Pressureless sinter-joining of micron-Ag flake pastes at 160 °C enabled by solvent and interface engineering

Pressureless sinter-joining of cost-effective micron-Ag flake pastes at temperatures below 200 °C poses significant challenges due to their poor surface activity and low tapped density. Herein, we propose a novel solvent and interface engineering approach to enhance the contact among adjacent micron-Ag flakes and between the flakes and substrates. The solvent-enhanced sintering process is proposed, and its effect on the resistivity and shear strength of sintered Ag patterns and joints is studied in detail. Results show that the solvents with high wetting abilities on the Ag flakes and substrates are instrumental in achieving low resistivity and high shear strength in the sintered Ag patterns and joints. In particular, when the solvents possess high surface tension, they generate strong capillary adhesion among Ag flakes and substrates. This reduces the gap between Ag flakes and substrates, thereby promoting bonding among the Ag flakes by minimizing the distance of atom diffusion. Finally, mixed solvents of 50 % α-Terpineol and 50 % dipropyleneglycol methyl ether acetate show a synergistic effect due to the balance between wettability and surface tension, which enables the sintered joints to achieve an exceptional shear strength of 27 MPa even at an ultralow temperature of 160 °C. This achievement represents the state-of-the-art pressureless sinter-joining of Ag pastes and holds promising potential for practical use in power electronic packaging applications.