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Development of extremely ductile lead-free Sn-Al solders for futuristic electronic packaging applications

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Abstract

In the present study, new lead-free Sn-Al solders are developed incorporating varying amount of Al (0.4 and 0.6% by weight) into pure Sn using disintegrated melt deposition technique. Solder samples were then subsequently extruded at room temperature and characterized. Microstructural characterization studies revealed equiaxed grain morphology, minimal porosity, reasonably uniform distribution of Al particles and good Sn-Al interfacial integrity. Melting temperature of Sn-0.6Al (228°C) was found to be close to the eutectic Sn-0.7Cu (227°C) solders. Microhardness was increased with increasing amount of Al in pure Sn. Room temperature tensile test results revealed that newly developed Sn-0.6Al solders exhibited significant improvement in 0.2% yield strength (∼67%), ultimate tensile strength (∼18%) and ductility (∼123%) when compared to commercial Sn-0.7Cu solder. Ductility was improved about 222%, 263% and 81% when compared to commercially available Sn-3.5Ag-0.7Cu, Sn-3.5Ag and Sn-37Pb solders, respectively without compromising strength.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical Engineering Technology, HBCC, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, P. O. Box: 1803, Hafr Al-Batin, 31991, KSA

    Md Ershadul Alam

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117576, Singapore

    Md Ershadul Alam & Manoj Gupta

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  1. Md Ershadul Alam
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  2. Manoj Gupta
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Correspondence to Md Ershadul Alam.

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Alam, M.E., Gupta, M. Development of extremely ductile lead-free Sn-Al solders for futuristic electronic packaging applications. Electron. Mater. Lett. 10, 515–524 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13391-013-3087-1

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