Effects of direct current on the wetting behavior and interfacial morphology between molten Sn and Cu substrate

Abstract The effect of applying a direct electric current on the wetting behavior of molten Sn on Cu substrates at a nominal temperature of 510 K was investigated using a sessile drop method. The final stable contact angles were 37 ± 5° without employing a direct current (DC) while they decreased from 29 ± 3° to 16 ± 2° when the current increased from 2.5 A to 7.5 A. The current polarity does not have a noticeable effect on the wetting behavior but on interfacial morphology. Cross-sectional microstructure observations revealed that applying a current promoted the dissolution of the Cu substrate in molten Sn and the effect was enhanced with increasing current intensity. An unusual morphology with Cu 3 Sn being the principal phase and Cu 6 Sn 5 being the secondary phase was observed under a relatively large current intensity, particularly for the case of electrons flowing from the Cu substrate to the molten Sn side. Joule heat-induced Marangoni convection in the liquid droplet and electromigration are likely to play significant roles in determining the wettability and interfacial microstructure under the application of a direct electric current.