Chip Scale Package (CSP) solder joint reliability and modeling

A viscoplastic constitutive model was used to analyze the thermally induced plastic and creep deformation and low cycle fatigue behavior of the solder joints in Chip Scale Packages (CSP) mounted on Printed Circuit Boards (PCB). The time-dependent and time-independent viscoplastic strain rate and plastic hardening work factors of solder material were used in 2-D plane strain finite element models. The viscoplastic strain rate data was fitted to the viscoplastic flow equation. The plastic hardening factors were considered in the evolution equation. A viscoelastic constitutive model was used for molding compound. Finite element models, incorporating the viscoplastic flow and evolution equations for solder and the viscoelastic equations for molding compound, were verified by temperature cycling tests on assembled CSPs. The effect of the cyclic frequency, dwell time, and temperature ramp rate on the response of the viscoplastic deformation was studied for a tapeless Lead-on-Chip (LOC) CSP and a flexible substrate CSP. The ramp rate significantly affects the equivalent stress range in solder joints while a dwell time in excess of 10 min per half cycle does not result in increased strain range. The failure data from the experiments was fitted to the Weibull failure distribution and the Weibull parameters were extracted. After satisfactory correlation between the experiment and the model was observed, the effect of material properties and package design variables on the fatigue life of solder joints in CSPs was investigated and the primary factors affecting solder fatique life were subsequently presented. Furthermore, a simplified model was proposed to predict the solder fatigue life in CSPs.     

The necessity of reexamining previous life prediction analyses ofsolder joints in electronic packages

There are several different constitutive relations for describing the creep behavior of solder to predict the fatigue life of a solder joint. The differences among these constitutive relations for fatigue life prediction of electronic packages are unknown because analysts using finite element programs such as ABAQUS or ANSI'S are generally limited to specific built-in material models. The objective of this study is to implement a procedure that allows the use of various creep models in the analysis of electronic packages using ANSYS. Special user routines are developed so the user can incorporate virtually any creep relation and determine the inelastic strain energy density developed in the three-dimensional solid elements. Comparisons are performed for the modified creep routines and the viscoplastic formulation of Anand's model in ANSYS. It is found that the scheme used by ANSYS to determine plastic work density is incorrect and will be remedied in a future release. The implications of this revision to ANSYS are critical because a change in scheme will make comparisons with past studies and analyses difficult. The value of the empirical parameters based on previous analyses, which are widely used in the prediction of package fatigue life, will have to be reexamined     

Thermal cycling analysis of flip-chip solder joint reliability

The reliability concern in flip-chip-on-board (FCOB) technology is the high thermal mismatch deformation between the silicon die and the printed circuit board that results in large solder joint stresses and strains causing fatigue failure. Accelerated thermal cycling (ATC) test is one of the reliability tests performed to evaluate the fatigue strength of the solder interconnects. Finite element analysis (FEA) was employed to simulate thermal cycling loading for solder joint reliability in electronic assemblies. This study investigates different methods of implementing thermal cycling analysis, namely using the "dwell creep" and "full creep" methods based on a phenomenological approach to modeling time independent plastic and time dependent creep deformations. There are significant differences between the "dwell creep" and "full creep" analysis results for the flip chip solder joint strain responses and the predicted fatigue life. Comparison was made with a rate dependent viscoplastic analysis approach. Investigations on thermal cycling analysis of the temperature range, (ΔT) effects on the predicted fatigue lives of solder joints are reported     

Finite element modeling of thermal fatigue and damage of solder joints in a ceramic ball grid array package

A nonlinear finite element model is presented for analyzing the cyclic and thermal fatigue loading and for viscoplastic damage characterization of the lead-tin (Pb-Sn) solder joints in a ceramic ball grid array (CBGA) surface mount package. An approach using a Δ ∈ _eq ⁱⁿ -modified Coffin-Manson equation is proposed to estimate the fatigue life of the solder joints. The Δ ∈ _eq ⁱⁿ represents a saturated equivalent inelastic strain range as determined by the finite element model. The present study shows that the predictied fatigue life and the associated damage mechanism of the solder joint agree reasonably well with the test data for the 18,25, and 32 mm CBGA packages run at a cyclic temperature load of 0°C/100°C with a frequency of 1.5 cycles per hour. Analysis also shows that a preferred failure site is expected to occur in and around the Pb37-Sn63 solder attachment of the solder joint. A time-dependent (creep induced) damage mechanism is found to be more pronounced than the time-independent (plastic deformation) mechanism.     

