Investigation on the Thermal and Wettability Properties Aided with Mechanical Test Simulation of Tin (Sn) - Bismuth (Bi) Solder Alloy at Low Reflow Temperatures

Abstract

The current study proposes to investigate the thermal, wettability and mechanical properties of a low temperature SnBi solder. The main aim is to investigate the performance of the SnBi solder alloy with different Bi composition. The study also establishes the relationship between melting temperature, spreading area and tensile stress of the SnBi with different Bi composition at different low reflow temperatures. The thermal and wettability tests are conducted experimentally, while the mechanical test will be analysed via finite element analyses (FEA). The single shear lap test method was adopted for the simulation. The thermal properties of the SnBi solder are investigated using the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The reflow temperature selected ranges from 160 °C to 220 °C to accommodate the purpose of low temperature soldering. Wetting test results showed that spreading area of Sn48Bi solder alloy increased to 28.1 and 42.88 at 180 °C and 210 °C respectively. The increase in the Bi composition reduced the tensile strength regardless of the increase of the reflow temperature. The preliminary results commend the characteristics of the SnBi solder as a possible alternative to the Pb solder.