Picture of the month - July 2022

The Whiddler
Image obtained with a scanning electron microscope of a tin whisker shaped like a question mark (symbol of The Riddler in the Batman comics). This whisker grew because of residual stress relaxation that built up in the tin thin film in the area of a "Pressfit/tPHT" contact (plating through hole contact).







About the author: Thiam Abdoulaye is a PhD candidate working on single crystal growth of metallic tin filaments (commonly called "whiskers") which can cause short circuits on pressfit connectors used in automotive industry.