Tsai C.-HHuang W.-CChew L.MSchmitt WLi JNishikawa HC. ROBERT KAO2022-03-222022-03-22202122387854https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85118248953&doi=10.1016%2fj.jmrt.2021.10.079&partnerID=40&md5=145959e19b17fd8c5358b3f165582689https://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/598334Sintered silver paste is a popular material for die attachment technology in power electronics. However, using traditional nano-silver paste when fabricating sintered joints has intrinsic material problems that cannot be overcome, such as the high cost of nano-silver particles and their potential health hazards. In this study, a novel micro-silver paste was utilized for sintering and bonding to overcome the limitations of nano-silver paste. Although the micro-silver paste is an excellent candidate to replace nano-silver paste for sintering processes to reduce the potential harm to humans, the oxidation at copper substrates on both sides of the pure silver joint at 300 °C causes mechanical reliability issues in long-term high temperature applications. Therefore, a micro-silver paste was sintered with the addition of indium to address the Cu oxidation problem in this study. It was found that Ag–In intermetallic compounds (IMCs) formed through a transient liquid phase reaction. The results demonstrated that sintered joints comprising Ag–In IMCs and Ag–In solid solution phases could effectively resolve the oxidation issues and significantly enhance the high-temperature reliability. Furthermore, the Ag–In IMCs exhibited excellent mechanical properties, withstanding the thermal stress induced during the thermal cycling test. ? 2021 The Author(s)Ag–In intermetallic compoundsDie attachmentInterconnectionMechanical propertiesMicro-Ag sinteringTransient liquid phase bondingHealth hazardsHigh temperature applicationsIndiumIntermetallicsNickelOxidationSilverAg–in intermetallic compoundIntermetallics compoundsLow pressuresMicro-ag sinteringNano-silver pastesSilver pastesSintered jointTransient liquid-phase bondingsSintering[SDGs]SDG3journal article10.1016/j.jmrt.2021.10.0792-s2.0-85118248953