Tensile characteristics of Sn–5wt%Sb–1.5wt%Ag reinforced by nanosized ZnO particles

Abstract

In this study the impact of adding 0.3 wt% ZnO nano-sized particles into Sn–5wt%Sb–1.5wt%Ag (SSA) lead free solder (LFS) was investigated for microstructure, thermal and tensile stress strain characteristics. The microstructure of both the plain and composite LFS was examined by utilizing the optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The addition of ZnO nano-sized particles drastically changed the microstructure and improved the tensile response of SSA LFS. The microstructure investigations showed the formation of the intermetallic compounds (IMCs) Ag3Sn and SnSb. Sizes of the formed IMCs were found finer in the ZnO-contained solder. In this work the alloy under investigation exhibited better tensile response with the refined IMC particle. Thermal analysis of the composite solder revealed a slight decrease (0.08 °C) in freezing point, low pasty range (6.55 °C) and low degree of undercooling (3.39 °C). These findings are expected to supply a correct guideline and reference in producing of electronic packages.