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Effects of High-Density Current on the Reliability of Ni-Sn Solid–Liquid Interdiffusion Joints with Al Interlayer

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Abstract

Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular as environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional fossil fuel-based vehicles. The need to improve their performance demands design of materials that can withstand high current density without adversely affecting their durability. In this study, the influence of high-density current on the structure of a Ni-Sn solid–liquid interdiffusion joint with an Al interlayer was examined. The temperature at the joint region increased to 240°C without external heating under energization of 20 kA/cm2. After 100 h of energization, several structural evolutions from the initial state were observed in the joint region, including precipitation of Al3Ni at the cathode-side Al/Ni interface and enrichment of Ni concentration on both sides of the Ni-Sn intermetallic compound (IMC) layer. Electromigration influenced the precipitation position of the Al3Ni grains. However, there was only a trace of electromigration in the Ni enrichment behavior of the Ni-Sn IMC layer, because thermal and stress migration were very active there. The degree of Ni enrichment in the energized Ni-Sn IMC layer was much higher than that in the Ni-Sn IMC layer annealed at 300°C for 100 h. This result implies that a high-density current activates the thermal migration and stress migration. The influence on the reliability of the joint is a concern because the high degree of Ni enrichment in the energized Ni-Sn IMC layer generates many Kirkendall voids.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc, 41-1 Yokomichi, Nagakute, Aichi, 480-1192, Japan

    Toshikazu Satoh, Makoto Wakasugi & Masanori Usui

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  1. Toshikazu Satoh
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  2. Makoto Wakasugi
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  3. Masanori Usui
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Satoh, T., Wakasugi, M. & Usui, M. Effects of High-Density Current on the Reliability of Ni-Sn Solid–Liquid Interdiffusion Joints with Al Interlayer. J. Electron. Mater. 52, 1132–1144 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-022-10059-1

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