Whisker growth on Sn thin film accelerated under gamma-ray induced electric field

We report on the growth of tin metal whiskers significantly accelerated under non-destructive gamma-ray irradiation. Sn thin film, evaporated on glass substrate, was subjected to a total of 60 h of irradiation. The irradiated samples demonstrated enhanced whisker development, in both densities and lengths, resulting in an acceleration factor of 50. We attribute the observed enhancement to gamma-ray induced electrostatic fields, affecting whisker kinetics. These fields are due to the substrate charging under gamma-rays. We propose that gamma-ray irradiation can be a much needed tool for accelerated testing of whisker propensity.