Ag sinter joining has attractive attent ion as a promising process for the electronic packaging to realize high reliable joints.
However, Ag sinter joining to Cu material, which is used as direct bonded copper substrate, sometimes involves the degradation of
joint properties after thermal storage test owing to the excess progress of Ag sintering. In the present study, we evaluated the heat
resistance of the Ag-Cu hybrid sintering to Cu substrate prepared by the mixture among Ag
2O, Cu microflakes and polyethylene
glycol. Simultaneous X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry measurements showed that the joining could be
achieved for the joining temperature below 300℃ with little oxidation of Cu. Thermal storage test at 250℃ showed the improved
shear strength and the robustness for the hybrid sintering even at the joining temperature at 240℃ compared to the Ag sintering
at 300℃. Microstructural observations revealed that Cu oxides on the Cu substrate grow through not only the oxidation of Cu
substrate, but also the aggregation of oxidized Cu flakes by the thermal storage test under the air ambient, which is influenced by
the preferential progress of Ag sintering. It was supposed that the gathering of those Cu oxides led to the formation of micropores,
which is usually formed in the vicinity of the interface between oxide layer and the substrate, inside the oxide layer, contributing to
obtain the high heat resistance and robust joints.
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