What exactly causes gold embrittlement in BGA solder joints?

With the continuous development of LED technology, the luminous efficiency and brightness of LED are also improving, especially in the field of solid-state lighting, and the market demand for high-power LED continues to grow. High-power LED devices have the advantages of high brightness, high efficiency, long life and environmental protection, but they also face challenges in heat dissipation and reliability. In order to solve these problems, gold solder as a high-performance brazing material, with its high strength, high thermal conductivity, no flux and other characteristics, has become the ideal choice for high-power LED device packaging and connection. This paper will introduce the physical properties of gold tin solder, as well as its application and advantages in high-power LED devices.

LED chip package form

At present, there are two main packaging forms of LED chips: formal (welded wire) LED and flip chip (FC) LED. Compared with welded wire LED, flip-chip LED has better heat dissipation, reliability and welding efficiency. Flip-chip LED, especially high-power flip-chip LED, is in line with the development trend of LED packaging to high density and low cost. The packaging method of the flip-chip LED is to directly bond the light-emitting side of the LED chip to the heat dissipation substrate, which can shorten the heat conduction path, reduce the thermal resistance, and improve the heat dissipation efficiency. At the same time, because the welding wire is omitted, the resistance and inductance are also reduced, and the electrical performance is improved. In addition, the package structure of the flip-chip LED is also more compact and stable, which is conducive to improving the optical performance and reliability of the LED.

Figure 1. Welded wire (formal) LED (right) and flip-chip (FC) LED package (left) structure

The main challenges facing high-power LED devices

Since the luminous efficiency of the LED chip is still low, most of the input electrical energy is converted into heat energy, resulting in a high junction temperature rise of the chip. The increase of junction temperature will not only reduce the luminous efficiency and stability of the LED, but also accelerate the aging and failure of the LED, affecting its life and reliability. Therefore, how to effectively export the heat generated by the chip quickly and reduce the junction temperature is the key to the design of high-power LED packaging. Power LED devices mainly face the following two challenges when working:

(1) Heat dissipation problem. High-power LED devices will produce a lot of heat at work, if it can not be effectively distributed in a timely manner, it will lead to a rise in the temperature of the device, thereby affecting the light output, light color, stability and life of the device. Therefore, the heat dissipation design of high-power LED devices is a key technical issue, which needs to consider the structure, material, packaging, connection and other aspects of the device.

(2) Reliability problems. High-power LED devices will be subjected to large current, voltage, temperature, humidity, mechanical stress and other factors, these factors may lead to the aging of the device, damage, failure and other phenomena, reduce the reliability of the device.

In order to solve these challenges, the packaging interconnect technology of high-power LED devices plays an important role. The mechanical and electrical interconnection between the chip and pad affects the heat dissipation and reliability of the device. Therefore, choosing the right packaging and connection materials and methods is the key to improving the performance of high-power LED devices.

Gold tin solder

Gold-tin solder is a binary intermetallic compound, formed from 80%wt Au and 20%wt Sn eutectic, with a melting point of 280 ° C, and has the following advantages:

(1) High melting point. The melting point of gold tin solder is 280℃, which is higher than that of general soft solder, and can maintain the strength and stability of the joint at a higher temperature. The melting point of gold tin solder is also close to some commonly used electronic packaging materials, such as ceramics, tungsten copper, etc., which makes gold tin solder can be well matched with these materials, avoiding the problem of thermal stress and thermal fatigue.

(2) High strength. The strength of gold-tin solder is higher than that of general soft solder, and its yield strength at room temperature can reach 47.5MPa, even at a high temperature of 250-260 ° C, its strength can still meet the requirements of some high-reliability electronic devices. The high strength of the solder makes it able to withstand greater mechanical stress and thermal shock, and improves the reliability and durability of the joint.

(3) High thermal conductivity. The thermal conductivity of gold tin solder is 57W/m·k, which is a high level in soft brazing, so gold tin solder can effectively conduct the heat of the welding part, reduce the temperature rise of the device, and improve the heat dissipation performance of the device. Especially for some high-power LED devices, gold tin solder can form a fast heat transfer channel, reduce thermal resistance, improve light efficiency and life.

(4) No flux is required. Due to its high gold content, gold tin solder has good oxidation resistance, and the oxidation degree of its surface is low, so there is no need to use chemical flux in the welding process.

Gold tin solder is mainly used in the packaging of high-power LED chips in chip bonding technology and chip level packaging technology, its role is to connect the chip with the substrate or lead to form a solid joint, while conducting the heat of the chip to improve the heat dissipation performance and reliability of the chip.

Figure 2. Au80Sn20 Gold tin paste

Fuyingda gold tin paste

Shenzhen Fuyingda has professional solder paste research and development and production experience, its gold solder paste products have high tensile resistance, corrosion resistance, excellent thermal creep performance, compatible with other precious metals, excellent electrical conductivity, excellent thermal conductivity and a series of advantages, welcome to inquire.