Strain Evolution during Lap Shear Testing of SnCu Solder

Abstract

The lap-shear test is frequently used in the microelectronics industry to obtain mechanical properties of solder joints. In these tests, solder joints formed between slender metallic substrates are pulled apart in a simple shear configuration. Although it is known that calculation of stress-strain curves from lap shear tests is not straightforward due to rotation of the joints and strain inhomogeneity within the joint, these tests still find widespread use due to their simplicity and apparent ease of use. Chawla and co-workers [1, 2] show that the state of strain near the solder-substrate interfaces is significantly different from that in the interior of the joint and that this effect is only minimized for large joints. In the present work, we offer experimental evidence for these conclusions by presenting full-field strain measurements on solder joints in double-lap shear configuration, obtained using Digital Image Correlation (DIC). While confirming that significant strain gradients exist within the joint, the present work also indicates that a simple calculation of shear strain as axial displacement of the joint divided by joint thickness is misleading due to the presence of a significant gradient of the transverse displacement along the loading direction. This gradient persists through the course of the deformation and results in the actual average shear strain in the joint being smaller than that computed from the axial displacement alone.