Fatigue-creep crack propagation path in solder joints under thermal cycling

The present study investigates the thermal fatigue crack propagation path in a eutectic solder joint between a 2512 leadless chip resistor and a printed wiring board which had experienced thermal cycling between -55 and 125 degrees C. This was achieved through the microstructural examination of fractured surfaces of the joints. Patches of finely spaced striations were observed in a predominant shear strain field in the joints. These striations were attributed to the tensile strain components in the field and used, to add the identification of the fatigue crack propagation direction. It was observed that cracks did not simply propagate across the depth of the joint from the inner end (the heel) to the outer end (the toe) in the longitudinal direction, but from a corner point on the free edge of the heel to the center across the joint depth, making an angle of about 70 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction.