The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology (2018) 96:717–733

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-018-1583-z

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

The influence of Fe O nano-reinforced SAC lead-free solder

in the ultra-fine electronics assembly
F. Che Ani & A. Jalar & A. A. Saad & C. Y. Khor & R. Ismail & Z. Bachok & M. A. Abas & N. K. Othman

Received: 14 August 2017 / Accepted: 8 January 2018 / Published online: 29 January 2018
# Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2018

Abstract
This paper presents the influence of Fe O nanoparticles on the microstructure and fillet height for the ultra-fine electronics
assembly in the reflow soldering process. Lead-free SAC solder paste was reinforced with different weighted percentages of
Fe O nanoparticles (i.e., 0.01, 0.05, and 0.15 wt.%) using a mechanical solder paste mixer. A new form of nano-reinforced lead-
free solder paste was applied to assemble the ultra-fine capacitor (i.e., 01005 size) onto the printed circuit board by applying the
reflow soldering method. Focused ion beam (FIB), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) system
equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), field emission scanning electron microscopy coupled with
energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and nanoindentation tester, were all used to examine the microstructure, hardness,
and the fillet height of the solder joints. The experimental results revealed that nano-reinforced solder with the content of 0.01,
0.05, and 0.05 wt% yielded small changes in the intermetallic layers. Furthermore, applying an increment of Fe O to 0.05 wt%
also improved the fillet height. The mechanism of the agglomeration of Fe O in the bulk solder is discussed in this study.
Moreover, simulation analysis using the volume of fluid (VOF) and discrete phase method (DPM) was both employed to describe
the mechanism of nanoparticle distribution in the solder and the reflow soldering process. The findings are expected to provide
profound knowledge and further reference towards the reflow soldering process of the miniaturised electronic package.

Keywords Fe O nanoparticle . SAC305 . Nano-reinforced lead-free solder . Ultra-fine package

