Whisker Growth in Sn Coatings: A Review of Current Status and Future Prospects

Jagtap, P and Kumar, P (2020) Whisker Growth in Sn Coatings: A Review of Current Status and Future Prospects. In: Journal of Electronic Materials . (In Press)

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Abstract

Whiskering is a spontaneous filamentary growth of material, and it is a major long-term reliability issue affecting microelectronic packages comprising Sn plating and Sn-rich solders. In particular, whisker growth out of Sn-plated surfaces has been studied extensively in recent years due to the advent of next-generation, environment-friendly, Pb-free microelectronic packaging. Here, we review this scientifically challenging and technologically important problem, especially in the light of relatively new insights gained in the recent past, intending to provide a quick overview of the important results and stimulating future studies. In particular, we discuss the mechanisms of whisker growth by critically examining the roles of stress and its regeneration, oxide layer, diffusion conduits, and crystal anisotropy in creating conditions conducive for whiskering. We also discuss the recent proposals for effectively mitigating whisker growth in Sn coatings. Finally, an outlook is provided, with details of important unresolved issues related to whisker growth. © 2020, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Journal of Electronic Materials
Publisher:	Springer
Additional Information:	Copyright to this article belongs to Springer
Keywords:	Microelectronics, Crystal anisotropy; Current status; Environment friendly; Future prospects; Microelectronic package; Microelectronic packaging; Oxide layer; Whisker growth, Coatings
Department/Centre:	Division of Mechanical Sciences > Materials Engineering (formerly Metallurgy)
Date Deposited:	24 Dec 2020 09:41
Last Modified:	24 Dec 2020 09:41
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/66792

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