The thermal cycling response of Sn-Zn, Sn-Ag-Cu and Sn-Bi solder in industrial production

The reliability of different solder joints assembled with Sn-Zn, Sn-Ag-Cu, and Sn-Bi solders under thermal cycling conditions based on industrial production conditions was analyzed in this study. The results of dye and pull test indicated that there were significant differences in the number, types, and location of fractures at different component joints soldered with different solder. Due to the excellent mechanical properties and unique intermetallic compound (IMC) composition, the number of fractures in Sn-Zn solder joints is remarkably lower than the Sn-Ag-Cu and Sn-Bi solder, indicating that the Sn-Zn system is more reliable under thermal cycling. These findings demonstrated that Sn-Zn solder is more suitable for industrial production of the complex printed circuit boards (PCBs) and has a better durability. • Sn-Zn solder paste meets the industrial production conditions. • Sn-Zn solder joints have more significant reliability than Sn-Ag-Cu and Sn-Bi solder joints. • The ultimate life of Sn-Zn solder joints under thermal cycling exceeds 4000cycles.