Effect of minor additions of Fe on bulk alloy microstructure and tensile properties of the low Ag‐content Sn‐1Ag‐0.5Cu solder alloy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of small additions (0.1 and 0.3 wt%) of Fe on the bulk alloy microstructure and tensile properties of low Ag‐content Sn‐1Ag‐0.5Cu lead‐free solder alloy.Design/methodology/approachSn‐1Ag‐0.5Cu, Sn‐3Ag‐0.5Cu and Sn‐1Ag‐0.5Cu containing 1 and 3 wt.% Fe solder specimens were prepared by melting pure ingots of Sn, Ag, Cu and Fe in an induction furnace and subsequently remelting and casting to form flat dog‐bone shaped specimens for tensile testing. The solder specimens were subjected to tensile testing using an INSTRON tester with a loading rate 10‐3 s‐1. To obtain the microstructure, the solder samples were prepared by dicing, molding, grinding and polishing processes. The microstructural analysis was carried out using scanning electron microscopy/Energy Dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis was used to identify the IMC phases.FindingsIn addition to large primary β‐Sn grains, the addition of Fe to the SAC105 alloy formed large circular shaped FeSn2 IMC particles located in the eutectic regions. This had a significant effect in reducing the elastic modulus and yield strength and maintaining the elongation at the SAC105 level. Moreover, the additions of Fe resulted in the inclusion of Fe in the Ag3Sn and Cu6Sn5 IMC particles. The additions of Fe did not have any significant effect on the melting behaviour.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper provides a starting‐point for studying the effect of minor additions of Fe on the drop impact and thermal cycling reliability of SAC105 alloy considering the bulk alloy microstructure and tensile properties. Further investigations should be undertaken in the future.Originality/valueThe effect of Fe addition on the bulk alloy microstructure and tensile properties of the SAC105 alloy has been studied for the first time. Fe‐containing SAC105 alloy may have the potential to increase the drop impact and thermal cycling reliability compared with the standard SAC105 alloy.