Effect of Bath Life of Ni(P) on the Brittle-Fracture Behavior of Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu/ENIG

Abstract

The effect of bath life of Ni(P) on the brittle-fracture behavior of Sn-3.0 wt.%Ag-0.5 wt.%Cu (SAC)/electroless nickel immersion gold (ENIG) was evaluated in this study. The bath lives of Ni(P) for the ENIG surface finish in this study were varied from 0 to 3 metal turnover (MTO), which were indirectly indicative of Ni(P) bath life, with “0 MTO” denoting the as-make-up state and “3 MTO” denoting almost waste plating solution. The SAC/ENIG sample when Ni(P) was plated in the 3 MTO bath (3 MTO sample) had thicker (Cu,Ni)6Sn5 and P-rich layers than when Ni(P) was plated in the 0 MTO bath (0 MTO sample). The brittle-fracture behavior of the 0 and 3 MTO samples was evaluated by use of a igh-speed shear (HSS) test with a strain rate of 0.1–2.0 m/s. The shear strength of the 0 MTO sample was higher than that of the 3 MTO sample. The incidence of brittle fracture increased as the bath life of Ni(P) of ENIG (= MTO of Ni(P)) increased. Observation by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed nano-sized voids (or particles) in the Ni-Sn-P layer. As the MTO of the Ni(P) increased, the number of nano-sized voids in the Ni-Sn-P layer of the SAC/ENIG interface increased. The poor brittle-fracture behavior of the 3 MTO sample originated from the weak interface at the thick P-rich layer and from the large nano-sized voids.