Optimization of thermo-mechanical reliability of solder joints in crystalline silicon solar cell assembly

A robust solder joint in crystalline silicon solar cell assembly is necessary to ensure its thermo-mechanical reliability. The solder joint formed using optimal parameter setting accumulates minimal creep strain energy density which leads to longer fatigue life. In this study, thermo-mechanical reliability of solder joint in crystalline silicon solar cell assembly is evaluated using finite element modelling (FEM) and Taguchi method. Geometric models of the crystalline silicon solar cell assembly are built and subjected to accelerated thermal cycling utilizing IEC 61215 standard for photovoltaic panels. In order to obtain the model with minimum accumulated creep strain energy density, the L₉ (3³) orthogonal array was applied to Taguchi design of experiments (DOE) to investigate the effects of IMC thickness (IMC_T), solder joint width (SJ_W) and solder joint thickness (SJ_T) on the thermo-mechanical reliability of solder joints. The solder material used in this study is Sn3.8Ag0.7Cu and its non-linear creep deformation is simulated using Garofalo-Arrhenius creep model. The results obtained indicate that solder joint thickness has the most significant effect on the thermo-mechanical reliability of solder joints. Analysis of results selected towards thermo-mechanical reliability improvement shows the design with optimal parameter setting to be: solder joint thickness — 20 μm, solder joint width — 1000 μm, and IMC thickness — 2.5 μm. Furthermore, the optimized model has the least damage in the solder joint and shows a reduction of 47.96% in accumulated creep strain energy density per cycle compared to the worst case original model. Moreover, the optimized model has 16,264 cycles to failure compared with the expected 13,688 cycles to failure of a PV module designed to last for 25 years.     

On the Mutual Effect of Viscoplasticity and Interfacial Damage Progression in Interfacial Fracture of Lead-Free Solder Joints

The main goal of this paper is to shed light on the effect of strain rate and viscoplastic deformation of bulk solder on the interfacial failure of lead-free solder joints. For this purpose, interfacial damage evolution and mode I fracture behavior of the joint were evaluated experimentally by performing stable fracture tests at different strain rates employing an optimized tapered double cantilever beam (TDCB) design. The viscoplastic behavior of the solder was characterized in shear, and the constitutive parameters related to the Anand model were determined. A rate-independent cohesive zone damage model was identified to best simulate the interfacial damage progression in the TDCB tests by developing a three-dimensional (3D) finite-element (FE) model and considering the viscoplastic response of the bulk solder. The influence of strain rate on the load capability and failure mode of the joint was clarified by analyzing the experimental and simulation results. It was shown how, at the lower strain rates, the normal stress generated at the interface is limited by the significant creep relaxation developed in the bulk solder and thus is not sufficiently high to initiate interfacial damage, whereas at higher rates, a large amount of the external energy is dissipated into interfacial damage development.     

Board level solder joint reliability modeling and testing of TFBGA packages for telecommunication applications

For thin-profile fine-pitch BGA (TFBGA) packages, board level solder joint reliability during the thermal cycling test is a critical issue. In this paper, both global and local parametric 3D FEA fatigue models are established for TFBGA on board with considerations of detailed pad design, realistic shape of solder joint, and nonlinear material properties. They have the capability to predict the fatigue life of solder joint during the thermal cycling test within ±13% error. The fatigue model applied is based on a modified Darveaux’s approach with nonlinear viscoplastic analysis of solder joints. A solder joint damage model is used to establish a connection between the strain energy density (SED) per cycle obtained from the FEA model and the actual characteristic life during the thermal cycling test. For the test vehicles studied, the maximum SED is observed at the top corner of outermost diagonal solder ball. The modeling predicted fatigue life is first correlated to the thermal cycling test results using modified correlation constants, curve-fitted from in-house BGA thermal cycling test data. Subsequently, design analysis is performed to study the effects of 14 key package dimensions, material properties, and thermal cycling test condition. In general, smaller die size, higher solder ball standoff, smaller maximum solder ball diameter, bigger solder mask opening, thinner board, higher mold compound CTE, smaller thermal cycling temperature range, and depopulated array type of ball layout pattern contribute to longer fatigue life.     

