Migration of sintered nanosilver die-attach material on alumina substrate at high temperatures

A nanoscale silver paste that can be sintered at temperatures below 300°C without external pressure is emerging as a promising die-attach material for implementing the low-temperature joining technology in high-temperature packaging. In this paper, we report our findings on silver migration in sintered nanosilver electrode-pair patterns on alumina substrate. The electrode pairs were biased at electric field ranging from 10 to 100 V/mm and at temperature between 250 °C and 400°C in dry air. Leakage currents across the electrodes were measured as the silver patterns were tested in an oven. Silver dendrites formed across the electrode gap were observed under an optical microscope and analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Silver migration was found in samples tested at 400°C, 350°C, and 300°C, and 250°C. The measurements on leakage current vs. time were characterized by an initial incubation period, called "lifetime", followed by a sharp rise as silver dendrites were shorting the electrodes. A rapid rise in the "lifetime" with decreasing oxygen partial pressure was also found. A simple phenomenological model was derived to account for the observed dependence of "lifetime" on electric field, temperature, and oxygen partial pressure. The reliability of sintered nanosilver die-attachment over silver migration in high temperature applications can be significantly improved through packaging or encapsulation to reduce oxygen exposure.