The reliability of through-glass via (TGV) interconnects is critical for advanced semiconductor packaging. This work investigates microstructural and mechanical evolution in electroplated TGV–Cu subjected to long-term aging at 250 °C. TGV samples were fabricated via laser-induced etching and double-sided copper electroplating, then aged for up to 1008 h. Nanoindentation revealed region-dependent reductions in hardness (from 2.0–2.5 GPa to below 0.5 GPa) and modulus (from 110–130 GPa to 40–90 GPa), with surface-near regions most affected. The glass substrate maintained stable mechanical properties until microcracks formed after 1008 h. EBSD quantification showed grain-size enlargement from 0.46 µm to 1.86 µm and a concurrent decrease in dislocation density. Molecular dynamics simulations of 3, 4, 5 nm grains corroborated the inverse relationship between grain size and micro-mechanical properties. A hybrid Potts-phase field model further linked grain coarsening to stress relaxation and elastic-energy minimization, revealing that as grains grow, the overall von Mises stress in the structure decreases; high-modulus grains retain relatively higher local stresses, while low-modulus, low-stress grains exhibit faster growth rates. Electrical I–V measurements confirmed stable ohmic behavior, despite a drop in insulation resistance. These integrated experimental and computational insights provide theoretical guidance for optimizing TGV interposer design and ensuring long-term operational reliability in heterogeneous integration technologies. (Figure presented.)

The mechanical strength of sintered nanoparticles (NPs) limits their application in advanced electronics packaging. In this study, we explore the anisotropy in the microstructure and mechanical properties of sintered copper (Cu) NPs by combining experimental techniques with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We establish a clear relationship between processing conditions, microstructural evolution, and resulting properties in pressure-assisted sintering of Cu NPs. Our findings reveal that pressure-assisted sintering induces significant anisotropy in the microstructure, as evidenced by variations in areal relative density and the orientation distribution of necks formed during sintering. Specifically, along the direction of applied pressure, the microstructure exhibits reduced variation in areal relative density and a higher prevalence of necks with favorable orientations. The resulting anisotropic mechanical properties, with significantly higher strength along the pressure direction compared to other directions, are demonstrated through micro-cantilever bending tests and tensile simulations. This anisotropy is further explained by the combined effects of strain localization (influenced by areal relative density) and the failure modes of necks (determined by their orientation relative to the loading direction). This work provides valuable insights into the analysis of sintered NPs microstructures and offers guidance for optimizing the sintering process.

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.

Investigating the interconnection and strengthening mechanisms of die-attach layers is instrumental for advancing die attach process toward low-pressure and, ultimately, pressureless sintering while maintaining reliability. This study compares the microstructure and micromechanical heterogeneity of the pressure-assisted and pressureless regions in SiC die attach to elucidate the interconnection and strengthening mechanisms. Recrystallized grains make up 71.7 % of the pressureless region, markedly lower than the approximately 90 % observed in the pressure-assisted region, resulting in a higher porosity in the former. Evidence of both continuous dynamic recrystallization and discontinuous dynamic recrystallization is identified throughout the sintered layer. Microhardness reveals that the pressureless zone exhibits a hardness of 0.373 GPa, significantly lower than left (0.745 GPa) and right (1.832 GPa) of pressure-assisted region. All three regions share an average grain size of 400 ± 50 nm, and geometrically necessary dislocation density in pressureless zone exceeds that in pressure-assisted areas, neither of which can account for the difference in micromechanical performance. In contrast, the statistically stored dislocation (SSD) densities on the left and right of the pressure-assisted region are approximately 4.74 × 10¹⁴ m⁻² and 2.88 × 10¹⁵ m⁻², respectively—substantially higher than the 2.88 × 10¹⁴ m⁻² measured in the pressureless region. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that dislocation strengthening, and particularly SSD density, constitutes the dominant strengthening mechanism in silver sintered layers. This work not only provides new insights for enhancing reliability under low-pressure and pressureless sintering but also establishes a theoretical foundation for optimizing sintering material formulations.

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.