Xuan Liua,
Ziheng Baia,
Qianqian Liua,
Yali Fenga,
Chaofang Donga,
Lin Lua,
Hong Luo*a,
Jirui Wangb,
Shiwen Zouc and
Kui Xiao*a
aInstitute of Advanced Materials and Technology, National Materials Corrosion and Protection Data Center, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, P. R. China. E-mail: xiaokui@ustb.edu.cn; luohong@ustb.edu.cn; Fax: +86-1062334005; Tel: +86-1062333975 ext. 509
bSichuan Chendu Soil Environmental Material Corrosion National Observation and Research Station, Chendu 610062, China
cAerospace Research Institute of Materials & Processing Technology, Beijing 100076, China
First published on 20th August 2021
In the electrochemical migration behavior (ECM) of printed circuit boards containing mold under a static magnetic field (SMF), the role of the field perpendicular to the electrodes is discussed; the B field inhibits the growth and metabolism of mold, while controlling electrochemical diffusion and nucleation. The field indirectly affects the function of mold as a transmission bridge between two electrodes. In this work, the water drop test was used to simulate the adhesion and growth of mold on the circuit board in a humid and hot environment; confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, Raman spectra, and a scanning Kelvin probe were used to analyze the mechanism of static magnetic field and mold on the electrochemical migration.
In a high humidity environment, electronic components may be in an unstable state.3–5 In this case, the metal electrodes feedback the applied voltage through electrochemical ionization and ion migration with the conductive liquid membrane. This will cause a short circuit of the component circuit, which is known as electrochemical migration (ECM).5 ECM generally has several processes: the adsorption of electrolytes and formation of a thin liquid film, electrochemical reaction, and the growth of metal dendrites. Metal ions preferentially form electrodeposits at high-energy sites on the cathode, which eventually bridge the two electrodes after continuous accumulation.6–9
Previous work has shown that the influencing factors involved in ECM and electronic equipment corrosion include ionic pollutants, temperature, humidity, electric field strength, liquid film thickness, etc.10–12 According to the findings, various microorganisms exist in the atmosphere, once they adhere to the surface of the device, their continued growth and metabolism created an acidic environment that could cause corrosion.13–15 It has also been demonstrated that microorganisms bridged the circuit and formed ion channels, which promoted the ECM process and aggravated the short-circuit failure.16,17
The electrochemical reaction is usually affected by mass transport. For examples, the magnetic field generates convection in the electrochemical reaction through the magnetohydrodynamic effect,18,19 i.e., the interaction of the external magnetic field and the local current induces a flow that helps reduce the thickness of the diffusion layer and enhance mass transport.20–22 This effect is the most common and earliest research on the combination of magnetic field and electrochemistry, which is known as the Lorentz force. Also, the magnetic field affects the nucleation of the metal in the solution, and it was often found that in the presence of a magnetic field, the number of nucleation sites increased, regardless of the direction of the field, and the nucleation rate of Zn and Ni was controlled by the magnetic flux density.23,24 For more rapid nucleation of copper in the electrochemical deposition, some authors have attributed the effect to the Lorentz force acting on the microscale diffusion layer, the MHD (magnetohydrodynamic) effect;25 or the B field effects on the surface diffusion of ad-atoms.26 Until recently, there is still a lack of knowledge about the physical explanation for the influence of magnetic fields on electrocrystallization nucleation of copper or other metals.
Electronic components and integrated circuits extensively work in a magnetic field environment and the dust with mold in the air is very easy to be attached on electronic equipment, so their service life and performance will be affected.27,28 However, limited work has been reported on the failure behavior of ECM under an external magnetic field, in particular, the corrosion mechanism of ECM behavior with mold is inclusive. Therefore, in this work, stereo microscope, scanning electron microscope, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning Kelvin probe technology were used to study the ECM behavior of PCB with mold under the action of an external static magnetic field (SMF). The electrochemical migration behavior and mechanism were discussed. This research will provide support to improve the reliability of electronic components, especially the complex electromagnetic environment.
Next, a 1/5 potato dextrose broth (Table 1) was used to prepare a mold spore suspension, and 200 μL of suspension was dropped on PCB-Cu with the following basic parameters: a 0.8 mm-thick substrate made of FR-4 epoxy glass cloth laminate, a 25–30 μm thick Cu base, and the distance between two neighboring plates was 100 μm. The materials studied in the present work are PCB-Cu samples, as shown in Fig. 1. Before all the tests, the samples were washed with deionized water and absolute ethanol for 5 min, respectively.
