Influence of tin plating thickness on whisker growth during thermal cycling

Tin whiskers have seriously affected electric circuit reliability although tin is the most common metal used as electroplating on various electronic devices. Tin whiskers have caused short circuits resulting in misoperation of electric devices. Although the mechanism of tin whisker growth has been studied for many years, clear growth mechanism is still unknown due to complex environmental effects. Thus, in this study we investigated the tin whisker growth and generation during thermal cycling with different plating thickness. The 2 μm and 5 μm matte tin electroplating were observed during thermal cycling up to 750 cycles. The densities, lengths and widths of tin whisker were different of 2 μm and 5 μm tin plating during thermal cycling. Oxidation of tin surface has a great impact on the formation of thermal cycling whiskers.