A general Weibull model for reliability analysis under different failure Criteria-application on anisotropic conductive adhesive joining technology

In this paper, a generic four-parameter model has been developed and applied to the anisotropic conductive adhesive (ACA) flip-chip joining technology for electronics packaging applications. The model can also be used to predict any minimum failure cycles if the maximum acceptable failure criterion (in this case, a preset electrical resistance value) is set. The original reliability testing from which the test data was obtained was carried out on flip-chip anisotropically conductive adhesive joints on an FR-4 substrate. In the study, nine types of ACA and one nonconductive film (NCF) were used. In total, nearly 1000 single joints were subjected to reliability tests in terms of temperature cycling between -40/spl deg/C and 125/spl deg/C with a dwell time of 15 min and a ramp rate of 110/spl deg/C/min. The reliability was characterized by single contact resistance measured using the four-probe method during temperature cycling testing up to 3000 cycles. A single Weibull model is used for two failure definitions defined as larger than 50 m/spl Omega/ and larger than 100 m/spl Omega/ respectively using the in situ electrical resistance measurement technique. The failure criteria are incorporated into this Weibull model. This paper shows the flexibility and usefulness of Weibull distribution in this type of applications.     

Reliability and thermal impedance studies in soft soldered power transistors

This paper discusses the reliability of soft soldered silicon power transistors under various thermal cycling conditions. A thermal cycling system is described which provides electrical testing and thermal impedance measurements of the devices until they fail. The thermal impedance measurement technique and the cycling parameters of the devices tested are discussed. Differences between computed and measured steady-state thermal resistance indicate interface problems associated with the fabrication of soft soldered devices. The study is focused on 2N3055 power transistors from a variety of manufacturers. It is shown that the thermal impedance is sensitive to changes in the Si-header joint and will increase upon cycling due to the thermal fatigue process. Information on mechanical failure of joints is obtained from scanning electron microscopy studies on the failed devices. The important parameters that affect the lifetime of the devices are indicated, and their effects are shown quantitatively. It is concluded that thermal impedance measurements can provide a reliable probing technique for imperfections in the soft soldered contacts found in many power devices.     

Parameter driven monitoring for a flip-chip LED module under power cycling condition

In this paper, a parameter driven monitoring model is introduced, in which a flip-chip LED module was investigated during a power cycling test. This approach was investigated to develop a monitoring model to describe thermally induced solder fatigue as root cause of flip-chip failure in a power cycling test. As monitoring parameter the thermal resistance of the LED module was used, which was determined by thermal impedance measurements of the whole LED module, as well as for each LED chip itself. Further analyses of the occurring temperature at the LED junction recorded of each chip during the power cycling test were used to generate a prediction model. The evaluation of the temperature change allowed to forecast the number of cycles until failure.     

Improved physical understanding of intermittent failure in continuous monitoring method

Accelerated reliability tests are used to evaluate product life and to ensure a good fit with mission profile. Adequate detecting failure methods and criteria are fundamental to ensure the validity of the test results. In electronic interconnect reliability tests, several types of in-situ electrical continuity methods or manual resistance measurements with crack length analyses are used as failure indicator. Continuous monitoring at high sampling rate shows intermittent signals before permanent failure. In this paper we present a new test approach to improving physical understanding of these intermittent failures. Two different test benches are used to monitor BGA component solder joints under stress. Cross-section analysis, electrical circuit models and signal analysis are used to highlight the relationship between crack propagation and electrical continuity. Finally, basic electric contact theory is applied to explain resistance value fluctuations before permanent failure. The results suggest that high sampling rate in-situ monitoring methods have to be used in order to have an appropriate failure criterion and consequently be more representative of reliability results for electronic interconnects in the field.     

Board level reliability assessment of chip scale packages

A large program had been initiated to study the board level reliability of various types of chip scale package (CSP). The results on six different packages are reported here, which cover flex interposer CSP, rigid interposer CSP, wafer level assembly CSP, and lead frame CSP. The packages were assembled on FR4 PCBs of two different thicknesses. Temperature cycling tests from −40°C to +125°C with 15 min dwell time at the extremes were conducted to failure for all the package types. The failure criteria were established based on the pattern of electrical resistance change. The cycles to failure were analyzed using Weibull distribution function for each type of package. Selected packages were tested in the temperature/humidity chamber under 85°C/85%RH for 1000 h. Some assembled packages were tested in vibration condition as well. In all these tests, the electrical resistance of each package under testing was monitored continuously. Test samples were also cross-sectioned and analyzed under a Scanning Electronic Microscope (SEM). Different failure mechanisms were identified for various packages. It was noted that some packages failed at the solder joints while others failed inside the package, which was packaging design and process related.     

