Strategies for solder joints with high shear strength, slow interfacial consumption, ductile intermetallic compounds using hybrid crystalline-amorphous Co-P coatings

Abstract

Crystalline and amorphous cobalt-phosphorus (Co-P) coatings have their own advantages in interfacial diffusion resistance and mechanical ductility of solder joints, respectively, but it cannot be better at both. In this work, the hybrid crystalline-amorphous Co-P coating (Co-9.1 at.% P) was fabricated and applied on the Cu/Sn interface by controlling the crystallinity through compositional design. Combining the advantages of crystalline and amorphous Co-P, strategies for solder joints with high shear strength, ductile intermetallic compounds (IMCs) and slow interface consumption was proposed. The evolution, microstructure, phase, and mechanical properties of the Co-Sn, Co-Sn-P and P-rich layers in solid-state diffusion were systematically characterized and tested by means of SEM, EPMA, EBSD, TEM, nanoindentation, and shear test. It was found that the hybrid Co-P coating achieved a low consumption rate, 14.2 nm/h, attributing to the partially crystalline structure and the Co-Sn-P exfoliation behavior. In addition, solder joints containing large-thickness ductile Co-Sn IMCs, 3.2–3.6 GPa of hardness, was established. The shear strength after aging reached 75.4 MPa relying on the large thickness of Co-Sn IMCs. Severe mechanical loads would be able to be withstand by virtue of the plastic deformation of ductile IMCs. Hybrid crystalline-amorphous Co-P would be a promising interface material in microelectronic packaging.