Fabrication and characterization of Sn-57 wt.% Bi film by pulse DC current co-electrodeposition and reflow

The electrodeposited Sn-Bi eutectic alloys can satisfy the need for micro-bumps with low melting point in 3D packaging. We deposited Sn-Bi film by pulse DC current in electroplating solutions based on methane sulfonic acid (MSA). The effects of MSA concentrations and pulse frequencies on morphology and composition of deposits were investigated. As the MSA concentration increased from 120 ml/L to 160 ml/L, the hydrogen evolution reaction weakened resulting in smoother deposited surfaces, and the Bi content decreased. In the use of pulses allowing deposits to become more uniform and denser, the Sn-56.73 wt.% Bi film with smooth surfaces were fabricated at a pulse frequency of 4 Hz and an MSA concentration of 120 ml/L, of which melting point was 134.35°C. By using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), the structures were characterized more microscopically, which are essential for diffusion and electromigration of micro-bumps. The near-eutectic deposits, both before and after reflowing, consisted of uniformly distributed tetragonal β-Sn phases and hexagonal Bi phases, and the most preferred orientations after reflowing were the same as before reflowing, that were (220)//ND for β-Sn and (1̅012)//ND for Bi. The average grain sizes of Sn and Bi in the deposits after reflowing were 1.44 μm and 0.64 μm, respectively, which were much smaller than those of Sn58Bi alloy obtained by rapid solidification. Dislocations were observed in Sn grains and misorientation values in β-Sn phases were larger, which illustrated that the β-Sn phase carried larger strains. As evaluated by constant loading rate (CLR) nanoindentation tests, the hardness and modulus were significantly improved after reflowing, and creep stress indices of the deposits before and after reflowing were 51.74 and 7.07, respectively.