Effect of Cu Addition to Zn-12Al Alloy on Thermal Properties and Wettability on Cu and Al Substrates

The thermal properties, electrical resistivity, thermal linear expansion and tensile strength of a new high-temperature lead-free solder based on a eutectic Zn-Al alloy with 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 at. pct Cu added were studied. Wettability studies on Cu substrate were performed with flux at 773 K (500 A degrees C) for 60, 180, 240, 900, 1800, and 3600 seconds, and for 480 seconds at 733 K, 753 K, 773 K, 793 K, and 823 K (460 A degrees C, 480 A degrees C, 500 A degrees C, 520 A degrees C, and 550 A degrees C, respectively). The experiment was designed to demonstrate the effect of the addition of Cu on the kinetics of the formation and growth of the CuZn, Cu5Zn8, CuZn4, and Al4Cu9 phases, which were identified by X-ray diffraction analysis. Wetting tests were also performed on the Al substrate, for 15 and 30 seconds at 773 K and 793 K (500 A degrees C and 520 A degrees C, respectively). Very low contact angles on Al pads were obtained. The electrical resistivity of Zn-Al-Cu alloys was slightly higher than that of the ZnAl eutectic alloy. The present results are discussed with respect to the available literature on Zn-Al and Zn-Al-Cu alloys.