Electrical Resistivity of Fe-Bearing Sn1Ag0.5Cu Lead-Free Solder Alloys

Abstract

This paper reports on the effect of Fe addition in the range of 0.1 wt.% to 0.5 wt.% on the electrical resistivity of the Sn-1Ag-0.5Cu (SAC105) solder alloy. The electrical resistivity is characterized by the four-point probe technique. Results showed that the Fe-bearing SAC105 solder alloys exhibit lower electrical resistivity compared with the standard SAC105 solder alloy. Moreover, the electrical resistivity further decreases with increasing the amount of Fe addition. As Fe is a low-cost and non-hazardous element, along with the high mechanical reliability, the Fe-bearing SAC105 solder alloys also demonstrate good electrical characteristics, and hence may be an attractive candidate for a low cost, reliable formulation for lead free solders in electronics packaging.