STTR Phase II: Development of Nanostructured Solder Materials

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project will develop nanostructured reinforcements to improve the thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) performance and service reliability of tin-based electronic solder alloys. Service reliability of solder joints will be studied under Phase II by simultaneously imposing external electrical, thermal and mechanical excursions under simulated realistic service conditions. Toward developing commercially viable products, Phase II will address scale-up issues in manufacturing different forms of nanostructured solder materials, as well as processing and disposal issues associated with the use of this product in fabrication of electronic components under different soldering methodologies, and in collaboration with solder suppliers and end users. A result of attempted adoption of lead-free solders has highlighted several adoption issues and concerns over service reliability of interconnects made with lead-free solder compositions. In Phase I, the general viability of incorporating surface active, and thermally stable nanostructured particulates as grain boundary reinforcements to significantly enhance mechanical and service performance and reliability of joints, was demonstrated. This fundamental discovery has significantly enhanced the understanding of the overall processes that affect the high temperature service performance and reliability of the solder joints. The proposed Phase II project will develop the knowledge base required for scale-up production of nanostructured solder materials and to obtain the technical data base necessary for implementation of the same in the manufacture of electronic components. The validation of nano-reinforcement of solders is expected to have significant commercial implications in a wide variety of structural materials. The proposed project represents an excellent step towards obtaining environmentally-benign solder materials with equivalent performance to traditional lead-tin, eutectic solders and which could lead to significant sales in the multi-billion dollar worldwide solder market.