Abstract
In Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu lead-free solder joints of chip type resisters, a prediction of thermal fatigue crack initiation lifetime was carried out and its accuracy was also discussed. The authors have been focused on the phase growth phenomena in solder joints due to thermal cyclic loading. The prediction was based on the experimental relation between the increase in the phase growth parameter S and the crack initiation lifetime N_1. The predicted lifetime was compared with experimentally determined lifetime by SEM observations. Consequently, the accuracy is that the measured lifetime exists in the range of 90% confidence limits of the predicted lifetime.
