Ni(3)Sn(4) grains were formed on Ni by reactive wetting between molten eutectic SnPb and thermally annealed Ni foil. Using synchrotron white beam micro x-ray diffraction analysis, two kinds of preferred orientation relationships between Ni(3)Sn(4) and Ni were found. The existence of preferred orientation with large interfacial misfit is suggested as a general mechanism of intermetallic compound formation in reactive solder wetting on metals. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3592184]