温度循环条件下微弹簧型CCGA焊柱的热疲劳寿命仿真研究

对比封装体不同的热疲劳寿命预测模型,选择适用于微弹簧型陶瓷柱栅阵列(CCGA)封装的寿命预测模型,并对焊点的热疲劳机制进行分析。利用Workbench对焊点进行在温度循环载荷作用下的热疲劳分析。对比不同热疲劳寿命预测模型的结果,表明基于应变能密度的预测模型更适用于微弹簧型CCGA。随后对等效应力、塑性应变、平均塑性应变能密度和温度随时间变化的曲线进行分析,结果表明,在温度保持阶段,焊柱通过发生塑性变形或积累能量来降低其内部热应力水平,减少热疲劳损伤累积;在温度转变阶段,焊柱的应力应变发生剧烈变化,容易产生疲劳损伤。     

A new experimental method to evaluate creep fatigue life of flip-chip solder joints with underfill

A new accelerated stress test method was developed to evaluate creep life of flip-chip solder joints with underfill. With this method, a cyclic creep test can be done simply by applying a displacement to the FR-4 printed circuit board (PCB) board in the axial direction. The creep fatigue test was performed under displacement control with real-time electrical continuity monitoring. Test results show that the displacement arising from the force is equivalent to the thermal stress during thermal expansion. It was found that the magnitude of displacement was proportional to the inelastic strain sustained by the solder joints. This indicates that the creep fatigue life obtained will not only reflect the quality of the solder joints, but can also be used to characterize the reliability of the flip-chip assembly. Finite element modeling was also performed to confirm the agreement of deformation of the solder joints under mechanical and thermal loading. Results suggest that deformation and strain of the flip-chip assembly are consistent or comparable between the mechanical and thermal cycling. The failure analysis indicates that fatigue cracks often initiate from the top edge of a corner solder joint in the creep fatigue test, which is similar to what would happen in thermal cycling test. Lastly, the effect of underfill on the creep fatigue test is discussed. It is postulated that the test method is applicable to other flip-chip assemblies, such as conductive adhesive interconnections.     

LGA焊点形态对焊点寿命影响的有限元分析

通过Surface Evolver软件对LGA焊点进行了三维形态预测,利用有限元数值模拟对LGA焊点在热循环条件下寿命进行了分析。研究了热循环条件下LGA焊点的应力应变分布规律,随着焊点远离元件的中心位置焊点所受到的等效应力、等效应变和塑性应变能密度逐渐增大,从而得出处于外面拐角的焊点最先发生失效的结论。基于塑性应变范围和Coffin-Manson公式计算了焊点热疲劳寿命;找出了LGA焊点形态对焊点寿命的影响规律,模板厚度一定时PCB焊盘尺寸小于上焊盘时LGA焊点的热疲劳寿命与PCB焊盘尺寸成正比,大于上焊盘时成反比,大约相等时焊点寿命最大。当PCB焊盘和模板开孔尺寸固定时,通过增大模板厚度来增加焊料体积在一定程度上可提高LGA焊点的热疲劳寿命,但是模板厚度增大到一定值时LGA焊点寿命会逐渐降低。     

Comprehensive board-level solder joint reliability modeling and testing of QFN and PowerQFN packages

