Publication: Effects of electroplating duration and current density of tin coating on copper substrate for transient liquid phase bonding
| datacite.subject.fos | oecd::Engineering and technology::Materials engineering::Materials engineering | |
| dc.contributor.author | Ezekiel Kershen Vincent | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-10-14T08:50:29Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-10-14T08:50:29Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-09-11 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Direct copper-copper (Cu-Cu) bonding is a promising technology for achieving ultra-fine-pitch, high-density interconnects in advanced electronic packaging, but copper oxidises easily upon exposure to ambient air, additionally, copper-copper direct bonding often requires higher temperature and pressure, and the process of highly sensitive to foreign particles. Transient liquid phase bonding helps solve some of the issues, such as the growth of oxides and the roughness of the surface. In this research, copper was coated with a layer of tin by the electroplating process to enhance the surface of copper for a better bonding. Copper strips were prepared in dimensions of 0.5cm by 1cm by 0.1cm. Then the strips were grinded, polished and etched and observed under energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) to compare the oxygen levels before the grinding, polishing and etching process. The copper strips then undergo the electroplating of tin process. The plating process is done at current densities of 120mA, 140mA, and 160mA as well as at durations of 1 minute, and 5 minutes. The results show that the etching process was successful at reducing the oxygen content with an average of 38.7% reduction in oxygen levels. The energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy shows that tin successfully deposited unto copper surface, however, the distribution is very irregular and does not cover the whole surface of the copper. The thickness measured using optical microscope found that a thicker layer was deposited at longer durations and higher current density due to its longer duration to allow tin particles to grow and higher deposition rate. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed that a smoother surface is achieved when a longer duration was used during the plating process and a lower current density allows for atoms to nucleate and grow, creating a smoother surface. A thicker and smoother tin coating can promote uniform intermetallic compound (IMC) formation during TLP bonding, improve wetting between copper surfaces, and reduce bonding defects caused by oxides or rough morphologies. In turn, this enhances bond strength, reliability, and the overall effectiveness of Cu-Cu interconnects in electronic packaging. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://erepo.usm.my/handle/123456789/22784 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.title | Effects of electroplating duration and current density of tin coating on copper substrate for transient liquid phase bonding | |
| dc.type | Resource Types::text::report::technical report | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| oairecerif.author.affiliation | Universiti Sains Malaysia |