The effect of lead free soldering on formation of black pad failure
By this time usable solder alloys for lead-free soldering had already been developed. NEMI (National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative) recommends Sn/3.9Ag/0.6Cu (±0.2%) solder alloy for reflow soldering instead of leaded solder alloys, due to its excellent mechanical properties and other good parameters. The next step is the choosing of suitable pad finish for lead-free soldering. In the age of fine pitch assemblies (QFPs (Quad Flat Pack), BGAs (Ball Grid Array) and CSP (Chip Size Package)) flat and planar plated surfaces are needed. Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold (ENIG) pad finishes are used, when there is a need for aluminum wire bonding besides soldering. At the interface of NiAu plating and the solder a failure can occur, called 'black pad'. Black pad is not only a cosmetic problem, but also a source of weak wire bonding and soldering joints. The question is, whether the lead free soldering affects the formation of black pad failure or not. Experiments were made to answer this question, and this paper will show the results.
Electroless Ni/Immersion Au interconnects: Investigation of black pad in wire bonds and solder joints
Black Pad was observed on Electroless Ni/Immersion Au (ENIG) wire bond pads. Thick immersion Au on highly corroded electroless Ni was detected. It was determined that the pads were electrically connected to the Cu ground plane due to a Ni bridge formed inside normally open photovias. The mechanism of the bridge formation was verified and preventative actions were taken; it was demonstrated that formation of Black Pad could be switched on and off. The mechanism of Black Pad formation is proposed to be defective ENIG plating involving variation of both the electroless Ni and immersion Au plating processes. The intermetallic structures of solder joints on the above pads were studied. The study was conducted on both defective and non-defective pads to show differences in intermetallic structure and composition. Me2Sn4 and Me2Sn2 (Me=Cu, Ni, and Au) intermetallics were formed on non-defective pads, which nucleated on the Ni layer and grew inside the molten solder. However, only the Me3Sn intermetallic was formed on defective pads inside the corroded Ni Layer. Both mechanisms of intermetallic formation were found on pads with mildly corroded Ni and intermediate Au thickness (4.5–7 in).
Effect of PCB finish on the reliability and wettability of ball grid array packages
Organic protective coatings (OPC) and metallic plating chemistries have emerged as alternatives to traditional hot air solder leveling (HASL) to ensure the solderability of printed circuit boards (PCB). This study examined a number of commercially-available printed circuit board finishes to determine their intrinsic solderability and their effect on the solder joint reliability of Ball Grid Array (BGA) packages. The PCB finishes included OPC (two different chemistries), immersion Au over electroless Ni (four chemistries), electroless Pd over Ni, immersion tin over Cu, immersion Bi over Cu and HASL. Solderability tests were performed by reflowing 20 mil diameter solder spheres on various aged test coupons and then quantitatively measuring the area and shape of the solder after cooling. The immersion Au finishes exhibited generally excellent wettability as a function of N/sub 2/ reflow aging as compared with the OPCs and HASL. The Pd-Ni, tin, and one of the Ni-Au finishes exhibited poor wetting when exposed to an 85/spl deg/C/85% RH environment. Solder joint reliability was measured for a 41 I/O ceramic BGA using cyclic thermal shock (nominally -55/spl deg/C to 125/spl deg/C) and three point bending. All finishes tested achieved good results in bending, but the Au finishes performed poorly in thermal shock as compared to OPC and HASL. The wetting and reliability results are correlated with the structure and composition of the finishes and the solder joints.