During the reflow process of In-3Ag solder ball grid array (BGA) packages with electroless nickel immersion gold (ENIG) and immersion silver (ImAg) surface finishes, continuous (Au0.9Ni0.1)In2 and scallop-shaped (Ag0.9Cu0.1)In2 intermetallic layers form at the interfaces of In-3Ag solder with Au/Ni/Cu and Ag/Cu pads, respectively. The (Au0.9Ni0.1)In2 layer breaks into clusters with increases in the aging time and temperature. Aging at 115 °C results in the formation of an additional continuous Ni10In27 layer on the Ni/Cu pads and the migration of (Au0.9Ni0.1)In2 intermetallic clusters into the solder matrix. In contrast, the (Ag0.9Cu0.1)In2 scallops grow into a continuous layer after aging treatment. Accompanying the interfacial reactions, AgIn2 precipitates in the interior of In-3Ag solder balls and coarsens during aging, causing the ball shear strengths of reflown ENIG (1.18 N) and ImAg (1.11 N)-surface-finished solder joints to decrease gradually. However, the migration of (Au0.9Ni0.1)In2 clusters into the solder matrix of ENIG-surface-finished In-3Ag packages leads to an increase in their ball shear strengths after aging at 115 °C over 300 h. Both the ENIG- and ImAg-surface-finished In-3Ag solder joints, after ball shear tests, have fractured across the solder balls with ductile characteristics.

The interfacial reactions in a Sn-20In-2.8Ag solder ball grid array (BGA) package with immersion Ag surface finish are investigated. After reflow, the Ag thin film dissolves quickly into the solder matrix, and scallop-shaped intermetallic layers, with compositions of (Cu 0.98 Ag 0.02 ) 6 (In 0.59 Sn 0.41 ) 5 , appear at the interfaces between Sn-20In-2.8Ag solder ball and Cu pad. No evident growth of the (Cu 0.98 Ag 0.02 ) 6 (Sn 0.59 In 0.41 ) 5 intermetallic compounds was observed after prolonged aging at 100 °C. However, the growth accelerated at 150 °C, with more intermetallic scallops floating into the solder matrix. The intermetallic thickness versus the square root of reaction time ( t 1/2 ) shows a linear relation, indicating that the growth of intermetallic compounds is diffusion-controlled. Ball shear tests show that the strength of Sn-20In-2.8Ag solder joints after reflow is 4.4 N, which increases to 5.18 N and 5.14 N after aging at 100 and 150 °C, respectively.

The interfacial reactions between liquid In-49Sn solder and Ni substrates at temperatures ranging from 150°C to 450°C for 15 min to 240 min have been investigated. The intermetallic compounds formed at the In-49Sn/Ni interfaces are identified to be a ternary Ni 33 In 20 Sn 47 phase using electron-probe microanalysis (EPMA) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. These interfacial intermetallics grow with increasing reaction time by a diffusion-controlled mechanism. The activation energy calculated from the Arrhenius plot of reaction constants is 56.57 kJ/mol.

The corrosion behaviors of a series of Al-Si-Cu-based filler metals and the 6061-T6 butt joints brazed with these filler metals are evaluated by polarization tests and immersion tests in a 3.5% NaCl aqueous solution. For comparison, a traditional Al-12Si filler metal is also employed. The results indicate that the Al-Si-Cu-based filler metals before brazing possess much higher corrosion current densities and pitting tendencies than the Al-12Si filler metal. However, brazing of the 6061-T6 alloy with an Al-12Si filler metal produces a wider butt joint, which, in this case, creates a more extensive corrosion region. Severe galvanic corrosion occurs at the 6061-T6 joints when brazed with Al-Si-Cu-based filler metals. However, in the case of the 6061-T6/Al-12Si brazements, selective corrosion of the Al-12Si eutectic phase can be observed. The bonding strengths of the 6061-T6 butt joints brazed with various filler metals are also measured before and after the immersion tests.