Failure study of Sn37Pb PBGA solder joints using temperature cycling,random vibration and combined temperature cycling and random vibration tests

In this paper, the tin-lead (Sn-37wt%Pb) eutectic solder joints of plastic ball grid array (PBGA) assemblies are tested using temperature cycling, random vibrations, and combined temperature cycling and vibration loading conditions. The fatigue lives, failure modes for the solder joints and the typical locations of the failed solder joints for single-variable loading and combined loading conditions are compared and analyzed. The results show much earlier solder joint failure for combined loading than that for either temperature cycling or pure vibration loading at room temperature. The primary failure mode is cracking within the bulk solder under temperature cycling, whereas the crack propagation path is along the intermetallic compound (IMC) layer for vibration loading. The solder joints subjected to combined loading exhibit both types of failure modes observed for temperature cycling and vibration loading; in addition, cracking through the IMC and the bulk solder is observed in the combined test. For temperature cycling and vibration loading, the components in the central region of the printed circuit board (PCB) have more failed solder joints than other components, whereas for combined loading, the number of failed solder joints in the components in different locations of the PCB is approximately the same.     

振动载荷下电路板级焊点失效信号表征及分析

针对板级焊点在振动载荷下的失效问题,搭建了具有焊点电信号监测功能的振动加速失效实验平台,在定频定幅简谐振动实验的基础上,对表征信号进行分析,通过电阻信号峰值标定焊点的失效程度.实验结果表明,焊点失效初期呈现为3个阶段,每个阶段包含电阻变化的平缓区间和陡变区间.随着3个阶段的改变,焊点低阻值区间振动循环数递减,焊点高阻值区间振动循环数递增.在此基础上,以电阻均值表征焊点平均失效程度,建立了表征焊点振动疲劳寿命的多项式模型,可以描述不同阶段焊点阻值和振动循环数的关系.     

Improved reliability of copper-cored solder joints under a harsh thermal cycling condition

This study simulated the performance of Cu-cored solder joints in microelectronic components subjected to the extreme thermal cycling conditions often encountered in the automobile industry by comparing the thermal cycling behavior of Cu-cored solder joints containing two different coating layers of Sn–3.0Ag and Sn–1.0In with that of a baseline Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu solder joint under a severe temperature cycling range of ?55 to +150 °C. Both Cu-cored solder joints can be considered a potential solution to interconnects in microelectronic semiconductor packages used under harsh thermal conditions on account of their greater resistance to thermal stress caused by the severe temperature cycling than the baseline Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu solder joint.     

Ceramic packages for liquid-nitrogen operation

To evaluate their compatibility for use in a liquid-nitrogen computer, metallized ceramic packages with test chips using controlled-collapse solder (Pb-Sn) technology were cycled between 30°C and liquid-nitrogen temperature. Room-temperature electrical resistance measurements were made at regular intervals of cycles to determine whether solder failure accompanied by a significant resistance increase had occurred. For the failed solder joints characterized by the highest thermal shear strain amplitude of 3.3%, it was possible to estimate the number of liquid-nitrogen cycles needed to produce the corresponding failure rate using a room-temperature solder lifetime model. Cross-sectional examination of the failed solder joints using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis indicated solder cracking occurring at the solder-ceramic interface. Chip-pull tests on cycled packages yielded strengths far exceeding the minimal requirement. Mechanisms involving the formation of intermetallics are proposed to account for the observed solder fracture modes after liquid-nitrogen cycling and after chip pull. SEM examination of pulled chips in cycled packages found no apparent sign of cracking in quartz and polyimide for chip insulation     

Comparison of power cycling reliability of flexible PCB interconnect smaller/thinner and larger/thicker power devices with topside Sn-3.5Ag solder joints

