Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are crucial elements for packaging of power electronics. In particular, development of high-temperature lead-free die-attach TIMs for silicon carbide wide bandgap power electronics is a challenge. Among major options, sintered silver shows advantages in ease of applications. Cost, performance, reliability, and integration are concerns for technology implementation. The current study first discusses issues and status reported in literatures. Then it focuses on cost reduction and performance improvement of sintered silver using enhancement structures at micro- and nano-scales. A few design architectures are analyzed by finite element methods. The feasibility of strengthening edges and corners is also assessed. The downside of potential increase of unfavorable stresses to accelerate void coalescence would be optimized in conjunction with design concept of power electronics package modules for paths of solutions in the form of integrated systems. Demands of developing new high-temperature packaging materials to enable optimized package designs are also highlighted.
Issue Section:
Research Papers
References
1.
Madjour
, K.
, 2014
, “Silicon Carbide Market Update: From Discrete Devices to Modules
,” PCIM Europe, Nuremberg, Germany, May 20–22.2.
Horowitz
, K.
, Remo
, T.
, and Reese
, S.
, 2017
, “A Manufacturing Cost and Supply Chain Analysis of SiC Power Electronics Applicable to Medium-Voltage Motor Drives
,” National Renewal Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, Technical Report No. NREL/TP-6A20-67694
.https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy17osti/67694.pdf3.
Kono
, Y.
, Ito
, K.
, Okawara
, H.
, and Fukoma
, T.
, 2012
, “Power Electronics Technologies for Railway Traction Systems
,” Hitachi Rev.
, 61
(7
), pp. 306
–311
.https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/35a4/ce2e0b669c1635bdf9cfed476a0d33997518.pdf4.
PntPower, 2017, “
About the SiC MOSFET Modules in Tesla Model 3
,” PntPower, Lyon, France, accessed Sept. 7, 2008, https://www.pntpower.com/tesla-model-3-powered-by-st-microelectronics-sic-mosfets/5.
Siow
, K. S.
, and Lin
, Y. T.
, 2016
, “Identifying the Development State of Sintered Silver (Ag) as a Bonding Material in the Microelectronic Packaging Via a Patent Landscape Study
,” ASME J. Electron. Packag.
, 138
(2
), p. 020804
.6.
Chen
, C.
, Luo
, F.
, and Kang
, Y.
, 2017
, “A Review of SiC Power Module Packaging: Layout, Material System and Integration
,” CPSS Trans. Power Electron. Appl.
, 2
(3
), pp. 170
–186
.7.
DeVoto
, D.
, 2016
, “Performance and Reliability of Bonded Interfaces for High-Temperature Packaging
,” National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, Report No. NREL/MP-5400-64942
.https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy16osti/64942.pdf8.
Manikam
, V. R.
, and Cheong
, K. Y.
, 2011
, “Die Attach Materials for High Temperature Applications: A Review
,” IEEE Trans. Compon., Packag. Manuf. Technol.
, 1
(4
), pp. 457
–478
.9.
Siow
, K.
, 2014
, “Are Sintered Silver Joints Ready for Use as Interconnect Material in Microelectronic Packaging?
,” J. Electron. Mater.
, 43
(4
), pp. 947
–961
.10.
Li
, J.
, Johnson
, C. M.
, Buttay
, C.
, Sabbah
, W.
, and Azzopardi
, S.
, 2015
, “Bonding Strength of Multiple SiC Die Attachment Prepared by Sintering of Ag Nanoparticles
,” J. Mater. Process. Technol.
, 215
, pp. 299
–308
.11.
Shiao
, C.-H.
, Kung
, W.-T.
, Song
, J.-M.
, Chang
, J.-Y.
, and Chang
, T.-C.
, 2017
, “Development of Cu-Ag Pastes for High Temperature Sustainable Bonding
,” Mater. Sci. Eng. A
, 684
, pp. 500
–509
.12.
Paknejad
, S. A.
, Mansourian
, A.
, Noh
, Y.
