Comparative Analysis of SAC Solder Alloys for Enhanced Reliability in Electronic Assemblies: A Finite Element Approach

Comparative Analysis of SAC Solder Alloys for Enhanced Reliability in Electronic Assemblies: A Finite Element Approach | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Comparative Analysis of SAC Solder Alloys for Enhanced Reliability in Electronic Assemblies: A Finite Element Approach Joshua Depiver, Sabuj Mallik, Emeka H Amalu This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4755675/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract In an era where environmental sustainability and electronic reliability are paramount, this study provides a critical quantitative analysis of lead-free Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) solder joints, employing Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to scrutinise their thermomechanical fatigue and creep deformation characteristics. The investigation juxtaposes four SAC solder alloys (SAC305, SAC387, SAC396, and SAC405) against traditional lead-based Sn63Pb37 solder to elucidate their microstructural evolution and ensure long-term reliability. FEA simulations disclose that SAC387 alloy exhibits the highest yield stress at 58 MPa, whereas SAC405 shows remarkable resilience with the lowest stress accumulation, characterised by σ = 1.543T – 34.983. Isothermal ageing studies demonstrate SAC387’s accelerated creep response, indicating a higher susceptibility to failure. Conversely, SAC405's steadfast nature under isothermal ageing is marked by the least strain and deformation rates, enhancing its reliability. Strain distribution analyses further reveal that SAC405 alloys endure the lowest strain levels, contrasting with SAC387, which experiences substantial deformation and leads to strain energy density—a key longevity indicator. Thus, SAC405 and Sn63Pb37 record the lowest strain energy densities, highlighting their robustness. These findings provide a comprehensive assessment of SAC solder alloys, focusing on their stress, strain, energy density, and strain rates. The reliance on FEA for predictive analysis indicates the potential for pre-empting failure, offering a valuable framework for electronic manufacturers in selecting and optimising solder materials. This study illuminates the intricate dynamics of SAC solder joints under thermomechanical stress, serving as an indispensable resource for designing robust and sustainable electronics that align with the industry’s environmental responsibilities. Electronic Materials and Devices Thermomechanical fatigue Creep deformation Lead-free solder joints Finite Element Analysis (FEA) Isothermal ageing Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4755675","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":328167791,"identity":"c3df92de-83f0-4d9a-be01-228a84ff0ef8","order_by":0,"name":"Joshua Depiver","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAvUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACxoYEBgYgYuAHsg+QpkWygYGBOC0Q9UBgcIBYLcztyccePGyzyTc+fvjAAYYam2jCDut5lm6Q2JZmue1MWsIBhmNpuQ0EtczIMZNIOHPYwOxAjsEBxobDxGjJ/wbU8t/AuP8N0Vpy2CQSKg4YGEgQbUvPM3ODhIpkA4kbzxIOJBDjF8P25GcPfxjYGfD3Jx988KHGhggtDQxsCF4CIeUgIM+ArGUUjIJRMApGATYAAF+uQ/b+K1CzAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8773-2535","institution":"University of Derby","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Joshua","middleName":"","lastName":"Depiver","suffix":""},{"id":328167792,"identity":"c1632d2c-1ae5-400b-8895-90c155aa5297","order_by":1,"name":"Sabuj Mallik","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2163-7620","institution":"Buckinghamshire New University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sabuj","middleName":"","lastName":"Mallik","suffix":""},{"id":328167793,"identity":"1fb78e94-61d9-491f-94eb-f3e70bca0176","order_by":2,"name":"Emeka H Amalu","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6800-847X","institution":"Teesside University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Emeka","middleName":"H","lastName":"Amalu","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-07-17 10:58:11","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4755675/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4755675/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":60545410,"identity":"b28fb823-7524-4e72-8a7f-5f9fe36e269d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-07-18 03:37:07","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":3947231,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ComparativeAnalysisofSACSolderAlloys.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4755675/v1_covered_f6b797cb-b45f-47d2-a24e-04615dcead27.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eComparative Analysis of SAC Solder Alloys for Enhanced Reliability in Electronic Assemblies: A Finite Element Approach\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"University of Derby","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Thermomechanical fatigue, Creep deformation, Lead-free solder joints, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Isothermal ageing","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4755675/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4755675/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eIn an era where environmental sustainability and electronic reliability are paramount, this study provides a critical quantitative analysis of lead-free Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) solder joints, employing Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to scrutinise their thermomechanical fatigue and creep deformation characteristics. The investigation juxtaposes four SAC solder alloys (SAC305, SAC387, SAC396, and SAC405) against traditional lead-based Sn63Pb37 solder to elucidate their microstructural evolution and ensure long-term reliability. FEA simulations disclose that SAC387 alloy exhibits the highest yield stress at 58 MPa, whereas SAC405 shows remarkable resilience with the lowest stress accumulation, characterised by σ\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1.543T \u0026ndash; 34.983. Isothermal ageing studies demonstrate SAC387\u0026rsquo;s accelerated creep response, indicating a higher susceptibility to failure. Conversely, SAC405's steadfast nature under isothermal ageing is marked by the least strain and deformation rates, enhancing its reliability. Strain distribution analyses further reveal that SAC405 alloys endure the lowest strain levels, contrasting with SAC387, which experiences substantial deformation and leads to strain energy density\u0026mdash;a key longevity indicator. Thus, SAC405 and Sn63Pb37 record the lowest strain energy densities, highlighting their robustness.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThese findings provide a comprehensive assessment of SAC solder alloys, focusing on their stress, strain, energy density, and strain rates. The reliance on FEA for predictive analysis indicates the potential for pre-empting failure, offering a valuable framework for electronic manufacturers in selecting and optimising solder materials. This study illuminates the intricate dynamics of SAC solder joints under thermomechanical stress, serving as an indispensable resource for designing robust and sustainable electronics that align with the industry\u0026rsquo;s environmental responsibilities.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Comparative Analysis of SAC Solder Alloys for Enhanced Reliability in Electronic Assemblies: A Finite Element Approach","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-07-18 03:28:55","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4755675/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"7e5b8de6-5943-4773-8ed1-9baaa0d331fe","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 18th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":34732817,"name":"Electronic Materials and Devices"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-07-18T03:28:55+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-07-18 03:28:55","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4755675","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4755675","identity":"rs-4755675","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}