Physical Properties of Sn96.5Ag3.5-Based Solders with Additions of Bi, Ge, and In

The melting temperature, electrical resistivity, surface tension, and density of the (Sn 0.965 Ag 0.035 ) 95.17 Bi 4.83 , (Sn 0.965 Ag 0.035 ) 95.17 Bi 4.73 Ge 0.1 , and (Sn 0.965 Ag 0.035 ) 94 -Bi 2 In 4 alloys have been studied in comparison with the Sn 60 Pb 40 and Sn 96.5 Ag 3.5 binary alloys (all wt.%). The electrical conductivity of the solid alloys based on Sn 96.5 Ag 3.5 is comparable to that of the Sn 60 Pb 40 alloy. The wetting behavior on Cu and Ni surfaces has been investigated in a wide temperature interval. It is established that the addition of Bi to Sn 96.5 Ag 3.5 decreases the surface tension and improves the wetting properties of the alloy. The addition of a small quantity of Ge to the Sn-Ag-Bi alloy did not improve the wetting behavior on either Cu or Ni surfaces. The wetting ability of the (Sn 0.965 Ag 0.035 ) 94 Bi 2 In 4 alloy was slightly worse as compared with (Sn 0.965 Ag 0.035 ) 95.17 Bi 4.83 .