The ELFNET Book on Failure Mechanisms, Testing Methods, and Quality Issues of Lead-Free Solder Interconnects

Günter Grossmann received his BE degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1981 from the University of Applied Sciences in Winterthur, Switzerland. After his studies, he was employed as Materials Engineer in various companies. From 1989 until 1998 he worked in the Reliability Laboratory of ETH Zurich in the fields of reliability of electronic assemblies, especially of soft solder joints, and in production processes of electronic equipment. In 1998, Günter Grossmann was a scientific guest of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Since 1999, Günter Grossmann has worked at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA) as a researcher in the reliability of electronic assemblies and components, as co-lecturer at ETH in "Physics of Failure and Failure Analysis" and in failure analysis. For more than 10 years, Günter Grossmann is involved in production and reliability of lead-free solders. Christian Zardini was Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Electronique, Informatique et Radiocommunications de Bordeaux. He was in charge of the 'Integration of power components and systems' group at IXL Laboratory (ENSEIRB-University Bordeaux 1). The group has successfully participated in several European and national projects: PROMETHEUS (S!), RAPSDRA (4th PCRD), HEIDI (PIDEA S!), HIRONDELLE (5th PCRD), CEPIA (PREDIT). In these projects, the group research interest focused on reliability studies of lead-free solder joints. In the European Lead Free Soldering Network (ELFNET), Prof. Zardini was responsible for the Components Technical Expert Group.

1. Deformation and Fatigue of Solders.- 2. Factors Affecting the Bulk Embrittlement of Pb-Free Solder Joints.- 3. Thermal Fatigue Analysis.- 4. Electrochemical Behavior of Solder Alloys.- 5. Void Formation by Kirkendall Effect in Solder Joints.- 6. Tin Whiskers.- 7. Electromigration in Solder Interconnects.- 8. Impact of Black Pad and Intermetallic Layers on the Risk for Fractures in Solder Joints to Electroless Nickel/Immersion Gold.- 9. Reliability of Electronic Assemblies under Mechanical Shock Loading.- 10. Impact of Humidity and Contamination on Surface Insulation Resistance and Electrochemical Migration.- 11. Lead Free and Other Process Effects on Conductive Anodic Filamentation (CAF) Resistance of Glass Reinforced Epoxy Laminates.- 12. PCB Delamination.- 13. Excessive Warpage of Large Packages during Reflow Soldering.- 14. Popcorn Cracking.- 15. Thermal Capability of Components.