Tin Whiskers in Electronics Components Tin Whiskers Tin Whiskers (2) Whisker Image: Filament on Bright Tin Whisker Images: Whiskers Adjacent to Deformed Area Whisker Images: Small Whiskers on Matte Tin over Nickel Whisker Images: Grain Boundary Sinking Adjacent to Whisker Grain Tin Whiskers Growth is Reduced by: FIB section showing Cu-Sn intermetallic Whisker can grow preferentially in deformed areas, especially in susceptible tin platings How do we deal with whiskers? Matte Tin vs. Bright Tin Whiskers: Role of intermetallics FIB section showing Cu-Sn intermetallic Whiskers: Role of intermetallics Intermetallic Growth Rate of Tin Based Platings (Square Root of Time) Whiskers: Role of intermetallics Anatomy of a Tin Whisker:Focused Ion Beam Section of a Tin Whisker Matte tin plating – large grains Reflowed tin has reduced tin whisker growth Overview of Typical iNEMI Testing Test Components Qualification by Similarity Qualification Typical DOE Matrix Two X-Ray Diffraction Patterns Comparative Whisker Performance DOE Results for 5000 hours of Heat and Humidity: Strong Effect of Ni Barrier DOE Results for 3000 Cycles of Thermal Shock: Strong Effect of Ni Barrier Ongoing inspection Assembly and Reflow effects Tin over Nickel in Press-fit Applications Spacing issues Spacing versus pitch Thermal Cycling Thermal Cycling and Alloy 42 Base Metals Impurity Effect on Whisker Growth Other Plating Defects Tin Whisker Test Results