Tin Whisker Growth Suppression Using NiO Sublayers Fabricated by Dip Coating
Whiskers are small crystalline growths, which can grow from certain metals or alloys. Reaching up to several millimeters long, whiskers have the potential to cause device failures due to short circuits and contamination by debris. Tin (Sn) is one such metal that is particularly prone to whisker deve...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Condensed Matter |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3896/7/1/7 |
| _version_ | 1827649448411398144 |
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| author | Jacob D. Buchanan Vamsi Borra Md Maidul Islam Daniel G. Georgiev Srikanth Itapu |
| author_facet | Jacob D. Buchanan Vamsi Borra Md Maidul Islam Daniel G. Georgiev Srikanth Itapu |
| author_sort | Jacob D. Buchanan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Whiskers are small crystalline growths, which can grow from certain metals or alloys. Reaching up to several millimeters long, whiskers have the potential to cause device failures due to short circuits and contamination by debris. Tin (Sn) is one such metal that is particularly prone to whisker development. Until the 2006 RoHS Initiative, lead (Pb) was added to tin in small amounts (up to 2%) to greatly reduce the growth of whiskers. Since then, however, industry has switched to lead-free tin solders and coatings, and the issue of whisker growth on tin has attracted new interest. A reactive-sputtering-deposited nickel oxide sublayer was shown recently to strongly suppress the growth of whiskers from an overlaying tin layer. This paper reports on using nickel oxide films, obtained by a sol–gel dip coating method, as whisker suppressing sublayers. The proposed method is simple, low-cost, and can easily be scaled up for manufacturing purposes. The properties of the sol–gel deposited nickel oxide film were examined using SEM, EDS, and Raman spectroscopy. Samples containing the nickel oxide sublayer were observed through SEM periodically over several months to examine the surfaces for whisker development, and the results show that such layers can be very effective in suppressing whisker growth. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:57:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-53f4a7e3f3ff4e238529f461ae2dbbe8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2410-3896 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:57:56Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Condensed Matter |
| spelling | doaj.art-53f4a7e3f3ff4e238529f461ae2dbbe82023-11-24T00:50:24ZengMDPI AGCondensed Matter2410-38962022-01-0171710.3390/condmat7010007Tin Whisker Growth Suppression Using NiO Sublayers Fabricated by Dip CoatingJacob D. Buchanan0Vamsi Borra1Md Maidul Islam2Daniel G. Georgiev3Srikanth Itapu4Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USADepartment of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USADepartment of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USADepartment of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USADepartment of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USAWhiskers are small crystalline growths, which can grow from certain metals or alloys. Reaching up to several millimeters long, whiskers have the potential to cause device failures due to short circuits and contamination by debris. Tin (Sn) is one such metal that is particularly prone to whisker development. Until the 2006 RoHS Initiative, lead (Pb) was added to tin in small amounts (up to 2%) to greatly reduce the growth of whiskers. Since then, however, industry has switched to lead-free tin solders and coatings, and the issue of whisker growth on tin has attracted new interest. A reactive-sputtering-deposited nickel oxide sublayer was shown recently to strongly suppress the growth of whiskers from an overlaying tin layer. This paper reports on using nickel oxide films, obtained by a sol–gel dip coating method, as whisker suppressing sublayers. The proposed method is simple, low-cost, and can easily be scaled up for manufacturing purposes. The properties of the sol–gel deposited nickel oxide film were examined using SEM, EDS, and Raman spectroscopy. Samples containing the nickel oxide sublayer were observed through SEM periodically over several months to examine the surfaces for whisker development, and the results show that such layers can be very effective in suppressing whisker growth.https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3896/7/1/7whiskerselectronic materialswhisker mitigationfailuresNiOnickel oxide |
| spellingShingle | Jacob D. Buchanan Vamsi Borra Md Maidul Islam Daniel G. Georgiev Srikanth Itapu Tin Whisker Growth Suppression Using NiO Sublayers Fabricated by Dip Coating Condensed Matter whiskers electronic materials whisker mitigation failures NiO nickel oxide |
| title | Tin Whisker Growth Suppression Using NiO Sublayers Fabricated by Dip Coating |
| title_full | Tin Whisker Growth Suppression Using NiO Sublayers Fabricated by Dip Coating |
| title_fullStr | Tin Whisker Growth Suppression Using NiO Sublayers Fabricated by Dip Coating |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tin Whisker Growth Suppression Using NiO Sublayers Fabricated by Dip Coating |
| title_short | Tin Whisker Growth Suppression Using NiO Sublayers Fabricated by Dip Coating |
| title_sort | tin whisker growth suppression using nio sublayers fabricated by dip coating |
| topic | whiskers electronic materials whisker mitigation failures NiO nickel oxide |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3896/7/1/7 |
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