Fatigue fracture mechanisms of Cu/lead-free solders interfaces

In this study the authors present and discuss the results of the investigation on the fatigue fracture behaviors in a series of as-soldered and thermal-aged copper/lead-free solder joints deformed under both monotonic and cyclic loadings. The observation results showed that fatigue cracks generally initiate around the IMC/solder interface when the loading axis is vertical to the interface. The intrinsic deformation behaviors are little different for different solder joints resulting from strain localization induced by the stain mismatch. Fracture surface observations revealed the crack propagation path and fatigue resistance of the solder joints to be affected by the yield strength and mechanical property of the solder. When the copper/solder interface is parallel to the loading axis, the interfacial IMC layer failed approximately perpendicular to the interface when the cumulative strain exceeded the fracture strain, then the cracks propagated to the IMC/solder interface, leading to the fracture along the interface. The failure mechanisms and factors influencing interfacial fatigue are discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.