For quad flat non-lead (QFN) packages, board-level solder joint reliability during thermal cycling test is a critical issue. In this paper, a parametric 3D FEA sliced model is established for QFN on board with considerations of detailed pad design, realistic shape of solder joint and solder fillet, and non-linear material properties. It has the capability to predict the fatigue life of solder joint during thermal cycling test within ±34% error. The fatigue model applied is based on a modified Darveaux’s approach with non-linear viscoplastic analysis of solder joints. A solder joint damage model is used to establish a connection between the strain energy density (SED) per cycle obtained from the FEA model and the actual characteristic life during thermal cycling test. For the test vehicles studied, the maximum SED is observed mostly at the top corner of peripheral solder joint. The modeling predicted fatigue life is first correlated to thermal cycling test results using modified correlation constants, curve-fitted from in-house QFN thermal cycling test data. Subsequently, design analysis is performed to study the effects of 17 key package dimensions, material properties, and thermal cycling test condition. Generally, smaller package size, smaller die size, bigger pad size, thinner PCB, higher mold compound CTE, higher solder standoff, and extra soldering at the center pad help to enhance the fatigue life. Comparisons are made with thermal cycling test results to confirm the relative trends of certain effects. Another enhanced QFN design with better solder joint reliability, PowerQFN, is also studied and compared with QFN of the same package size.     

Impact of the number of chips on the reliability of the solder balls for wire-bonded stacked-chip ball grid array packages

This investigation examines how the number of chips affects the reliability of solder balls for wire-bonded stacked-chip ball grid array packages under thermal cycling tests. The studied objects were packages with one, two, three and four stacked chips. Three-dimensional finite element analysis was utilized to simulate the stress/strain behavior of all studied packages. Two kinds of properties of 63Sn/37Pb eutectic solder were employed individually in the finite element analyses. One property of the solder was assumed to exhibit the elastic–plastic–creep behavior. Temperature-dependent stress/strain curves and Norton’s steady creep equation were used in the analysis. Another property of the solder governed by the Anand’s viscoplastic model was also employed to describe the behavior of solder balls. The simulation results in the elastic–plastic–creep analyses and viscoplastic analyses reveal that the von Mises stress, the non-linear strain, and the inelastic strain energy density of the critical solder balls increase with the number of stacked chips, but the increments become gradually stable as the number of chips increases. Three fatigue life prediction models—Darveaux’s model, the modified Coffin–Manson model and the creep-fatigue model—were applied to evaluate the fatigue life of the studied packages. Prediction results indicate that the fatigue life of the solder balls decreases as the number of stacked chips increases, and the decrease in predicted life shows stable behavior as the number of chips increases. The stable trend is consistent with experimental observation in the thermal cycling tests. By comparing with the experimental data, it is shown that the Darveaux’s model gives better prediction than the other two models.     

Solder joint reliability of a low cost chip size package—NuCSP

The accumulated elasto-plastic strain range and the time-dependent elasto-plastic-creep deformation of a wire bondable land grid array (LGA) chip size package (NuCSP) assembly’s solder joint under thermal cycling condition are presented. The solder is assumed to be a temperature-dependent material. The thermal fatigue life of the solder joint is estimated based on two methods, namely, the accumulated plastic strain range and Coffin–Manson equation, and viscoplastic strain energy density and an empirical equation based on the assumption of linear fatigue crack growth.     

Reliability of soldered joints in CSPs of various designs andmounting conditions

The chip size package (CSP) is being used in various portable electronic products recently. Further evaluation of the reliability of its soldered joints is required all the more now because those soldered joints are invisible. This study focused on the thermal fatigue life of soldered joints in the CSP. CSPs were mounted on printed circuit boards (PCBs) in various configurations and mounting conditions, and underwent thermal cycle testing. Then, the fatigue lives of their soldered joints were compared. As a result, the following two facts became apparent. First, reflowing at a 210°C peak tends to result in failures that may be derived from poor wetting between solder and pad, in cases where the CSP is mounted on a nickel and gold plated pad. And second, the size of the soldered joint has a great influence on its fatigue life. The larger the soldered joints that we made, the longer fatigue life they indicated. A finite element method (FEM) analysis of those mounted structures was also executed. Viscoplastic (creep and plastic) property of solder was evaluated to compute equivalent inelastic strain occurring in the joints. A parameter in the Coffin-Manson equation is obtained from the computed inelastic strain amplitudes and the experimented actual fatigue lives. This result will enable estimation of the fatigue life of soldered joints of the CSP without actual tests     

