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arXiv · 1705.10911

Whisker growth on Sn thin film accelerated under gamma-ray irradiation

Morgan Killefer·Vamsi Borra·Ahmed Al-Bayati·Daniel G. Georgiev·Victor G. Karpov·I. Eshmael Parsai·Diana Shvydka
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Abstract

We report on growth of tin (Sn) metal whiskers that is significantly accelerated under gamma-ray irradiation. The studied Sn thin film, evaporated on glass substrate, was subjected to a total of ~60 hours of irradiation over the course of 30 days. The irradiated sample demonstrated the enhanced development, in both whisker densities and lengths, resulting in an acceleration factor of ~50. This makes gamma-ray irradiation a candidate tool for accelerated testing of whisker propensity. We attribute the observed enhancement to electrostatic fields created by charged defects in the glass substrate under ionizing radiation of gamma-rays.

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Morgan Killefer, Vamsi Borra, Ahmed Al-Bayati, Daniel G. Georgiev, Victor G. Karpov, I. Eshmael Parsai, Diana Shvydka. 2017-06-14. Whisker growth on Sn thin film accelerated under gamma-ray irradiation. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463%2Faa85b1

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