, Khtatba
, K.
, and Mannan
, S. H.
, 2016
, “Thermally Stable High Temperature Die Attach Solution
,” Mater. Des.
, 89
, pp. 1310
–1314
.13.
Antoine
, C.
, Irvoas
, J.
, Schwarzenberger
, K.
, Eckert
, K.
, Wodlei
, F.
, and Pimienta
, V.
, 2016
, “Self-Pinning on a Liquid Surface
,” ACS J. Phys. Chem. Lett.
, 7
(3
), pp. 520
–524
.14.
Forsberg
, P. S. H.
, Priest
, C.
, Brinkmann
, M.
, Sedev
, R.
, and Ralston
, J.
, 2010
, “Contact Line Pinning on Microstructured Surfaces for Liquids in the Wenzel State
,” Langmuir
, 26
(2
), pp. 860
–865
.15.
Lu
, M.-C.
, 2018
, “Design Architectures for Compliant High Temperature Thermal Interface Materials
,” IEEE Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermo-Mechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems
(ITherm
), San Diego, CA, May 29–June 1, pp. 126
–133
.16.
Indium Corporation
, 2019, “Product Data Sheets
,” Indium Corporation, Chicago, IL, accessed Mar. 11, 2019, https://www.indium.com/technical-documents/product-data-sheets17.
Sir William Thomson
, F. R. S.
, 1871
, “On the Equilibrium of Vapour at a Curved Surface of Liquid
,” Philos. Mag.
, 42
, pp. 448
–452
.18.
Nanda
, K. K.
, Maisels
, A.
, Kruis
, F. E.
, Fissan
, H.
, and Stappert
, S.
, 2003
, “Higher Surface Energy of Free Nanoparticles
,” Phys. Rev. Lett.
, 91
(10
), p. 106102
.19.
Kiełbasinski
, K.
, Szałapak
, J.
, Jakubowska
, M.
, Młozniak
, A.
, Zwierkowska
, E.
, Krzeminski
, J.
, and Teodorczyk
, M.
, 2015
, “Influence of Nanoparticles Content in Silver Paste on Mechanical and Electrical Properties of LTJT Joints
,” Adv. Powder Technol.
, 26
, pp. 907
–913
.20.
Paknejad
, S. A.
, and Mannan
, S. H.
, 2017
, “Review of Silver Nanoparticle Based Die Attach Materials for High Power/Temperature Applications
,” Microelectron. Reliab.
, 70
, pp. 1
–11
.21.
Akada
, Y.
, Tatsumi
, H.
, Yamaguchi
, T.
, Hirose
, A.
, Morita
, T.
, and Ide
, E.
, 2008
, “Interfacial Bonding Mechanism Using Silver Metallo-Organic Nanoparticles to Bulk Metals and Observation of Sintering Behavior
,” Mater. Trans.
, 49
(7
), pp. 1537
–1545
.22.
Paknejad
, S. A.
, Dumas
, G.
, West
, G.
, Lewis
, G.
, and Mannan
, S. H.
, 2014
, “Microstructure Evolution During 300 C Storage of Sintered Ag Nanoparticles on Ag and Au Substrates
,” J. Alloys Compd.
, 617
, pp. 994
–1001
.23.
Sabbaha
, W.
, Azzopardia
, A.
, Buttayc
, C.
, Meuretb
., and Woirgarda
, R. E.
, 2013
, “Study of Die Attach Technologies for High Temperature Power Electronics: Silver Sintering and Gold-Germanium Alloy
,” Microelectron. Reliab.
, 53
(9–11
), pp. 1617
–1621
.24.
Narumanchi
, S.
, DeVoto
, D.
, Mihalic
, M.
, and Paret
, P.
, 2013
, “Performance and Reliability of Interface Materials for Automotive Power Electronics
,” Applied Power Electronics Conferences
, Long Beach, CA, Mar. 17–21.https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy13osti/57964.pdf25.
Khazaka
, R.
, Mendizabal
, L.
, Henry
, D.