The power cycling reliability of flexible printed circuit board (PCB) interconnect smaller/thinner (ST) 9.5 mm × 5.5 mm × 0.07 mm and larger/thicker (LT) 13.5 mm × 13.5 mm × 0.5 mm single Si diode samples have been studied. With the assumption of creep strain accumulation-induced fatigue cracking as the failure mechanism of the Sn-3.5Ag solder joints, finite element (FE) simulations predicted a higher power cycling reliability of soldering the flexible PCB on a ST Si diode than on a LT Si diode under similar power cycling conditions. Then the power cycling test results of 10 samples for each type are reported and discussed. The samples were constructed with commercially available ST Si diodes with 3.2/0.5/0.3 μm thick AlSiCu/NiP/Pd topside metallization and LT Si diodes with 5/0.1/1/1 μm thick Al/Ti/Ni/Ag topside metallization. In contradiction with the FE prediction, most ST Si diode samples were less reliable than those LT Si diode samples. This can be attributed to the fact that the failure of the ST diode samples was associated with the weak bonding and hence the shear-induced local delamination of the topside solder joints from the AlSiCu metallization, while the failure of the LT diode samples was mainly caused by the creep strain accumulation-induced fatigue cracking within the solder joints. Such results can be used to not only provide better understanding of the different failure mechanisms, but also demonstrate the importance of employing an appropriate topside metallization on the power devices.     

热循环过程中焊点残余应变的研究

采用激光云纹干涉法,测量了不同热循环规范下焊点内的残余应变分布及最后失效的的焊点内最大的累积残余应变(即累积塑性变形),结果表明:材料热膨胀系数的不匹配导致焊点中存在很大的剪切变形,而且焊点内的残余应变的分布是很不均匀的;对应于同一种焊料,不同的热循环规范下焊点失效时的累积塑性变形基本上相同,可以认为对于焊点来说,失效时的累积塑性变形是一个常数,这可以作为热循环过程中焊点失效的判据。     

Comparison of Extensive Thermal Cycling Effects on Microstructure Development in Micro-alloyed Sn-Ag-Cu Solder Joints

Pb-free solder alloys based on the Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) ternary eutectic have promise for widespread adoption across assembly conditions and operating environments, but enhanced microstructural control is needed. Micro-alloying with elements such as Zn was demonstrated for promoting a preferred solidification path and joint microstructure earlier in simple (Cu/Cu) solder joints studies for different cooling rates. This beneficial behavior now has been verified in reworked ball grid array (BGA) joints, using dissimilar SAC305 (Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu, wt.%) solder paste. After industrial assembly, BGA components joined with Sn-3.5Ag-0.74Cu-0.21Zn solder were tested in thermal cycling (−55°C/+125°C) along with baseline SAC305 BGA joints beyond 3000 cycles with continuous failure monitoring. Weibull analysis of the results demonstrated that BGA components joined with SAC + Zn/SAC305 have less joint integrity than SAC305 joints, but their lifetime is sufficient for severe applications in consumer, defense, and avionics electronic product field environments. Failure analysis of the BGA joints revealed that cracking did not deviate from the typical top area (BGA component side) of each joint, in spite of different Ag₃Sn blade content. Thus, SAC + Zn solder has not shown any advantage over SAC305 solder in these thermal cycling trials, but other characteristics of SAC + Zn solder may make it more attractive for use across the full range of harsh conditions of avionics or defense applications.     

Advanced Numerical and Experimental Techniques for Analysis of Dynamic Responses and Solder Joint Reliability During Drop Impact

