Whisker growth under a controlled driving force: Pressure induced whisker nucleation and growth

Abstract

We investigate whisker nucleation and growth kinetics in Sn coatings induced by the application of mechanical pressure. The pressure was applied to the samples using a clamping fixture that enables a constant pressure to be maintained over long duration of time. The fixture is small enough so that it could be transferred inside a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) chamber to observe the stress driven whisker nucleation and growth in real-time while the applied pressure is maintained on the Sn films.