Rapid Growth of Tin Whiskers on the Surface of Sn3.8Ag0.7Cu1.0Y Alloy

Abstract

It is known that rare-earth elements exhibit high chemical activity and adding trace amount of rare-earth Y in the solder can significantly improve the properties of solder alloy. However, adding excessive rare-earth Y in the solder will result in rapid growth of tin whiskers. The research results show that: if the YSn3 precipitates formed in the interior of Sn3.8Ag0.7Cu1.0Y were exposed to the air, YSn3 precipitates will oxidize and expand in volume, and the tremendous compressive stress produced by the surrounding solder matrix constraining the volume expansion will accelerate the growth of tin whiskers.