Stability of Pressure Sintered Interconnects as a Function of Temperature and Environmental Conditions

Abstract:
Performance and microstructural changes of pressure sintered silver die attach material are assessed following high temperature storage in different atmospheres and using different substrates. The aged joints are characterized using C-SAM and Electron Microscopy whereas the mechanical properties are assessed using Die Shear. The results show that oxygen has a strong influence on the residual strength of sintered joints and that the dense microstructure obtained by pressure sintering is stable following storage at 300 °C for 500 hours under N2 atmosphere. It is suggested that sintered joints have excellent stability in power modules packaged in high quality over-molding materials.