NEUTRON TOMOGRAPHY STUDIES OF GEOPOLYMER CERAMIC USED FOR REINFORCEMENT MATERIALS IN SOLDER ALLOYS FOR A ROBUST ELECTRONIC SOLDER JOINT

The focus of composite solders has been in improving the mechanical behaviour for producing a robust solder joint for a highly reliable electronic device. Recently, our research group has discovered that geopolymer ceramic could be used as an alternative reinforcement material in solder alloys.The formation of porosity in geopolymer ceramics is crucial on mechanical and electrical properties of solder composites where open and closed pores in the reinforcement particles could enhance the reinforcement/matrix mechanical bonding and reduce the electrical resistivity of the solder joint. Neutrons will be used to investigate the porosity evolution and to explore the change in amorphous to crystalline phase distributions (using energy dispersive techniques). This includes looking into the moisture and porosity relations and its growth kinetics after sintering (heating) process.