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There are very few studies that have investigated directly the effect of an oxide film on tin whisker growth, since the cracked oxide theory was proposed by Tu in 1994. The current work has investigated the effect of using an electrochemically formed oxide and both a molybdate conversion coating and a tungstate conversion coating on tin whisker growth from Sn-Cu electrodeposits on Cu, and compared it with that from a native air-formed oxide. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been used to investigate the effect of coating parameters on the thickness and composition of the oxide film. The XPS studies show that the oxide film formed using either of the conversion coating baths was significantly thicker than that produced from the potassium bicarbonate-potassium carbonate bath. Initial observations suggest that both the tungstate-based conversion coatings and the molybdate-based conversion coatings significantly reduced whisker growth by over 80 %, compared with a native air-formed oxide, and provide improved whisker mitigation compared with the electrochemically formed oxides. The current work has also investigated the potential of using a dual-layer system, comprised of both an electrochemically formed oxide bottom layer and an acrylic conformal coating top layer, for the mitigation of tin whisker growth. The electrochemically formed oxide used in the dual-layer system was produced at 2 V vs. Ag/AgCl while passing a charge of 60 mC cm-2 and the thickness of the conformal coating was aimed to be between ~5 μm to ~6 μm. This thickness was chosen to enable the study of whisker growth on a shorter time scale and to study the effect the electrochemically formed oxide had when used in conjunction. Initial observations showed that the dual-layer system provided improved whisker mitigation compared with both the electrochemically formed oxides and acrylic conformal coatings when used singularly. As part of the self-healing work, nanocapsules filled with the reactive agent were needed to be synthesised and the compatibility of them with different solvents needed to be studied. Capsules filled with the reactive agent were successfully synthesised, however, it was found that the capsules agglomerated and the size of the capsules, in some instances, were too large to be incorporated into a thin conformal coating. Regardless, the capsules were still analysed to check the compatibility with different solvents, to identify a suitable conformal coating mixture that would not dissolve the polymer shell of the capsules. It was observed that the capsules were stable in three out of the five solvents that were analysed, them being isopropanol (IPA), butanone and methylcyclohexane.

<p>The phenomenon of spontaneous growth of metallic filaments, known as whisker growth has been studied. Until now the problem that Sn whisker growth could cause in electronics by making shorts has been partially prohibited as Pb and Sn have been used together in solders and coating. Regulations restricting Pb use in electronics has made the need to understand Sn whisker growth more current.</p><p>It is shown that whiskers are highly resilient towards vibrations and shocks. A Sn whisker is shown to withstand 55 mA.</p><p>Results show that reflowing of the Sn plated surface does not prevent extensive whisker growth. Results show that intermetallic compound growth can not be the sole reason behind whisker growth. Nickel and silver underlayer have been shown not to prevent whisker growth, but perhaps restrain whisker growth. Heat treatment damped whisker growth considerably. It is judged that base material CuSn6 is less prone to show whisker growth than CuSn0.15 and E-Cu58.</p>

The phenomenon of spontaneous growth of metallic filaments, known as whisker growth has been studied. Until now the problem that Sn whisker growth could cause in electronics by making shorts has been partially prohibited as Pb and Sn have been used together in solders and coating. Regulations restricting Pb use in electronics has made the need to understand Sn whisker growth more current. It is shown that whiskers are highly resilient towards vibrations and shocks. A Sn whisker is shown to withstand 55 mA. Results show that reflowing of the Sn plated surface does not prevent extensive whisker growth. Results show that intermetallic compound growth can not be the sole reason behind whisker growth. Nickel and silver underlayer have been shown not to prevent whisker growth, but perhaps restrain whisker growth. Heat treatment damped whisker growth considerably. It is judged that base material CuSn6 is less prone to show whisker growth than CuSn0.15 and E-Cu58.

In past years, legislative pressures (particularly in Japan and Europe) had forced the electronics industry to eliminate Pb from their end products and manufacturing processes. With respect to factors such as ease of converting existing tin-lead plating systems, ease of manufacture and compatibility with existing assembly methods, pure tin plating is seen by many in the industry as a potentially simple and cost effective alternative to SnPb-based systems. The problem of spontaneous tin whisker formation, a characteristic of pure tin, still needs to be addressed, as it can lead to device failure by shorting two terminals on electronic devices. This possibility gives rise to major reliability concerns. The study relates to an electronic component with pure tin deposit layer on the part for electric connection, wherein pure tin deposit layer is a fine grained tin deposit layer composed of grains with smaller size in the direction perpendicular to the deposit surface than in the direction parallel to the deposit surface. It is called irregular tin grain structure. It applies a process for plating an electronic component, so as to form a pure tin deposit layer on the part for electric connection, comprising the steps of: adjusting the composition of tin plating solution in which starter additive and brighter additive are included; moving the electronic component through the tin plating solution, so as to form a fine grained tin deposit layer on the part for electric connection. We performed a DoE by depositing different tin grain structures with variant thickness. After whisker test in high temperature/high humidity and room condition, we confirmed corrosion mechanism, intermetallic morphology, and different behaviour of tin atoms. To summarize the studies, as compared with the prior arts, irregular grain structure can validly inhibit the whisker growth.

New environmental regulations enforce the electronic industry to replace Pb-Sn solder due to Pb could contaminate our environment. Pure Sn has good material properties such as solderability, conductivity and anti-corrosion. Pure Sn is a good candidate to replace Pb-Sn solder. One of the disadvantages of pure Sn is the whisker growth phenomenon. Whisker problem has become a major concern in electronic industry due to the trend toward component miniaturization and pitch reduction. It is well understood that the root cause for tin whisker growth is the compressive stress within the tin layer. In the literature, the main stress sources are, (1) the intermetallic layer induced interface stress, (2) the difference of thermal expansion coefficient between Sn layer and substrate and (3) the mechanical residual stress from trim-form operation after tin plating. In our study, we used the electrochemical electrolysis method and Cross-section Polisher (CP) to examine the tin whisker growth mechanism. In the result, we can clearly show the Cu6Sn5 phase grow up in the tin grain boundary regions and demonstrate that the Cu6Sn5 phase formation is the main cause of the tin whisker growth. We also discuss the relationship of tin whisker growth and tin-plating process parameters that include the temperature effect; Ni underlay effect and tin-plating bath effect. For the temperature effect, the Cu6Sn5 is the major phase at 150¢XC aging. The mechanism behind its growth mechanism was grain boundary diffusion at the earlier stage and then the bulk diffusion in the later stage. The application of 150¢XC post-heat treatment could drive the bulk diffusion and form a layer type Cu6Sn5 phase to eliminate the whisker growth. For the Ni underlay effect, the Ni underlay can block the Cu atom diffusion to the tin layer and changed the tin layer stress state from compressive to tensile. Therefore, the tin whisker can be eliminated. For the tin-plating bath effect, in the sulfuric acid base and uses Triton X-100 as the surface active agent, may transform the whisker type to particular tin grain type. Thus, this tin-plating solution can restrain the tin whisker growth.

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