Influence of Nano-3%Al2O3 on the Properties of Low Temperature Sn-58Bi (SB) Lead-free Solder Alloy

This work studies the melting temperature, wettability, metallurgical and hardness properties of the Sn-58Bi (SB) lead-free solder alloy incorporated with nano-3%Al2O3. The melting temperature was observed at 143.44°C upon the additions of the nano-3%Al2O3 with a low contact angle of 20.4°. A well-distributed microstructure with narrower lamellar structure and finer intermetallic compounds and Sn grains was detected for the nano-3%Al2O3 added SB solder alloy. Hardness evaluation based on the Vickers hardness value was as high as 17.1Hv. Overall, the Sn-58Bi + 3% Al2O3 solder alloy appears to harvest beneficial results for these properties and can be used as potential replacement in the current electronic packaging industry