Comparison of the Mechanical Properties of Conventional Pb-free Solders and Eutectic Sn-Bi Solder

While solder alloys based on the Sn-Bi alloy system are suitable for low-temperature soldering applications, there are a range of considerations in terms of microstructure and mechanical properties that need to be understood. This work compares the strain-rate dependency of the mechanical properties of a eutectic Sn-Bi alloy with a range of conventional Pb-free solder alloys. Important differences which have implications for low-temperature solder alloy development are discussed.