Void Growth
Microscopic cavities in solder joints gather and merge under thermal and mechanical loading to form larger fracture paths. The progression of micro-void coalescence is a degradation phase in electronic assemblies that directly leads to the structural detachment of surface-mounted components from the circuit board pad. These tiny initial voids are caused by outgassing of solder paste flux during the reflow process or by intermetallic layer growth over time.
As the solder joint is exposed to temperature fluctuations, these separate voids migrate and join together into larger cracks.
Fracture Process
Merging occurs because the stress field around each individual micro-void interacts with those of its neighbors when an external force is applied. This localized stress concentration encourages the metal between the voids to deform plastically, which causes the thin walls separating the cavities to neck down and rupture. Once the voids have merged into a continuous crack, the remaining cross-sectional area of the solder joint is no longer sufficient to carry the mechanical or electrical load.
The joint eventually separates completely under the stress of normal operational thermal cycles, resulting in an open circuit.
Testing Boundary
Detecting this failure mode prior to complete separation is difficult because the micro-voids are hidden within the bulk of the solder joint. High-resolution x-ray laminography can resolve the voids, but the technique is too slow for one hundred percent in-line inspection of production boards. For this reason, manufacturers rely on accelerated thermal cycling of sample boards to estimate the lifespan of the joints.