Crystallinity of Co-P coating on microstructure and mechanical properties of Co-Sn intermetallic compounds at Sn-Ag/Co-P/Cu Interface

Abstract

In advanced microelectronic packaging technology, the interfacial brittleness of Cu/Sn solder joints puts forward higher requirements for high-performance diffusion barriers. Cobalt–Phosphorus (Co-P) alloy coating becomes ideal candidates for its good wettability and diffusion resistance. In this work, for Co-P with different crystallinity, the barrier properties of electrodeposited Co-P coatings as well as the mechanical properties of Co-Sn intermetallic compounds (IMCs) at the Co-P/Sn-Ag interface were investigated. According to the XRD results, the crystallinity of the Co-P coating was directly related to the phosphorus (P) content, and Co-P were classified into three types: crystalline state, mixed state and amorphous state. The morphology, composition, phase characterization, and mechanical properties of the Co-Sn IMCs at the interface were investigated by SEM, EPMA, TEM, and nanoindentation methods, respectively. After 180 °C aging test for 120 h, the thickness of CoSn3 generated at the interface of crystalline Co-4.2 at.% P/Sn-Ag was the smallest among a total of 18 Co-P coatings, where P content ranged from 0.9 at.% to 20.8 at.%, showing the best barrier properties. The hardness of (Co,Cu)Sn3 at the amorphous Co-P/Sn-Ag interface was the lowest (3.2 GPa), which was only 47% of that of Ni3Sn4, exhibiting the lowest brittleness tendency. The mixed crystalline-amorphous Co-P could greatly improve the diffusion barrier properties while sacrificing a small degree of brittleness comparing to the amorphous coatings, and had the potential to become a general-purpose alloy coating. This work could provide a scientific basis for the selection of Co-P barrier layers with excellent barrier properties and mechanical properties leading to different application scenario in electronic packaging.