, and Hanna
, R.
, 2015
, “Survey of High-Temperature Reliability of Power Electronics Packaging Components
,” IEEE Trans. Power Electron.
, 30
(5
), pp. 2456
–2464
.26.
Le Henaff
, F.
, Azzopardi
, S.
, Woirgard
, E.
, Deletage
, J.-Y.
, Bontemps
, S.
, and Joguet
, J.
, 2012
, “A Preliminary Study on the Thermal and Mechanical Performances of Sintered Nano-Scale Silver Die-Attach Technology Depending on the Substrate Metallization
,” Microelectron. Reliab.
, 52
(9–10
), pp. 2321
–2325
.27.
Chua
, S. T.
, and Siow
, K. S.
, 2016
, “Microstructural Studies and Bonding Strength of Pressureless Sintered Nano-Silver Joints on Silver, Direct Bond Copper (DBC) and Copper Substrates Aged at 300 C
,” J. Alloys Compd.
, 687
, pp. 486
–498
.28.
Bhagat
, S. K.
, Theodore
, N. D.
, and Alford
, T. L.
, 2008
, “Thermal Stability of Tungsten–Titanium Diffusion Barriers for Silver Metallization
,” Thin Solid Films
, 516
(21
), pp. 7451
–7457
.29.
Khazaka
, R.
, Thollin
, B.
, Mendizabal
, L.
, Henry
, D.
, Khazaka
, R.
, and Hanna
, R.
, 2015
, “Characterization of Nanosilver Dry Films for High-Temperature Applications
,” IEEE Trans. Device Mater. Reliab.
, 15
(2
), pp. 149
–155
.30.
Bai
, J.
, Zhang
, Z. Z.
, Calata
, J.
, and Lu
, G.-Q.
, 2006
, “Low-Temperature Sintered Nanoscale Silver as Novel Semiconductor Device-Metallized Substrate Interconnect Material
,” IEEE Trans. Compon. Packag. Technol.
, 29
(3
), pp. 589
–593
.31.
Carr
, J.
, Milhet
, X.
, Gadaud
, P.
, Boyer
, S. A. E.
, Thompson
, G. E.
, and Lee
, P.
, 2015
, “Quantitative Characterization of Porosity and Determination of Elastic Modulus for Sintered Micro-Silver Joints
,” J. Mater. Process. Technol.
, 225
, pp. 19
–23
.32.
Siow
, K. S.
, 2012
, “Mechanical Properties of Nano-Silver Joints as Die Attach Materials
,” J. Alloys Compd.
, 514
, pp. 6
–19
.33.
Klett
, J.
, Hardy
, R.
, Romine
, E.
, Walls
, C.
, and Burchell
, T.
, 2000
, “High-Thermal-Conductivity, Mesophase-Pitch-Derived Carbon Foams: Effect of Precursor on Structure and Properties
,” Carbon
, 38
(7
), pp. 953
–973
.34.
Lin
, W.
, Yuan
, J.
, and Sundén
, B.
, 2011
, “Review on Graphite Foam as Thermal Material for Heat Exchangers
,” World Renewable Congress 2011
, Linkoping, Sweden, May 8–13, pp. 748
–755
.35.
Singh
, M.
, and Behrandt
, D. R.
, 1992
, “Studies on the Reactive Melt Infiltration of Silicon and Silicon Molybdenum Alloys in Porous Carbon
,” 94th Annual Meeting of the American Ceramics Society
, Minneapolis, MN, Apr. 12–16.https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=1993000321036.
Wojcik-Grzybek
, D.
, Frydman
, K.
, and Borkowski
, P.
, 2013
, “The Influence of the Microstructure on the Switching Properties of Ag-C, Ag-WC-C, and Ag-W-C Contact Materials
,” Metall. Mater.
, 58
(4
), pp. 1059
–1065
.37.
Zhang
, H.
, Liu
, Y.
, Yan
, Y. J.
, Liang
, H. Q.
, Liu
, X. J.
