Thermodynamic-Kinetic method on Microstructural Evolutions in Electronics

Thermodynamics and diffusion kinetics determine the microstructure of a given reaction couple between dissimilar materials under specific conditions. The microstructure, in turn, affects strongly the performance of multimaterial assemblies under different stress and environmental states. Hence it is shown here how the combination of thermodynamics and kinetics (namely the thermodynamic-kinetic method) can be used to rationalize the evolution of microstructure between dissimilar materials. The relevant thermodynamic considerations are given first, before moving to the foundations of diffusion kinetic considerations most relevant for the thermodynamic-kinetic method. The method itself is then briefly discussed, before finalizing this chapter with a couple of case studies from the field of electronics