In this study, we introduced a hybrid Potts-phase field model to simulate the co-evolution of grain growth and pores migration in sintered silver layers. The Potts model is good at capture the grain growth dynamics, while the phase field model describes the evolution of the porous network. These models are coupled via a hybrid free energy function to achieve a realistic representation of the microstructure evolution. This study further extends the hybrid model by incorporating (a) a flexible exchange interaction matrix to model the crystal anisotropy in grain growth, (b) Glauber or Kawasaki dynamics to describe different diffusion mechanisms, and (c) the effect of pinning sites, representing impurity-driven grain boundary stabilization. The computational framework is implemented using Taichi Lang, which allows for efficient parallel simulations. Results show that the model effectively captures the long-term evolution of the sintered silver microstructure in good agreement with experimental observations. This hybrid model is a powerful tool to predict microstructural reliability of sintered silver die attach layers, supporting material design and process optimization for high-power electronic applications.

Resin-reinforced Ag sintering materials represent a promising solution for die-attach applications in high-power devices requiring enhanced reliability and heat dissipation. However, the presence of resin and intricate microstructure poses challenges to its thermal performance, and improvement strategies remain unclear. This work utilizes 3D FIB-SEM nanotomography to reconstruct the microstructure of this material under various process conditions. The analysis reveals that, even with an Ag volume fraction as low as 47.3%, Ag particles form a robust 3D network. Geometric tortuosity quantifies the effect of different sintering conditions on the Ag particle network in all spatial directions. Effective thermal conductivity is simulated based on realistic microstructure models. Results show a significant negative correlation between tortuosity and effective thermal conductivity. Increasing sintering temperature in Model B notably reduces tortuosity and enhances effective thermal conductivity. Sensitivity analysis underscores the dominant role of Ag volume fraction in regulating effective thermal conductivity. Finally, transient thermal impedance measurement of this material as a thin die-attach layer in actual high-power devices demonstrated its application potential. This article strives to explore the relationship between process, microstructure, and thermal properties of this material to provide a reference for further development.