Quantitative Microstructure Characterization of Ag Nanoparticle Sintered Joints for Power Die Attachment

• Published in: Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals Vol. 604; no. 1; pp. 11 - 26
• Main Authors: Wang, Yun, Li, Jianfeng, Agyakwa, Pearl, Johnson, Christopher Mark, Li, Shuguang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Taylor & Francis 22.11.2014; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Attachment; Diffraction; Electronics; Grain growth; Grain size; image analysis method; kinetics of sintering; Microstructure; Nanoparticles; Nanostructure; Porosity; power die attachment; Scanning electron microscopy; Silver; Sintering; Sintering of Ag nanoparticles; Thinning; Transmission electron microscopy; X-ray Scherrer method
• ISSN: 1542-1406; 1563-5287; 1527-1943
• DOI: 10.1080/15421406.2014.967647

The samples of sintered Ag joints for power die attachments were prepared using paste of Ag nanoparticles at 240°C and 5 MPa for 3 to 17 minutes. Their microstructural features were quantitatively characterized with scanning electronic microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and image analysis method. The resulting normalized thickness, pore size and porosity decreased, and grain size increased with increasing the sintering time. A time dependence of the form t 1/n with n close to 2 or 3 can be further derived for the kinetics of the thinning, densification and grain growth within the sintered Ag joints.