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Related Concept Videos

Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition02:33

Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition

Some solids can transition directly into the gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state, via a process known as sublimation. At room temperature and standard pressure, a piece of dry ice (solid CO2) sublimes, appearing to gradually disappear without ever forming any liquid. Snow and ice sublimate at temperatures below the melting point of water, a slow process that may be accelerated by winds and the reduced atmospheric pressures at high altitudes. When solid iodine is warmed, the solid sublimes...
Phase Transitions01:21

Phase Transitions

A phase transition is the process in which a substance changes from one state of matter to another, like from a solid to a liquid, liquid to gas, or vice versa, at a specific temperature and under given pressure conditions. This change is spontaneous and is affected by alterations in temperature and pressure. These parameters impact the strength of the forces between molecules (intermolecular forces) in the substance.During a phase transition, both the initial and final phases of the substance...
Phase Transitions02:31

Phase Transitions

Whether solid, liquid, or gas, a substance's state depends on the order and arrangement of its particles (atoms, molecules, or ions). Particles in the solid pack closely together, generally in a pattern. The particles vibrate about their fixed positions but do not move or squeeze past their neighbors. In liquids, although the particles are closely spaced, they are randomly arranged. The position of the particles are not fixed—that is, they are free to move past their neighbors to occupy...
Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing02:39

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

Heating a crystalline solid increases the average energy of its atoms, molecules, or ions, and the solid gets hotter. At some point, the added energy becomes large enough to partially overcome the forces holding the molecules or ions of the solid in their fixed positions, and the solid begins the process of transitioning to the liquid state or melting. At this point, the temperature of the solid stops rising, despite the continual input of heat, and it remains constant until all of the solid is...
Phase Changes01:19

Phase Changes

Phase transitions play an important theoretical and practical role in the study of heat flow. In melting or fusion, a solid turns into a liquid; the opposite process is freezing. In evaporation, a liquid turns into a gas; the opposite process is condensation.
A substance melts or freezes at a temperature called its melting point and boils or condenses at its boiling point. These temperatures depend on pressure. High pressure favors the denser form of the substance, so typically, high pressure...
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Phase Diagram

The phase of a given substance depends on the pressure and temperature. Thus, plots of pressure versus temperature showing the phase in each region provide considerable insights into the thermal properties of substances. Such plots are known as phase diagrams. For instance, in the phase diagram for water (Figure 1), the solid curve boundaries between the phases indicate phase transitions (i.e., temperatures and pressures at which the phases coexist).

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Updated: May 9, 2026

Demonstrating the Simplicity and In Situ Temperature Monitoring of the Mechanochemical Synthesis of Metal Chalcogenides Suitable for Thermoelectrics
04:09

Demonstrating the Simplicity and In Situ Temperature Monitoring of the Mechanochemical Synthesis of Metal Chalcogenides Suitable for Thermoelectrics

Published on: August 30, 2024

Electric-Current-Induced Phase Transformation in Cu6Sn5 Below Its Equilibrium Transition Temperature.

Shih-Kang Lin1,2,3,4, Shubhayan Mukherjee1, Yu-Chen Liu4,5

  • 1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.

Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|May 8, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Electric current drives a phase transformation in copper-tin (Cu$_{6}$Sn$_{5}$) below its equilibrium transition temperature. This current-induced change enhances the material's mechanical properties, impacting semiconductor reliability.

Keywords:
Cu6Sn5electric‐current‐induced phase transformationelectromigrationintermetallicsphase stabilitysynchrotron x‐ray diffraction

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06:53

Magnetometric Characterization of Intermediates in the Solid-State Electrochemistry of Redox-Active Metal-Organic Frameworks

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Solid-State Physics
  • Semiconductor Engineering

Background:

  • Semiconductor interconnects face reliability challenges due to high current densities at sub-2 nm nodes.
  • Traditional phase transformations are understood via thermal equilibrium, but electric current introduces non-equilibrium effects.
  • Understanding current-driven structural evolution is crucial for advanced materials.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of electric current on the phase transformation of copper-tin (Cu$_{6}$Sn$_{5}$) below its equilibrium transition temperature.
  • To determine if electric current can induce structural changes not observed under thermal aging alone.
  • To evaluate the mechanical properties of the current-induced transformed phase.

Main Methods:

  • Ex situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction series on current-stressed Cu$_{6}$Sn$_{5}$ samples.
  • Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for microstructural analysis.
  • Controlled thermal aging experiments for comparison.
  • Indentation testing to measure mechanical properties (modulus and hardness).

Main Results:

  • A current-driven monoclinic-to-hexagonal transformation in Cu$_{6}$Sn$_{5}$ was observed at ~120°C, below the equilibrium transition temperature (186°C-189°C).
  • Thermal aging alone did not induce the same transformation within the tested timeframe.
  • Current stressing progressively converted the monoclinic (η') phase to the hexagonal (η) phase.
  • The transformed hexagonal phase exhibited a higher indentation modulus and hardness compared to the monoclinic phase.

Conclusions:

  • Electric current can drive unconventional structural evolution in Cu$_{6}$Sn$_{5}$ below its equilibrium transition temperature.
  • Current-assisted phase stability is a significant factor in conductive intermetallics under high current densities.
  • The findings provide insights into current-induced phase transformations relevant to semiconductor interconnect reliability.