Bonding properties of Al/Sn/Al laminates fabricated via electrically press bonding process

Abstract

In the late 1980s, electrically assisted press bonding gained attention in the semiconductor industry due to its ability to improve bond quality and reliability. This bonding method has several advantages, including improved bond strength, reduced bonding time, and the ability to bond materials that are traditionally challenging to bond. This connection method is commonly used in applications where high band strength, reliability, and electrical conductivity are critical, such as microelectronics manufacturing, semiconductor devices, and advanced packaging technologies. In this study, AA1100 bars were connected using an electrically assisted press connection process at current levels of 100A, 200A and 300A. Poor bond strength is an important drawback in bonding processes. Therefore, to solve this problem, Sn particles were used as a finishing process and filler metal to increase the bond strength of aluminum sheets during electric press joining. AA1100 bars were produced with different weight percentages (wt%) of Sn particles as interlayer filler at different levels of electric current. The results reveal that increasing the level of electric current and the weight percentage of Sn leads to stronger bond strength. In this study, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) is used to check the quality of the bond. It is worth mentioning that the analysis of the exfoliation surface by SEM is performed on the samples after the peeling test to check the quality of the bond. In addition, the findings reveal that the bond strength improves with Sn content and higher current levels due to the Joule heating effect in the electrical press bonding process.