Effect of surface finish metallization on interfacial bonding behavior of sintered Ag joints

In this work, the sandwich joints were joined by low temperature pressureless sintering Ag paste. The morphology and thermal behavior of Ag nanoparticle paste was characterized and analyzed. The sintered Ag joints with different metallization were prepared and tested. The joints with Ag metallization exhibited superior shear strength and interface bonding ratio. However, the joints with Cu metallization showed lowest shear strength and interface delamination. The interfacial microstructures were observed and the diffusion kinetics between Ag and Au atoms were both calculated. The excessive diffusion of Ag atoms towards the Au layer deteriorated the interface bonding ratio and shear strength. This work will help understand the bonding mechanism between sintered Ag and other metallization.