, and Huang
, Z. R.
, 2014
, “Wetting Behaviors of Nickel-Based Alloys on Sintered Silicon Carbide Ceramics
,” Key Eng. Mater.
, 602–603
, pp. 274
–278
.38.
Menchhofer
, P. A.
, and Klett
, J. W.
, 2015
, “Metal-Bonded Graphite Foams Composites
,” UT-Battelle LLC, U.S. Patent No. 9017598 B1.https://patents.google.com/patent/US901759839.
Bar-Cohen
, A.
, Matin
, K.
, and Narumanchi
, S.
, 2015
, “Nanothermal Interface Materials: Technology Review and Recent Results
,” ASME J. Electron. Packag.
, 137
(4
), p. 040803
.40.
Yang
, C.
, Kao
, C.
, Nishikawa
, H.
, and Lee
, C.
, 2018
, “High Reliability Sintered Silver-Indium Bonding With Anti-Oxidation Property for High Temperature Applications
,” IEEE 68th Electronics Components and Technology Conference
(ECTC
), San Diego, CA, May 29–June 1.41.
Yang
, M.
, Mei
, Y.
, Burgos
, R.
, Boroyevich
, D.
, and Lu
, G.
, 2018
, “Effect of Substrate Surface Finish on Bonding Strength of Pressure-Less Sintered Silver Die-Attach
,” International Conference on Electronics Packaging and iMAPS All Asia Conference (ICEP-IAAC
), Mie, Japan, Apr. 17–21..42.
Suzuki
, T.
, Terasaki
, T.
, Kawana
, Y.
, Ishikawa
, D.
, Nishimura
, M.
, Nakako
, H.
, and Kurafuchi
, K.
, 2016
, “Effect of Manufacturing Process on Micro-Deformation Behavior of Sintered Silver Die-Attach Material
,” IEEE Trans. Device Mater. Reliab.
, 16
(4
), pp. 588
–596
.43.
Chen
, C.
, Nagao
, S.
, Suganuma
, K.
, Jiu
, J.
, Zhang
, H.
, Sugahara
, T.
, Iwashige
, T.
, Sugiura
, K.
, and Tsuruta
, K.
, 2016
, “Self-Healing of Cracks in Ag Joining Layer for Die-Attachment in Power Devices
,” Appl. Phys. Lett.
, 109
, p. 093503
.44.
Paret
, P.
, Major
, J.
, DeVoto
, D.
, Narumanchi
, S.
, Tan
, Y.
, and Lu
, G.-Q.
, “Mechanical Characterization Study of Silver Pastes Bonded in a Double Lap Configuration
,” ASME
Paper No. IPACK2018-8276.45.
Huber
, T.
, and Alexander
, K.
, 2018
, “Novel SiC Module Design—Optimised for Low Switching Losses, Efficient Cooling Path and Low Inductance
,” Tenth International Conference on Integrated Power Electronics Systems
(CIPS
), Stuttgart, Germany, Mar. 20–22, pp. 571
–576
.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/840319546.
Lee
, C.-C.
, Tzeng
, T.-L.
, and Huang
, P.-C.
, 2015
, “Development of Equivalent Material Properties of Microbump for Simulating Chip Stacking Packaging
,” Materials
, 8
(8
), pp. 5122
–5137
.47.
Lee
, M.-J.
, Park
, S.-S.
, Ryu
, D. S.
, Lee
, M. J.
, Saiki
, H.
, Mori
, S.
, and Nagai
, M.
, 2014, “Packaging Technology and Design Challenge for Fine Pitch Micro-Bump Cu-Pillar and BOT (Direct Bond on Substrate-Trace) Using TCNCP (Thermal Compression With Non-Conductive Paste) Method
,” IPC APEX Expo Technical Conference
, Las Vegas, NV, Mar. 25–27.https://smtnet.com/library/files/upload/Fine-Pitch-Micro-Bump-Cu-Pillar-and-BOT.pdfCopyright © 2019 by ASME
You do not currently have access to this content.