倒装焊SnPb焊点热循环失效和底充胶的影响

采用实验方法,确定了倒装焊SnPb焊点的热循环寿命．采用粘塑性和粘弹性材料模式描述了SnPb焊料和底充胶的力学行为,用有限元方法模拟了SnPb焊点在热循环条件下的应力应变过程．基于计算的塑性应变范围和实验的热循环寿命,确定了倒装焊SnPb焊点热循环失效Coffin-Manson经验方程的材料参数．研究表明,有底充胶倒装焊SnPb焊点的塑性应变范围比无底充胶时明显减小,热循环寿命可提高约20倍,充胶后的焊点高度对可靠性的影响变得不明显．     

Thermal cycling reliability of SnAgCu and SnPb solder joints: A comparison for several IC-packages

This paper deals with a comparison study between SnPb and SnAgCu solder joint reliability. The comparison is based on non-linear finite element modelling. Three packages have been selected: silicon CSP, underfilled flip chip and QFN package. Also the effect of thermal cycling conditions has been investigated. Comparing the induced inelastic strains in the solder joint, the lead-free SnAgCu generally scores better thanks to the lower creep strain rate. On the other hand for the CSP and flip chip package, SnAgCu scores worse for the more extreme loading conditions when the inelastic dissipated energy density is selected as damage parameter. The main reason is that due to the lower creep strain rate, the stresses become higher for SnAgCu resulting in higher hysteresis loops with more dissipated energy per cycle. For the QFN package, SnAgCu scores much better.     

Cyclic bending reliability of wafer-level chip-scale packages

In this paper, both experimental and numerical studies are conducted to investigate board-level reliability of wafer-level chip-scale packages under four-point cyclic bending conditions that combine different deflection amplitudes and excitation frequencies. In addition to the fatigue lives of the test vehicle, locations and modes of fractured solder joints are observed. In the numerical modeling, inertia forces along with rate-dependent material properties of the solder joints are considered in order to capture frequency-dependent characteristics of this particular test methodology. Through the dynamic finite element analysis, plastic strain energy densities accumulated per bending cycle within the critical solder joint are calculated and together with the experimental results, parameters for the Morrow fatigue model are calibrated.     

A new creep–fatigue life model of lead-free solder joint

Life prediction plays an important role in reliability design of electronic product. Solder joint failure is one of the most common failure modes for electronic packaging structure. Current creep–fatigue life models of solder joints are unable to distinguish the creep damage and fatigue damage. In this work, a new creep–fatigue life model was proposed for solder joint tested under high strain rate, where the creep damage was based on Monkman–Grant equation and the fatigue damage was evaluated employing the Coffin–Manson model. Then, linear damage rule was utilized to build the new model. Creep test, fatigue test and creep–fatigue test were conducted respectively in order to determine the parameter in the new model. At last, the experimental result was compared with the predicted result, which shows that the calculation life meets well with the experimental life under high strain rate.     

Reliability model for bridging failure of Pb-free ball grid array solder joints under compressive load

The ever increasing power density in high performance microelectronic devices for applications such as large business computing and telecommunication infrastructure has led to several new reliability challenges for solder interconnects. One of them is the creep collapse and bridging of ball grid array (BGA) solder joints under heatsink compressive loads. For characterizing the solder joint response to compressive load and model the corresponding reliability failure, the compressive creep behavior of Sn3.8Ag0.7Cu solder was first investigated. A viscoplastic constitutive model developed from the creep characterization was then incorporated into numerical finite element (FE) analysis to predict solder joint creep collapse and bridging under heatsink compressive load. The numerical analysis results were validated by experimental studies of solder joint collapse under compressive load and isothermal aging condition. A simplified power-law formula is also provided for modeling the creep collapse of Sn3.8Ag0.7Cu solder joint. The model may be applied for predicting solder joint compressive reliability under a prescribed heatsink compression, or to determine the maximum allowable heatsink load for a given life expectancy.