Ingredient | Standard concentration formula | 1/5 standard concentration formula |
---|---|---|
Potato dipping powder | 5 g | 1 g |
Glucose | 15 g | 3 g |
Peptone | 10 g | 2 g |
NaCl | 5 g | 1 g |
Distilled water | 1000 mL | 200 mL |
Experimental group | Conditions |
---|---|
E1 | Mold + 12 V DC bias |
E2 | Mold + 10 mT SMF + 12 V DC bias |
M1 | Mold |
M2 | Mold + 10 mT SMF |
Surface potential tests were performed using SKP (M370) with work distance and amplitude is 100 ± 2 μm and 30 μm. In the formula (1) below, the corrosion potential Ecorr of the working electrode (measured object) in the air is proportional to the Kelvin potential EKP measured by SKP. The change in EKP reflects the variation of the corrosion state in the working electrode in the air. Gaussian fitting shown in formula (2) can further measure the Kelvin potential distribution on the sample surface.
(1) |
(2) |
Fig. 5 SEM and elemental mapping images of spacing after 72 h test. (a) Group E1; (b) group E2 (left: cathode plate, right: anode plate). |
It can be seen from Fig. 6 that the mold can grow normally under 12 V DC bias and 10 mT SMF. In group E1, granular Aspergillus versicolor spores began to grow in clusters at 24 h and gathered on the edge of the dissolved anode. The Cu layer on the surface swelled locally and then ruptured due to corrosion. At 168 h, the anode surface far from the plate spacing peeled and curled, and flocculent corrosion products were distributed on it. The cathode plate was mainly corroded by mold in the experiment. At 24 h, the globular conidia grew up independently, no obvious hyphae were observed, and a small number of fouling substances adhered to the surface around the mycelium. Until 168 h, the mold swelled and became larger and contacted each other into larger colonies, and the surface around the area where the colonies grew was slightly corroded. In general, no matter whether a 10 mT SMF was applied or not, the corrosion of the cathode and anode plates was significantly different. The surface of the cathode plate remained relatively intact; the anode plate cracked and peeled off, but the strains could grow well on both plates. It is worth noting that the growth rate and number of mold spores on cathode plates of group E2 (Fig. 6c1 and d1) were lower than that of group E1, so the corrosion was also alleviated. The composition of the corrosion products will be determined by following test methods.
Fig. 6 SEM morphologies of the PCB-Cu exposed in the experimental environment for 24 h (a and c) and 168 h (b and d). (a and b) Group E1; (c and d) group E2. |
The literature shows the symmetry of the lattice is destroyed due to the presence of defects, so that the peak of the Raman spectrum vibration frequency of the same material is slightly different in the experiment.29–31 The Raman spectrum shows that all curves have peaks near wavenumbers of 125, 146, 215, 410, 490, 525, and 623 cm−1, which indicate the presence of CuO or Cu2O. Among them, 410 and 490 are unique characteristic peaks of Cu2O. Also, there are peaks at 270, 355, 1020, 1140, and 1580 in four curves. These peaks all represent basic copper carbonate, that is, the characteristic peak of CuCO3Cu(OH)2, so each group of samples contains a certain amount of basic copper carbonate. In terms of the relative peak intensity, the characteristic peak intensity of the cathode and anode curves of group E2 is significantly higher, reflecting that the content of basic copper carbonate in group E2 is more than that in group E1.
We can also see that cathodes of the two groups have obvious peaks at 1320 (Fig. 7, zone A and C), and anodes have obvious peaks at 884 and 928 (Fig. 7, zone B and D). Among them, the contrast of the peak intensity of group E2 is higher than group E1. The data reported here suggest that the sample formed a substance with a characteristic peak of 1320 at cathodes, and another substance with a characteristic peak of 884 at anodes. Simultaneously, the magnetic field accelerated the formation of these two substances. In line with pieces of literature, the peaks 884 and 928 match the characteristic peaks of dicopper chloride trihydroxide (Cu2(OH)3Cl). Therefore, it was confirmed that the anode formed basic copper chloride, which is consistent with the fact that Cl was detected at the anode in EDS.
