Internship assignment: On the influence of additives in a sintered silver microstructure on the thermal and electrical conductivity

Problem statement

The semiconductor industry has been looking for lead-free alternative solutions for die attachments, especially for high-power devices. Currently, pressureless silver sinter is among the most promising interconnects to replace lead-based solders.

However, the pressureless silver sinter interconnect appears to be too brittle. The inclusion of additives can reduce the brittleness and acts as a crack stopper.

Research questions

What do these additives do for thermal and electrical conductivity? And what are the optimal shapes and sizes of such additive materials to improve conductivity and still maintain similar mechanical properties?

Objective

  • To conduct a characterization study to understand the influence of additives in terms of electrical, thermal and mechanical reliability

Internship and MSc thesis details

  • Location: Nijmegen, the Netherlands
  • Collaborators: CITC and TU Delft
  • Duration: 6 – 8 months
  • Requirements: current MSc students in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering
  • Supervisors: Henry Antony Martin (PhD candidate) and Noud Schoenmakers (PhD candidate)
  • Internship stipend: to be discussed

Contact us

If you would like to learn more about CITC, this internship assignment or what we can offer you, please contact us.

Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap