About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2027 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Materials and Manufacturing in Space
|
| Presentation Title |
Reliability of solder joints under extreme conditions of Elevated and Cryo Temperatures for In-Space and lunar applications |
| Author(s) |
Samuel O. Falana, Siddhartha (Sid) Pathak |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Samuel O. Falana |
| Abstract Scope |
We report the microstructural evolution and resulting micro- to nanoscale mechanical response of solder materials processed under terrestrial vs. microgravity (International Space Station (ISS)). Their behavior is evaluated under extreme temperatures representative of deep-space missions, including conditions outside the ISS (+121 °C to −150 °C) and lunar surface (+127 °C to −173 °C). In situ SEM micropillar compression of off-eutectic Pb–Sn solders revealed lower plastic strain at instability under cryogenic temperature than at room temperature, indicating a possible ductile-to-brittle transition behavior.
We also investigated long-term room-temperature aging of 60Pb–40Sn and 50Pb–50Sn solders using backscattered electron microscopy, quantitative particle analysis, and nanoindentation. From the aging study, we established a direct relationship between diffusion-driven phase coarsening and hardness reduction, demonstrating the link between microstructural evolution and mechanical softening. These findings show how extreme temperature and aging influence the reliability of Pb–Sn solder joints for future in-space and lunar applications |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Solidification, Electronic Materials, Mechanical Properties |