材料期刊网

The tin whiskers spontaneously grew from the NdSn(3) intermetallic compound (IMC) after exposure to ambient conditions. One such fine tin whisker with a diameter of about 600 nm was observed by transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results showed the whisker was a perfect beta-Sn single-crystal without dislocations or low angle grain boundaries. The whisker growth axis was calculated as [111]. There were interference fringes in the bright-field image of the tin whisker, which reflected the existence of growth stress in the whisker. A 15-18 nm native tin-oxide film on the tin whisker containing many crystal defects was also found. The new results are helpful in understanding the tin whisker growth mechanism.