Nanoscale monitoring of the initial stage of water condensation on a printed circuit board.

Electrochemical migration is a critical factor contributing to failures in electronics due to humidity. When moisture accumulates on conductor-dielectric-conductor systems under bias voltage, electrochemical processes can be triggered, leading to the growth of metallic dendrites that may ultimately result in system failure. Despite its significance, many aspects of electrochemical migration remain unresolved, particularly regarding the physical characteristics of liquid buildup that facilitate dendrite growth and short circuit currents.

On the Electrochemical Migration Mechanism of Gold in Electronics-Less Reliable Than Expected?

Electrochemical migration (ECM) forming dendritic short circuits is a major reliability limiting factor in microcircuits. Gold, which is a noble metal, has been regarded as a metallization that can withstand corrosion and also ECM, therefore its application in high-reliability metallization and surface finishing systems became widespread although it has a relatively high and fluctuating price. Gold electrochemical short circuits have been found only in the case of halogen (e.

Effect of Cu Substrate Roughness and Sn Layer Thickness on Whisker Development from Sn Thin-Films.

The effect of copper substrate roughness and tin layer thickness were investigated on whisker development in the case of Sn thin-films. Sn was vacuum-evaporated onto both unpolished and mechanically polished Cu substrates with 1 µm and 2 μm average layer thicknesses. The samples were stored in room conditions for 60 days.