Fig. 7 Raman spectra of samples after 72 h test. Group E1: zone-C and D correspond to the cathode and anode plates; group E2: zone-A and B to the cathode and anode plates respectively. |
These results of Raman spectroscopy support the evidence that the corrosion products of all anodes can be determined as CuO, Cu2O, CuCO3·Cu(OH)2, and Cu2(OH)3Cl, while cathodes contain CuO, Cu2O, and a small amount of CuCO3·Cu(OH)2. The content of anode product is obviously higher than the cathode. And it can therefore be assumed that cathodes were oxidized and corroded under the high temperature caused by the energized short circuit, which appeared yellow and black. And the findings to emerge from the analysis are that the 10 mT SMF accelerated the formation of corrosion products, that is to say, the magnetic field increased the speed of corrosion reactions.
Fig. 8 Surface SKP potential distribution of samples taken on 24 h (a and c) and 168 h (b and d). (a and b) Group E1; (c and d) group E2. |
E1 | μ/V | σ2 | E2 | μ/V | σ2 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
a1 | −0.24056 | 0.026902 | c1 | 0.14901 | 0.021782 |
a2 | −0.42115 | 0.130302 | c2 | −0.42507 | 0.086482 |
b1 | −0.05687 | 0.450622 | d1 | 0.26360 | 0.102882 |
b2 | −0.23626 | 0.057102 | d2 | −0.16769 | 0.018902 |
The potential of the anode plates was always higher than the cathode. And in theory, as time goes by, the gap between the plates is filled and the plates are connected, and the difference between the two will become smaller until they are the same. As the result of group E2 at 168 h, the anode potential of the sample was slightly lower than the cathode. It can be seen in conjunction with Fig. 4c and d that the cathode and anode had been bridged by corrosion products. It can be seen from the confocal image that the corrosion products of the anode had not yet “moved” to the cathode at this time, so it was the dendrites of the metal cations that were reduced and deposited on the cathode to connect two plates. The anode and cathode plates are partially associated, and metal cations combined with the OH− in motion through the bridge, so that corrosion products gradually accumulated. Meanwhile, the cathodes were also corroded by mold. The mixture of mold and corrosion products covered the surface of the cathode, which hindered the escape of electrons to a certain extent. Therefore, the potential of the cathode was slightly higher than the anode at this moment.
Zone | Elements, at% | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cu | C | N | O | P | Cl | |
A | 5.90 | 64.62 | 3.42 | 21.31 | 0.35 | 3.23 |
B | 75.76 | 7.33 | 3.11 | 7.95 | — | 5.96 |
C | 23.97 | 49.29 | 8.87 | 15.93 | — | 1.94 |
Anode:
Cu − e− → Cu+ | (3) |
Cu − 2e− → Cu2+ | (4) |
Cathode:
O2 + 2H2O + 4e− → 4OH− | (5) |
2H2O + 2e− → 2OH− | (6) |
When the PCB is energized, a certain intensity electric field is generated between the two electrodes (Fig. 10a); at this time, the metal cations (Cu2+, Cu+) produced by anodic dissolution are positively charged. Therefore, 12 V DC bias generates an electric field force (Fe) on the positive ions (negative ions), where q is the amount of charge carried by the positive ions (negative ions), and E is the electric field generated between the two electrodes:
Fe = qE | (7) |
Driven by the electric field force, the metal ions move from the anode to the cathode. O2 and H2O obtain electrons at the cathode to form OH−. Because the OH− have a small ion radius, they reach the anode faster and form corrosion products with metal ions moving in the opposite direction. In the case of a stable power supply, positive and negative ions continue to meet and combine, forming a “wall” of corrosion products that accumulate between the plates. The “wall” not only forms an ion channel connecting two electrodes, but also prevents the positive ions from being reduced and deposited on the cathode.
FL = qvBsin(v,B) | (8) |
(9) |
Fig. 13b and d are the electrochemical migration behavior mechanism diagram of PCB-Cu with mold under 10 mT SMF. As mentioned before, the ions induced by corrosion are positively/negatively charged. While being driven by the electric field, they are also subject to the force of the magnetic field on the moving charges—Lorentz force (FL), where q is the charge of the positive ions (negative ions), v is the velocity of ions, B is the magnetic induction intensity. The FL is perpendicular to the Fe and parallel to the edge of the plate. At the same time, the FL is always perpendicular to the direction of movement of the ion, so it only changes the orientation of the ion's velocity but does not affect the magnitude of the movement speed. Therefore, through force analysis, it can be known that the resultant force (F) of the ions forms an angle φ with the horizontal direction (anode to cathode).
