Distribution and Microstructure Analysis of Ceramic Particles in the Lead‐Free Solder Matrix

Abstract The Sn‐3.5Ag‐0.5Cu (SAC305) solder alloy is a prominent candidate for the Pb‐free solder, and SAC305 solder is generally employed in today's electronic enterprise. In this study, the formation of intermetallic compounds (Cu 6 Sn 5 and Ag 3 Sn) in the solder (bulk area), average neighboring particle distance, and the morphological mosaic are examined by the addition of silicon carbide (SiC) and nickel‐coated SiC reinforcements within Sn‐3.5Ag‐0.5Cu solder. Results reveal that the addition of SiC and SiC(Ni) particles is associated with a small change to the average neighboring particle distance and a decrease in clustering rate to a certain limit of the Sn‐3.5Ag‐0.5Cu solder composites. Moreover, the development of the Cu 6 Sn 5 and the structure of the Ag 3 Sn are improved with the addition of SiC and Ni‐coated SiC.