Atomized Tin-induced Bimetallic Whisker Growth

Xinxin, Xia and Cheng, Zhang and Wenyi, Lai and Zhenglin, Zou and Peigen, Zhang and Jingwen, Tang and Ying, Guan and Shuang, Tian and Illés, Balázs and ZhengMing, Sun (2025) Atomized Tin-induced Bimetallic Whisker Growth. MATERIALS CHARACTERIZATION, 224. No.-115060. ISSN 1044-5803

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Abstract

The spontaneous growth of metal whiskers has long posed reliability challenges in electronic devices, often resulting in short-circuit failures. Recent findings on the rapid and extensive formation of tin (Sn) whiskers on Ti₂SnC substrates underscore the critical role of atomized Sn in whisker growth. In this study, mechanochemically decomposed Ti₂SnC was applied—capable of quantitatively and efficiently generating large amounts of atomized Sn—to implant Sn, Bi, and Pb metal matrices. After three days of heat anealing at 60 °C, numerous whisker grown on all implanted matrices, prooving the importance of atomized Sn in whisker growth. Notably, SnBi bimetallic and soild solution whiskers were detected for the first time. TEM analysis proved that the formation of SnBi whiskers was caused by the released latent heat of crystallizing atomized Sn, which creates SnBi micro-melt pools at the interface, facilitating interface flow and supplying the necessary constituents for bimetallic/solid state SnBi whisker formation. Likewise, SnPb bimetallic whiskers are observed in Pb matrices implanted with the mechanchemically decomposed Ti2SnC. These findings provide two contrasting strategies for future applications: effectively suppressing whisker formation and intentionally synthesizing bimetallic nanowires.

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