The adoption of LED lighting technology is rapid and widespread due to their efficiency, durability and design adaptability. With their deployment, new applications are being imagined which place increasing demands on functionality and reliability requirements. Specifically, thermal excursions due to increasing power density are revealing the inadequacies of existing SAC solder alloys physical properties. Novel alloys are being developed to address these issues with the inclusion of a variety of elements. This study details the failure mechanisms of common SAC alloys when exposed to high temperature. Additionally, the study discusses the use of bismuth and micro-alloyed elements which have shown a dramatic improvement in the thermal and mechanical durability of solder interconnects in LED lighting applications.
Dr. Mehran Maalekian is Research & Development manager of AIM. He received his PhD with distinction from Graz University of Technology, Austria in 2007. Through his long research career, working with well-known institutions such as the Technical University of Vienna, University of British Columbia, Cambridge University and many industry partners, he has published and presented numerous scientific and technical papers on physical metallurgy, materials modeling, welding and soldering, including a chapter of the ASM Int. Handbook. Dr. Maalekian has been awarded the honor of Speaker of Distinction by the Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA). He has won a number of national and international awards, such as from the International Institute of Welding. He serves as a reviewer of several scientific journals and is on the editorial board of “Science and Technology of Welding and Joining.”