Elements of Indium by Indium Corporation: Malleability

Indium Corporation is the global leader for indium metal and associated technologies. Because of its unique properties with virtually limitless applications, indium metal is literally all around us.

Indium is a soft and malleable metal that stretches with the metal it’s soldered to. This makes it the perfect solder for joining two metals in order to avoid coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch.

CTE mismatch occurs when solder joints containing two different metals expand at different rates. This stress on the solder joint can cause it to crack upon cooling, resulting in the failure of the device.

For more information on indium metal, visit www.indium.com/indium49.

Indium Corporation is a premier materials manufacturer and supplier to the global electronics, semiconductor, thin-film, and thermal management markets. Products include solders and fluxes; brazes; thermal interface materials; sputtering targets; indium, gallium, germanium, and tin metals and inorganic compounds; and NanoFoil^®. Founded in 1934, the company has global technical support and factories located in China, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the USA.

 

For more information about Indium Corporation, visit www.indium.com or email abrown@indium.com. You can also follow our experts, From One Engineer To Another^®(#FOETA), at www.facebook.com/indium or @IndiumCorp.