The morphology and growth kinetics of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) formed at the interfaces between liquid Sn-8Zn-3Bi solders and nickel substrates in the temperature range from 225°C to 400°C are investigated for the applications in bonding recycled sputtering targets to their backing plates. The results show that a continuous single layer of Ni5Zn21 IMC appears at temperatures below 325°C, while a double layer containing Ni5Zn21 and Ni35Zn22Sn43 IMCs is formed at temperatures above 325°C. In both cases, the growth kinetics of IMCs is interface-controlled. During the growth of IMCs, their reaction fronts migrate in the direction of the solder much more rapidly than toward the nickel substrate, and erosion of the Ni substrate is quite slight.

The interfacial reactions between liquid In and Cu substrates at temperatures ranging from 175°C to 400°C are investigated for the applications in bonding recycled sputtering targets to their backing plates. Experimental results show that a scallop-shaped Cu16In9 intermetallic compound is found at the Cu/In interface after solder reactions at temperatures above 300°C. A double-layer structure of intermetallic compounds containing scallop-shaped Cu11In9 and continuous CuIn is observed after the Cu/In interfacial reaction at temperatures below 300°C. The growth of all these intermetallic compounds follows the parabolic law, which implies that the growth is diffusion-controlled. The activation energies for the growth of Cu16In9, Cu11In9, and CuIn intermetallic compounds calculated from the Arrhenius plot of growth reaction constants are 59.5, 16.9, and 23.5 kJ/mole, respectively.

For the application of In-49Sn solder in bonding recycled-sputtering targets to Cu back plates, the intermetallic compounds formed at the In-49Sn/Cu interface are investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations show that the interfacial intermetallics consist of a planar layer preceded by an elongated scalloped structure. Electron-probe microanalyzer analyses indicate that the chemical compositions of the planar layer and the scalloped structure are Cu74.8In12.2Sn13.0 and Cu56.2In20.1Sn23.7, respectively, which correspond to the ε-Cu3(In,Sn) and η-Cu6(In,Sn)5 phases. Kinetics analyses show that the growth of both intermetallic compounds is diffusion controlled. The activation energies for the growth of η- and ε-intermetallics are calculated to be 28.9 kJ/mol and 186.1 kJ/mol. Furthermore, the formation mechanism of intermetallic compounds during the In-49Sn/Cu soldering reaction is clarified by marking the original interface with a Ta-thin film. Wetting tests are also performed, which reveal that the contact angles of liquid In-49Sn drops on Cu substrates decline to an equilibrium value of 25°C.

The interfacial reactions between In49Sn solders and Ag thick films at temperatures ranging from 200°C to 350°C have been studied. The intermetallic compound formed at the Ag/In49Sn interface is Ag2In enveloped in a thin layer of AgIn2. Through the measurement of the thickness decrease of Ag thick films, it has been determined that the reaction kinetics of Ag2In has a linear relation to reaction time. Morphology observations indicated that the linear reaction of Ag2In was caused by the floating of Ag2In into the In49Sn solder as a result of the In49Sn solder penetrating into the porous Ag thick film. A sound joint can be obtained when a sufficient thickness of the Ag thick film (over 19.5 µm) reacts with the In49Sn solder. In this case, the tensile tested specimens fracture in the In49Sn matrix.

The corrosion behavior of Al–Si–Cu–(Sn, Zn) filler metals in a 3.5% NaCl aqueous solution were studied using electrochemical tests. The results showed that the addition of Sn or Zn to the Al–Si–Cu filler metal raised its corrosion current density sharply and caused its corrosion potential to become more active. Sn or Zn elements exert harmful effects on such low-melting-point brazing filler metals in that the corrosion resistance is degenerated, and damage is accelerated with an increase in the Sn or Zn content. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs of the corroded surfaces of these Al–Si–Cu–(Sn, Zn) filler metals indicate that the Al-rich phase (i.e., Al–Si, Al–Si–Cu, and Al–Si–Cu–Sn eutectic phases) dissolves preferentially, while the Si particles and CuAl2(θ) intermetallic compounds remain intact.