Preparation and mechanical characterization of Ni-Fe-P coating for power electronics

Abstract

With the high operating temperature in power electronics, intermetallic compounds (IMCs) formed between solders and substrates can rapidly grow and lead to integration failure, which requires a robust diffusion barrier at elevated temperature. Electroless Ni-Fe-P coating can be a good alternative due to its excellent electrical conductivity, thermal stability and diffusion barrier property. In this work, preparation of ternary Ni-Fe-P alloy and its quality were reported. Mechanical properties of Ni-Fe-P at elevated temperature were evaluated by nanoindentation tests. It was found that Er and H generally followed logarithmic relation with loading rates at room temperature and elevated temperature.