Pt thin-film metallization for FC-bonding using SnPb60/40 solder bump metallurgy

Platinum does not form any adherent oxides and can be easily wetted by tin-based solders. Platinum is also an available metallization in semiconductor laboratories. Therefore we investigated the diffusion of platinum thin-film metallizations into eutectic tin–lead solder by using a high-resolution secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) profiling from the back side. It is shown that an intermetallic phase (PtSn4) is formed during soldering, which controls the consumption of platinum during soldering and in operation. The consumption of platinum follows the well-known parabolic diffusion law. The activation energy of this process is 0.63 eV. Even at extended heating cycles of 2 min at 250°C, 190 nm from the original 300 nm of the platinum film remain undissolved. This high stability makes platinum a very attractive thin-film metallization for flip-chip (FC) bonding of new microsystems.