Copper and silver sintered die-attach compared in HV-H3TRB and thermal shock cycling

Copper sintering is a promising alternative to silver sintering as die-attach in power electronic systems with the advantage of lower cost, lower coefficient of thermal expansion, and higher tensile strength than silver. However, silver and copper are capable of ion migration which can lead to dendrite formation and the failure of the system. Also, copper is more prone to oxidation than silver, which might lead to a shorter system lifetime. To evaluate these failure mechanisms, copper and silver sintered SiC MOSFETs were tested in HV-H3TRB and thermal shock cycling. HV-H3TRB shows failing devices in all groups after 1000 h of testing. The failed devices show dendrite growth. 1000 Thermal shock cycles from -40 °C to 200 °C show that copper- and silver-sintered bonds can withstand thermo shock cycling very well.