Effect of Cu Foam and Ag-Coated Layer on the Microstructure and Mechanical Behavior of Nano-Ag Sintered Joint

Abstract

Cu foam (Cu-F) and Ag-coated Cu-F were added into nano-Ag paste to obtain Cu-F@nano-Ag composite sintered joint. The microstructure, hardness, and shear behavior of the sintered joints were investigated. Experimental results indicated that the addition of Cu-F and Ag-coated Cu-F suppressed the generation and propagation of cracks at the interface of the sintered joint. As the thickness of the Cu-F increased from 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm, the deformation ratio of the Cu-F sheet raised from 12% to 50%. Thereby, the hardness and bonding strength of the sintered joint was improved due to the microstructural densification. The bonding quality between Cu-F and sintered Ag is enhanced by the Ag-coating treatment. Therefore, the Ag-coated composite joints show higher shear strength than the others.