Energetics of point defects in D0a Ag3Sn : first‐principles calculations

Abstract

The Ag3Sn intermetallic compound is commonly found and acts as a strengthening factor in the key lead‐free solders based on Sn‐Ag‐Cu. The Ag3Sn phase exhibits also an asymmetric off‐stoichiometry, which necessitates the existence of constitutional point defects. The presence of point defects can, in general, sensitively affect the plastic deformation of materials and the strengthening role of Ag3Sn in particular. To understand the nature of the point defects and the compositional stability of Ag3Sn, the relaxed structures and the energies of single point defects (vacancies and antisite defects) in all three sublattices of Ag3Sn are calculated at 0 K using ab initio density functional theory (DFT) and the supercell method. The first‐principles‐based calculations predict that the AgSn antisite defect (Ag substitution for Sn) has the smallest enthalpy of formation, thus indicating that the AgSn antisite defect is the dominant point defect in Ag3Sn. The point defect concentrations as a function of Sn content are estimated using the DFT defect energies and the Wagner-Schottky model. The compositional dependence of the point defect concentrations gives new insights on the atomistic mechanisms of formation of nonstoichiometric Ag3Sn.