Effect of temperature profile and chemical composition of the flux on void formation in solder joints: in-depth analysis

Due to electronics miniaturization, the size of voids is becoming comparable to that of solder joints, thereby increasing the risk of reduced reliability. This work presents a novel method of achieving void reduction through preliminary characterization of the flux and, consequently, the proper flux selection and adjustment of the temperature profile during soldering. To validate this approach, five SAC305 solder pastes differing in flux composition were subjected to testing. The flux components were characterized by a gas chromatograph combined with a mass spectrometer (GC–MS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Subsequently, four temperature profiles differing in the heating rate were employed for reflow soldering of the test boards with components while maintaining the same peak temperature for all profiles. The results of the X-ray computed tomography (XCT) analysis indicated that as the temperature gradient decreased, the number of voids decreased by up to 36%. The decrease in the number of flux residues detected by TGA present at the peak process temperature was also accompanied by a decrease in the void area within the solder joint. Moreover, a comparison between the GC–MS and XCT results revealed that certain flux compounds, such as butylated hydroxytoluene, were found to have a greater impact on void formation than others. The proposed method combining flux characterization by GC–MS and TGA and adjustment of temperature gradient during the soldering process can be an efficient way to reduce voids in solder joints. Additionally, it appears that a lower temperature gradient is generally associated with a lower incidence of voids.