Influence of flux-assisted isothermal storage on intermetallic compounds in Cu/SnAg microbumps

With decreasing solder volumes and joint sizes, new aspects in electronics packaging occur. Previous publications report porous structures in Cu/Sn microbump interconnects after flux-assisted bonding and storage. The origin and mechanisms of pore formation are still discussed among researchers. In this study, the influence of no-clean flux during isothermal storage is investigated on soldered Cu/SnAg3.5 microbumps with intermetallic compounds. Soldering was carried out on single dies in air atmosphere without cleaning agent at 240 °C for 15 min. Subsequent isothermal storage was performed in air and N2 atmosphere at 240 °C for 1 min, 10 min and 20 min. The microbumps were exposed to flux and flux fumes during isothermal storage. Reference samples were stored separately without any flux contact. The results show pores in samples with flux contact of any kind. Inert atmosphere seems to diminish pore formation. The study reveals different residue appearances on and around the microbumps according to different storage conditions. Reasons for pore formation are also discussed in this study.