Board level solder joint reliability performance during drop test is a critical concern to semiconductor and electronic product manufacturers. A new JEDEC standard for board level drop test of handheld electronic products was just released to specify the drop test procedure and conditions. However, there is no detailed information stated on dynamic responses of printed circuit board (PCB) and solder joints which are closely related to stress and strain of solder joints that affect the solder joint reliability, nor there is any simulation technique which provides good correlation with experimental measurements of dynamic responses of PCB and the resulting solder joint reliability during the entire drop impact process. In this paper, comprehensive dynamic responses of PCB and solder joints, e.g., acceleration, strains, and resistance, are measured and analyzed with a multichannel real-time electrical monitoring system, and simulated with a novel input acceleration (Input-G) method. The solder joint failure process, i.e., crack initiation, propagation, and opening, is well understood from the behavior of dynamic resistance. It is found experimentally and numerically that the mechanical shock causes multiple PCB bending or vibration which induces the solder joint fatigue failure. It is proven that the peeling stress of the critical solder joint is the dominant failure indicator by simulation, which correlates well with the observations and assumptions by experiment. Coincidence of cyclic change among dynamic resistance of solder joints, dynamic strains of PCB, and the peeling stress of the critical solder joints indicates that the solder joint crack opens and closes when the PCB bends down and up, and the critical solder joint failure is induced by cyclic peeling stress. The failure mode and location of critical solder balls predicted by modeling correlate well with experimental observation by cross section and dye penetration tests.     

大功率LED焊料层的可靠性研究

将功率循环方法应用于大功率LED焊料层的可靠性研究,对比分析了在650 mA,675 mA和700 mA电流条件下大功率LED焊料层的热阻退化情况。实验结果表明,循环达到一定次数,大功率LED热阻才开始退化,并呈线性增加,从而引起光通量下降;另外,失效循环次数与电流值之间呈线性关系,并外推出正常工作条件下焊料层寿命为90 968次。对样品进行了超声波检测(C-SAM),发现老化后LED焊料层有空洞形成,这说明空洞是引起热阻升高的主要原因。     

A reliability study of the lead-free solder connections of miniature chip components on hybrid circuits

The results of the influence of lead-free solder paste, design and process parameters on the attachment reliability of chip surface-mounted components (SMCs) on thick-film conductor pads are presented. The purpose of the investigation was to compare the quality of the soldered joints made with new solder pastes that do not contain lead with joints soldered with standard SnPb solders. The miniature zero-ohm chip resistors were soldered with selected lead-free solder pastes. The visual appearance of the solder joint according to the standards of lead-free soldered components was compared with components soldered with SnPb solders. On the test sample with soldered chip resistors connected in series, the solder-joint resistance was measured before and after temperature cycling. On the same test sample the solder-joint resistance changes were measured with impedance spectroscopy. After temperature cycling the damaged samples were analysed with SEM and EDS. The reliability test results after temperature cycling indicate two lead-free solder pastes that are the most convenient for chip-component soldering on thick-film conductor pads with the reliability of the joints being equal or better than solder joints with Pb-containing solder paste.     

Effect of silver content on thermal fatigue life of Sn-xAg-0.5Cu flip-chip interconnects

The thermal fatigue properties of Sn-xAg-0.5Cu (x=1, 2, 3, and 4 in mass%) flip-chip interconnects were investigated to study the effect of silver content on thermal fatigue endurance. The solder joints with lower silver context (x=1 and 2) had a greater failure rate compared to those with higher silver content (x=3 and 4) in thermal fatigue testing. Cracks developed in the solders near the solder/chip interface for all joints tested. This crack propagation may be mainly governed by the nature of the solders themselves because the strain-concentrated area was similar for tested alloys independent of the silver content. From the microstructural observation, the fracture was a mixed mode, transgranular and intergranular, independent of the silver content. Higher silver content alloys (x=3 and 4) had finer Sn grains before thermal cycling according to the dispersion of the Ag₃Sn intermetallic compound, and even after the cycling, they suppressed microstructural coarsening, which degrades the fatigue resistance. The fatigue endurance of the solder joints was strongly correlated to the silver content, and solder joints with higher silver content had better fatigue resistance.     

The effect of power cycling on the reliability of lead-free surfacemount assemblies

A power cycling in-test monitoring system has been constructed to test the reliability of eight different lead-free surface mount assemblies. The assemblies included SnAg3.8Cu0.7 and SnAg3.8Cu0.7X solder joints on OSP-Cu (organic solderability preservative on Cu), electroless NiAu, immersion Ag and immersion Sn board metallizations. One Pb containing assembly, Sn62PbAg2 on OSP-Cu board metallization, was included for comparison. The components on the assemblies were 1206 resistors (Sn100 metallization on the end terminals) and 100 lead QFP with gullwing leads (SnPb15 metallization). All assemblies experienced up to 5000 power cycles of ambient to 100°C with a 15 min dwell at each temperature. Solder joint reliability was evaluated by monitoring electrical resistance after each power cycle and examining mechanical strength and microstructure with number of power cycles. The 1206 resistors on four of the assemblies (one of which was the Pb containing assembly) exhibited electrical resistance increases after 4000 power cycles. All resistor samples decreased in strength by more than 70% at 5000 cycles and cracks appeared after 1000 power cycles. All gullwing lead solder joints exhibited good reliability over 5000 power cycles, with no resistance increase and no strength reduction. Small cracks appeared after 3000 power cycles     

