Microstructure coarsening during static annealing of 60Sn40Pb solder joints: I stereology

The phase size distributions (PSDs) of the Sn, Pb, and the combined Pb and Sn phases, and the shape factor δ were determined for as-reflowed 60Sn40Pb solder joints and following their annealing at 50°C to 150°C. The PSDs in all cases had a positive skew which was approximated by a log-normal function. The PSDs were time invariant and were in accord with the Bitti and Nunzio model for phase coarsening. The shape factor, δ, decreased with the mean of the combined Pb and Sn phase size, and with temperature. Whether or not δ affects the PSDs is not clear.