Interfacial Reaction Between Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu Solder and ENEPIG for Fine Pitch BGA by Stencil Printing

In this work, solder balls in ball grid array packaging technology with the pitch of 300 mu m were fabricated by stencil printing solder paste and then reflowed at high temperature. In order to evaluate the quality of solder ball after printing and reflowing processes, the mechanical performance of the joint between the solder balls and the pad was measured by shear test and the electrical resistance was tested after assembly of the substrate and printed circuit board. A comparative study of pad size on the interfacial reaction between solder paste and surface finish of electroless nickel-electroless palladium-immersion gold on the organic substrate was performed and then analyzed by observing the microstructure at the interface. Large discontinuous (Cu,Ni)(6)Sn-5 was found at the interface of the solder with the pad size of 120 mu m, while spalled (Pd,Ni)Sn-4 and thin (Cu,Ni)(6)Sn-5 layer appeared for a pad size of 140 mu m. The IMC (intermetallic compounds) was determined by the residual Cu concentration, the Pd concentration in the solder, and the Ni2SnP barrier layer morphology at the interface, which were significantly influenced by the pad size. A reaction model during the reflow was proposed to illustrate the growth of the IMC and the relationship between the IMC and the pad size. With Pd concentration higher than the solubility of Pd in the solder, spalled (Pd,Ni)Sn-4 took shape along the interface. The solubility of Pd was influenced by Ni concentration; however, the Ni diffusion from the substrate was largely dependent on the barrier layer Ni2SnP. Furthermore, the Ni diffusion also impacted the growth and morphology of (Cu,Ni)(6)Sn-5, which was not only limited by the Cu concentration.