Influence of active element Ti on interfacial reaction and soldering strength between Sn3.5Ag4Ti(Ce,Ga) alloy filler and Si substrate

The influence of titanium on the interfacial reaction and soldering strength between Sn3.5Ag4Ti(Ce,Ga) and silicon substrates has been studied. The microstructure, the distribution of the elements, and the new phases formed at the interface were investigated. It is observed that the Sn3.5Ag4Ti(Ce,Ga) solder can wet the silicon well under the agitation of external force. The titanium element could be found to obviously segregate at the silicon/solder interface by element mapping, and some discontinuous reaction products could be found at the silicon/solder interface by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Theoretical analysis results suggest that there might be two soldering mechanisms coexisting in the soldering process, the chemical adsorption of Ti on the silicon surface and the interfacial reaction between Si substrate and Sn3.5Ag4Ti(Ce,Ga) solder. Both of them play important roles in realizing reliable bonding of silicon to silicon. The interfacial model between Si and Sn3.5Ag4Ti(Ce,Ga) active solder was established to explain the bonding mechanism. The shear strengths of the soldered silicon/silicon joints were measured and the effects of Ti on the bonding strength are discussed.