Prognostic health monitoring for a micro-coil spring interconnect subjected to drop impacts

In an effort to meet reliability requirements for long term human presence in space without the need for resupply, a new interconnect for grid array packages has been developed. The interconnect utilizes beryllium copper springs which are 0.05 inches in height as interconnects between the package and PCB. These novel interconnects are known as micro coil springs (MCS). The configuration is approximately the same height as copper column interconnects, but has increased compliance compared to traditional column interconnects. Because the interconnect is still in the design stage, the feasibility of integrating prognostic health management capability into the interconnect is being studied. Failure prognostics, or the prediction of impending failure for individual components, would help ensure the reliability of systems deployed on long duration space missions and provide warnings of potential failure with adequate time to formulate contingency plans. Prognostic monitoring circuitry, prediction algorithms, and performance validation are discussed for micro coil packages subjected to JDEC standard drop testing.