Advanced virtual testing of structural integrity in microelectronic assemblies

This work presents some recent progresses in reliability assessment of electronic assemblies in automotive industry and shows how coupled numerical-experimental techniques can help us save time and reduce the cost of IC package qualification. In order to fulfill the continuous trends in miniaturization of the electronic devices together with the demands to shorten the time-to-market, it is essential to use virtual qualification methods with the simulation tools. One of the main concerns in electronic packages is their structural integrity during the fabrication, surface mount process, and service life. A prominent example of failure in electronic assemblies is the interface delamination between two dissimilar materials. This failure mode is accelerated when the polymeric materials absorb moisture from humid environments. Moisture results in degradation of the physical properties of polymers, induces additional deformation due to hygroscopic swelling, and more importantly, degrades the adhesion strength of the polymer to metal joints. This work provides conceptual understandings of the problem of moisture-driven interface delamination in plastic encapsulated microcircuits. In addition, it is shown how the developed method can enhance the material selection in order to improve the delamination resistance in the package and preserve the structural integrity.