as a function of time; to report a proper length-time
dependency interval between successive examinations need to be increased

Inspection magnification needed to be X500 or greater

54
54
 Whiskers end of life

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Flexible solutions.

Palatino 48 Arial 24
Presentation to XXX Arial 16
00 Month 2006
 Very Long Oxidized and Broken Whiskers

4,000 hours 85 C/85%RH

Sn
Sn

Crack
Sn

Debris
Sn oxide
Sn oxide

Partially Oxidized Brittle Whiskers

56
 Very Long Oxidized and Broken Whiskers
85 C/85%RH

Whisker 80.9
microns

Oxidized whiskers

57
SOT5
 Whiskers in solder with REE

Solid partners.
Flexible solutions.

Palatino 48 Arial 24
Presentation to XXX Arial 16
00 Month 2006
Rare Earth Elements (REE) in Pb-Free Electronics

Rare earth element additions such as Y, Ce, La and Nb in solder used

to improve mechanical fatigue performance
positive effects on drop/shock - 0.1 to 0.5 %. REE

REE in solder significantly increase the whisker propensity

Even with a content as low as <0.01% Ce

The high propensity of whiskering is attributed to the REE Sn IMC

Oxidize rapidly
Compressive stresses

59
 Microstructure Formation
REE (La, Ce, and Y) segregate
On solder surface and
In last portion of liquid solder
The Sn-REE intermetallic accumulation on
the surface is independent of REE type or YSn3
concentration

YSn3

YSn3

Element Weight% Atomic%

YL 20.25 25.32
Sn L 79.75 74.68
Totals 100.00
60
 RESn3 Oxidation
YSn3, LaSn3 , CeSn3 oxidize rapidly
REE is less noble than Sn - Selective oxidation of REE in REESn3
Observed oxidation starts from an outer layer and propagates inward
Oxidation product has greater volume than the original intermetallic yielding
compressive stress that promotes whiskers (La2O3 (16.2%) and CeO2 (12.3%)
volumes are larger than the original intermetallic (Dudek JEM V38(2) 2009))

Sn

CeSn3

Fresh after polishing Exposed to air for several days

61
Whisker Growing From RESn3

Piece of bulk SAC105+0.5La, cross-section, ambient conditions, 3050 hr

Thin whiskers
growing within
LaSn3 IMC

LaSn3

Classical whisker

62
Whiskers From Solder Joint Cross-sections in N2 Chamber
194 days
SAC105+0.5La reflowed on Cu foil
from bulk solder and LaSn3

121+73 days

LaSn3

63
Experimental Whisker Growth Test Environments
Isothermal high temperature/high humidity (85C/85%RH)
Ambient aging
Nitrogen chamber/ambient T aging (4.3 to 6.5% O2)

Whiskers were detected on all types of SAC105 doped with REE (Ce, La, and Y)
samples in all environments
300

250
W h isker len g th , m

200
Ambient
150 Nitrogen
100 85C/85%RH

50

0
00 0
0
48 8 0
72 2 0
96 96 0

40 40
80 0
20 20
60 0
00 0
40 40
80 0
20 20
0
1 2 -1 2 0
24

16 -1 68

21 -2 16
24 -2 40

28 -2 88

36
14 -1 4

19 -1 9

26 -2 6

31 -3 1
4
7
0-
0-
0-
0-

-3 61 samples analyzed
0
24

29 grew whiskers
Time, hours

64
Test Vehicle: BGA Board
Solder spheres:
0.0157" diameter,
SAC105
SAC105 + 0.01%Ce

Ordered from one of the major suppliers

<0.01%Ce From chemical analysis
Sn whiskers on a SAC105+0.01%Ce alloy ball soldered with SAC305
paste after 4000 hours of 85C/85%RH.

Cross-section

CeSn3

66.8 micron long whisker 21.6 micron long whisker

66
 Long Sn Whiskers in Pb-free Solder with Rare Earth Elements

Tung-Han Chuang and Shiu-Fang Yen* discovered that

Sn whiskers appeared in Sn3Ag0.5Cu0.5Ce solder
joints of ball grid array packages after storage at room
temperature.
The high propensity to whiskering was attributed to the
CeSn3 particles
Oxidize rapidly during natural aging
The abnormal whisker growth was attributed to the
compressive stress in the Ce depleted Sn layer

Meng Liu and Ai-Ping Xian** - Whiskers growing from Sn-Pb solder doped with Nb
showed that the Pb does not suppress whisker growth in these alloy because it does
not influence the formation of the tinrare earth intermetallic compound. These results
suggest that the addition of rare earth elements into tin alloy systems renders whisker
formation nearly inevitable. Therefore, any suggestion to dope tin-based solders with
rare earth elements for application in high-density electronic packaging should be
carefully reconsidered.
*T-H Chuang and S-F Yen, Abnormal Growth of Tin Whiskers in a Sn3Ag0.5CuCe Solder Ball Grid Array Package, Journal of
Electronic Materials, Vol. 35, No. 8, 2006

**Tin whisker growth on bulk SnPb eutectic doping with Nd, Meng Liu, Ai-Ping Xian * Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials
Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Science, M. Liu, A.-P. Xian / Microelectronics Reliability 49 (2009) 667672
67
 Long Sn Whisker Growth
on Bulk Sn-Pb Eutectic
Solder Doping with Nb

Fig. 5*. SEM images of the long tin

whisker on the SnPbNd alloys
exposed on ambience condition.
(a) SnPb0.5%Nd (33 days),
(b) SnPb0.1%Nd (22 days).

*Tin whisker growth on bulk SnPb

eutectic doping with Nd. Liu, A.-P.
Xian / Microelectronics Reliability 49
(2009) 667672

68
 Conclusions
REE (Ce, La, Y and Nb) accumulate on the surface independently of REE
content and
form REE - Sn intermetallics with very low oxidation resistance

Whisker formation relates to REE - Sn oxidation

Oxides have greater volume than the original intermetallic yielding
compressive stress that promotes whiskers
Oxidation of REE Sn to REE - O results in liberation of Sn

Whiskers grow on SAC105 and SAC305 doped with REE in different

environments including ambient conditions and nitrogen atmosphere,
power cycling and high temperature/ high humidity
The longest whiskers grow under slow oxidation conditions

Whiskers up to 70 microns long were detected on SAC105 solder balls

attached to the boards using SAC305 solder paste doped with <0.01%Ce
exposed to 4,000 hours at 85C/85%RH

69
 General Conclusions
There is a high risk of whisker growth in electronic assemblies if Pb-free SAC305
solder is used unless mitigations are employed

Use of clean components, boards and post assembly cleaning significantly

reduces propensity of whisker formation

Parts manufacture specifications is needed for clean components

Conformal coating as a mitigation technique is out of scope of this presentation

Whisker testing should be included in assembly qualification for high reliability

Improvements in test and inspection methods for electronic assembly tin whisker
mitigation are needed

The addition of rare earth elements into Sn alloy systems renders whisker
formation nearly inevitable

Any suggestion to dope tin-based solders with rare earth elements for application
in high-density high reliability electronics should be carefully reconsidered
70
 Questions?

71
 Thank you

72