1 Introduction transistor) within a device are designed to fit into a confined

Portability and compact design of electronic devices continue
to be the current trend attracting more and more users. The
miniature IC package and components (e.g., capacitor and
* F. Che Ani
fakhrozi_cheani@jabil.com
Jabil Circuit Sdn Bhd, Bayan Lepas Industrial Park, Phase 4,
11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia
Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics, Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
Advanced Packaging and SMT Unit, School of Mechanical
Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300 Nibong
Tebal, Penang, Malaysia
Faculty of Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Level
1, Block S2, UniCITI Alam Campus, Sungai Chuchuh,
02100 Padang Besar, Perlis, Malaysia
School of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology,
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
space. The strength of the interconnect or solder joint is there-
fore necessary and important to ensure that the device func-
tions correctly as specified. Thus, the miniature IC package
and the passive component, thereby, demand reliable solder
joints to maintain performance and overall product reliability
and user satisfaction. Many scholars have carried out investi-
gations and studies to enhance the material, mechanical, and
thermal properties of the lead-free solder using numerous
types of ceramic or metal-based nanoparticles added to lead-
free solder [1]. Various lead-free solder materials such as Sn-
3.5Ag-0.7Cu (SAC), SnAg, SnCu, and SnZn are commonly
used to combine with several types and sizes of nanoparticles.
The presence of different nanoparticles in solder material
will alter solder properties and characteristics. For example,
doping of aluminium oxide (Al O ) [2], zirconia (ZrO ) [3],
and rhodium [4] in lead-free solder content will slightly alter
the melting temperature when compared to non-doping and
pure solder material. Also, other types of nanoparticles such as
NiO [5], Fe NiO [6], diamond [7], and TiO [8] are also used
to strengthen the microstructure and mechanical properties of
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Fig. 1 The size of ultra-fine package (01005 capacitor) as compared to a
pen tip
lead-free solder. For example, the hardness value (up to
44.07%) of lead-free solder is improved when doping with
Fe NiO nanoparticles. The presence of Fe NiO nanoparticle
slightly improves the tensile properties as compared with pure
SAC305 [6]. Moreover, the presence of Fe NiO nanoparti-
cles in the SAC solder content [6] retards the growth of the
intermetallic compound (IMC) layer, which reduces the aver-
age size and spacing of IMC. The addition of Fe NiO sup-
presses the Cu Sn layer of the solder, and furthermore, the
percentage of doping significantly influences the wettability
of the solder. However, the addition of the Fe O may create
unexpected features to be added to the solder’s characteristics.
From the literature, most of the studies are focused on the
characterisation of the material without considering the real
Fig. 2 HRTEM image of Fe O nanoparticles
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2018) 96:717–733
application of nano-reinforced solder pastes. The real applica-
tion of nano-reinforced solder pastes in electronics assembly,
during the reflow soldering process remains to this day, as
being an area not adequately addressed in the literature. As a
result, research gaps still exist with regard to the study of a
new form of nanoparticle reinforced solder paste on the elec-
tronics assembly line.
In this study, the assembly of the ultra-fine capacitor is
carried out using the new form Fe O nano-reinforced solder
paste applying different weighted percentages of the nanopar-
ticle. The 0.01–0.15 weighted percentages of the Fe O nano-
particle are doped into lead-free solder paste SAC305 to as-
semble the ultra-fine solder joint using the reflow soldering
process method. The influence of the Fe O on various as-
pects, such as the microstructural, nanoparticle distribution,
and fillet height, is investigated and compared with pure sol-
der paste SAC305. The relationship between the weighted
percentage and solder fillet height is determined from the ex-
perimental results.
2 Materials and methods
2.1 Preparation of the surface mount packages
with the nano-reinforced lead-free solder assembly
In this study, the 01005 capacitor is the ultra-fine package
assembly used (Fig. 1). The size of the ultra-fine package is
0.4 × 0.2 mm. Nanoparticles of Fe O (Aldrich, < 30 nm)
are mixed until consistent with the percentage of 0.01,
0.05, and 0.15 wt.% into 96.5Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu solder paste
(SAC305; Alpha OM-353), using a mechanical mixer
(Fritsch Planetary Mill PULVERISETTE 5) for approxi-
mately 10 min at 300 rotations per minute before using it
for the assembly. Smaller amounts of Fe O were dispersed
in the solvent onto a lacey carbon-coated copper grid before
Fig. 3 Ultra-fine package (01005 capacitor) mounted on a printed circuit
board (PCB)
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2018) 96:717–733
Fig. 4 The general process flow
of the ultra-fine package assembly
the HRTEM image analysis. The average particle size of the
obtained nanoparticles was measured using an FEI Tecnai
G2 F20 high-resolution transmission electron microscope
(HRTEM). Figure 2 shows the HRTEM image of the
Fe O nanoparticles having an average particle size of
10 nm which was near to the particle size specified by the
supplier (< 30 nm). 96.5Sn –3.0Ag–0.5Cu solder paste has
an average size of a particle of 15–25 μm (type 5, − 500/+
635 mesh with the designation as per ASTM B214). The
01005 ultra-fine package was mounted on a 2.0 mm-thick
printed circuit board (PCB organic solderable preservative
surface finish) using the Fe O nanoparticles-reinforced
lead-free solders (Fig. 3). By using an automated DEK
Horizon print machine, the Fe O nanoparticle-reinforced
lead-free solders were printed with a thickness of 0.127 mm
using a nano coat with 1:1 aperture—0.2 × 0.2 mm laser cut
stainless steel stencil, spread with a steel squeegee. Next,
using the automated Fuji NXT equipment with a customised
nozzle, the 01005 ultra-fine package was mounted onto the
Fe O nanoparticle-reinforced lead-free solder on the PCB.
A full convection reflow oven (Vitronics Soltec XPM ) was
used to execute the soldering process with a Pb-free reflow
profile under a nitrogen-filled environment. Following the
reflow process, the PCBs were washed using aqueous
cleaning equipment (Electrovert® Aquastorm 200) to re-
move any flux residue. Figure 4 illustrates the general pro-
cess flow of an ultra-fine package assembly which is used in
a reflow oven to heat the mounted boards to a suitable tem-
perature for a specified period to achieve the desired heating
temperature (Fig. 5 and Tables 1 and 2).
Fig. 5 Mass reflow temperature
profile for the reflow ultra-fine TC1 = 01005 Capacitor (Red line)
package
Celsius
TC2 = PCB (Blue line)
719
2.2 Nano-reinforced lead-free solder joint
characterisations
The X-ray inspection system (Nikon XT V 160) was used to
examine void formation in the ultra-fine solder joint. The study
of the Fe O nanoparticle-reinforced lead-free solder in the ultra-
fine solder joint was conducted using an FEI Tecnai G2 F20
high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM)
with an energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The gen-
eral mechanical technique used with the diamond blade on the
ultra-fine solder joint has the disadvantage of potentially dam-
aging the ultra-fine joint sample. Therefore, to avoid any such
damage from occurring, an advanced technique called the FEI
Helos NanoLab™ 650 Dual Beam system was used to prepare
the ultra-fine joint lamella for the HRTEM. Figure 6 illustrates
the cross-sectioning area. The system uses an ion beam to cut the
sample to create thereby an HRTEM lamella sample consisting
of a high-resolution finely focussed electron (ion) beam (FIB).
The HRTEM lamella was then extracted from the bulk sample
and molybdenum (Mo) grid finger used to attach the HRTEM
lamella sample using the in situ lift-out technique employing an
Omni-probe needle. The thickness of the sample was then re-
duced to attain electron transparency, being less than 100 nm.
The inspection of the solder fillet height in the ultra-fine
solder joint can affect the merging dependability of the ultra-
fine package (01005 capacitor). A scanning electron micros-
copy (SEM) was used to quantify the solder fillet height. The
minimum fillet height should be more than the solder thick-
ness with 25% termination height [9]. The dimension of the
fillet height for the ultra-fine package (01005 capacitor)
Seconds