Tin Whisker Electrical Short Circuit Characteristics-Part I

Existing risk simulations make the assumption that when a free tin whisker has bridged two adjacent exposed electrical conductors, the result is an electrical short circuit. This conservative assumption is made because shorting is a random event that has a currently unknown probability associated wi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on electronics packaging manufacturing 2008-01, Vol.31 (1), p.32-40
Main Authors: Courey, K.J., Asfour, S.S., Bayliss, J.A., Ludwig, L.L., Zapata, M.C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Breakdown voltage
Circuit simulation
Coatings
Conductors
Contact resistance
Electronics
Exact sciences and technology
focused ion beam (FIB)
Ion beams
Microelectronic fabrication (materials and surfaces technology)
Military computing
Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices
short circuit
Space shuttles
Tin
tin whiskers
US Government
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Summary:Existing risk simulations make the assumption that when a free tin whisker has bridged two adjacent exposed electrical conductors, the result is an electrical short circuit. This conservative assumption is made because shorting is a random event that has a currently unknown probability associated with it. Due to contact resistance, electrical shorts may not occur at lower voltage levels. In this experiment, we study the effect of varying voltage on the breakdown of the contact resistance which leads to a short circuit. From this data, we can estimate the probability of an electrical short, as a function of voltage, given that a free tin whisker has bridged two adjacent exposed electrical conductors. In addition, three tin whiskers grown from the same Space Shuttle Orbiter card guide used in the aforementioned experiment were cross sectioned and studied using a focused ion beam (FIB).
ISSN:1521-334X
1558-0822
DOI:10.1109/TEPM.2007.914210