Fig. 11 Typical curves of current as a function of time: for ECM of molded PCB in non/10 mT magnetic field environment. |
Fig. 12 (a) The mold on PCB-Cu loaded with 12 V bias taken at 24 h in 10 mT magnetic field environment, and (b) graphical illustration of corrosion structure characteristics. |
Fig. 13 Schematic diagrams for ECM process of PCB-Cu. (a and c) Group E1; (b and d) group E2; (e) relation chart. |
Fig. 11 shows the relationship between current density and time in the mold medium, which is during ECM in a non-magnetic field/10 mT magnetic field environment. When the mold grows and metabolizes between the two electrodes, it absorbs moisture and produces acid, forming a moist environment on the surface;33,34 this makes it possible to short-circuit between the electrodes. When the dendrites bridge the anode and the cathode, a sudden current density spike occurs, causing a short circuit. It can be seen that the Tst (time to short circuit) shown in the figure decreases when a 10 mT magnetic field is applied. This may be attributed to the reduction of more Cu ions in the electrolyte driven by the resultant force, which accelerates the growth of dendrites to the anode and electrochemical failure. This causes the 10 mT SMF to promote the short circuit of PCB-Cu. However, the current density in magnetic field environment decreases from about 10−6 A cm−2 to about 10−8 A cm−2, which may be related to the growth of mold suffer by 10 mT static magnetic field.
Therefore, it is necessary to explain the role of mold in electrochemical migration. Fig. 11 is a micro-morphology of mold in a magnetic field taken at 24 hours. Part of the mold continues to grow, and the formed mycelia cling to the electrode and bond with the corrosion products. At the same time, there are also a small number of Cu-containing debris products on the thallus (Table 5). This confirms that molds indeed act as physical connections and particle migration channels in electrochemical migration. However, the growth of mold was inhibited by the magnetic field. This causes metal ionization and transport rates to decrease, thus reducing the current density generated in the loop. This result is also consistent with the current–time curve presented in electrochemical tests.
Zone | Elements, at% | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cu | C | N | O | P | Cl | |
A | 56.2 | 11.3 | 0.9 | 28.2 | — | 3.5 |
B | 88.6 | 7.5 | 1.4 | 1.9 | — | 0.5 |
C | 14.0 | 35.8 | 1.3 | 36.4 | 3.5 | 9.0 |
D | 11.9 | 53.8 | 0.5 | 26.0 | 1.8 | 6.1 |
On the one hand, since the metal ions and OH− are not driven by a single electric field, the corrosion products tend to expand vertically and no longer form an obstructive product “wall” between plates (this also explains why we can observe the dendrite formation clearly after the application of magnetic field). As a result, copper ions can successfully migrate through the product layer toward the cathode, and are reduced and deposited to form dendrites. On the other hand, according to the analysis results of Raman spectrum and SKP, it can be known that the magnetic field can accelerate the ionization and corrosion reaction of the metal, which makes a large number of copper ions generated at the anode. One part combines with OH− to form precipitation products, and the other part travels to the cathode to produce dendrites. In addition, although the mold is affected by the magnetic field, it still plays a role in promoting metal ionization, connecting the anode and cathode electrodes, and assisting ion transport during the electrochemical migration process of the PCB. Therefore, the dendrites bridge the corrosion products short-circuiting the integrated circuit in the end.
(1) Among them, mold growth promotes metal ionization and provides a channel for ECM, the 12 V DC bias is the impetus.
(2) The 10 mT SMF generates a Lorentz force which causes corrosion products accumulated on the anode to extend rapidly in the direction parallel to plates, thus widening the boundary of anodic product “wall”; at the same time, the product “wall” formed by the anodic dissolution is no longer blocked between the plates, so that the Cu ions can reach the cathode directly, and are reduced and deposited to produce dendrites;
(3) The SMF itself has an accelerating effect on ions, which can aggravate the corrosion reaction; but the magnetic field inhibits the growth of mold, thus weakening the mold's promotion of ECM. The SMF both promotes and restrains ECM of PCB-Cu with mold and 12 DC bias.
This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2021 |