Effect of substrate flexibility on solder joint reliability. Part II: finite element modeling

Solder joint fatigue failure is a serious reliability concern in area array technologies, such as flip chip and ball grid array packages of integrated-circuit chips. The selection of different substrate materials could affect solder joint thermal fatigue life significantly. The mechanism of substrate flexibility on improving solder joint thermal fatigue was investigated by thermal mechanical analysis (TMA) technique and finite element modeling. The reliability of solder joints in real flip chip assembly with both rigid and compliant substrates was evaluated by accelerated temperature cycling test. Finite element simulations were conducted to study the reliability of solder joints in flip chip on flex assembly (FCOF) and flip chip on rigid board assembly (FCOB) applying Anand model. Based on the finite element analysis results, the fatigue lives of solder joints were obtained by Darveaux’s crack initiation and growth model. The thermal strain/stress in solder joints of flip chip assemblies with different substrates were compared. The results of finite element analysis showed a good agreement with the experimental results. It was found that the thermal fatigue lifetime of FCOF solder joints was much longer than that of FCOB solder joints. The thermal strain/stress in solder joints could be reduced by flex buckling or bending and flex substrates could dissipate energy that otherwise would be absorbed by solder joints. It was concluded that substrate flexibility has a great effect on solder joint reliability and the reliability improvement was attributed to flex buckling or bending during temperature cycling.     

Effect of substrate flexibility on solder joint reliability

Solder joint fatigue failure is a serious reliability concern in area array technologies, such as flip chip and ball grid array packages of integrated-circuit chips. The selection of different substrate materials could affect solder joint thermal fatigue lifetime significantly. The reliability of solder joint in flip chip assembly for both rigid and compliant substrates was evaluated by accelerated temperature cycling test. Experimental results strongly showed that the thermal fatigue lifetime of solder joints in flip chip on flex assembly was much improved over that in flip chip on rigid substrate assembly. Debonding area of solder joints in flip chip on rigid board and flip chip on flex assemblies were investigated, and it was found that flex substrate could slow down solder joint crack propagation rate. The mechanism of substrate flexibility on improving solder joint thermal fatigue was investigated by thermal mechanical analysis (TMA) technique. TMA results showed that flex substrate buckles or bends during temperature cycling and this phenomenon was discussed from the point of view of mechanics of the flip chip assembly during temperature cycling process. It was indicated that the thermal strain and stress in solder joints could be reduced by flex buckling or bending and flex substrates could dissipate energy that otherwise would be absorbed by solder joints. It was concluded that substrate flexibility has a great effect on solder joint reliability and the reliability improvement was attributed to flex buckling or bending during temperature cycling.     

Microstructure and Orientation Evolution of the Sn Phase as a Function of Position in Ball Grid Arrays in Sn-Ag-Cu Solder Joints

The microstructure evolution of Sn-Ag-Cu solder joints during aging and thermal cycling is studied, with a focus on the Sn grain orientation in plastic ball grid array (PBGA) packages. Thermally cycled PBGA packages with a full array of 196 solder joints were examined after being subjected to various pre-conditions. Each PBGA package was polished to obtain plan-view cross- sections of each solder joint. Solder joints were characterized using both polarized optical microscopy and orientation imaging microscopy (OIM). The observations reveal that the distribution of single and multigrain Sn microstructure as a function of position in the package is dependent on the sample’s preconditions and thermal cycle history. Based on distribution maps from polarized optical microscopy observation, thermal aging has a relatively small impact on the overall fraction of single-grained solder joints. Thermal cycling, however, can cause many single-grained joints to transform into multigrained solder joints. The dependence of the grain structure distribution on different preconditions and evolution of the grain structures during thermal cycling are discussed.