A New Method for Evaluating Fatigue Life of Micro-Solder Joints in Semiconductor Structures

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hisashi Tanie ◽  
Takeshi Terasaki ◽  
Yasuhiro Naka
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Crack Propagation ◽  
Solder Joints ◽  
Crack Path ◽  
New Method ◽  
Semiconductor Structures ◽  
Element Size ◽  
Solder Mask ◽  
Conventional Methods ◽  
Crack Paths

Conventionally, the fatigue life of solder joints in semiconductor structures is estimated using Coffin-Manson’s law. However, as the structures have become miniaturized or thinner, accurately estimate fatigue life has become difficult using conventional methods. This is because the fatigue life is strongly affected by crack propagation in miniaturized or thinner joints, and the conventional methods cannot evaluate this phenomenon well. We have therefore developed a new method for evaluating fatigue life that takes into account the influence of crack propagation in micro-solder joints. In micro-solder joints, a solder crack path might propagate not only at the solder and land interface itself, but also near the interface. Many crack-propagation have been proposed, but a model that can reproduce a crack path has yet to be proposed. The fatigue life of a solder in our crack-propagation model is evaluated based on the damage that accumulates during crack propagation, and the crack paths are automatically calculated. Using this model, we analyzed the crack path of a ball grid array (BGA) structure, and we determined that the model could reproduce the above-mentioned characteristic crack paths. When the fatigue life is calculated using a finite element method, one of the most difficult issues is correcting for the effect of element size. We determined the calculated life dependency on element size, and we developed a formula for approximating this dependency in the proposed model. We then used this formula to calculate the fatigue life of three different size BGA solder joints that were subjected to mechanical fatigue testing. The calculated lives were found to correspond with the measured lives. Furthermore, we applied this method to evaluate the differences in the fatigue life of a solder-mask-defined (SMD) structure and a non-solder-mask-defined (NSMD) structure. Both are typical structures of BGA solder joints. We determined that the fatigue life of the NSMD structure was longer than that of the SMD structure. The main cause for this difference is that the crack-propagation life of the NSMD structure was longer than that of the SMD structure, even though the crack-initiation lives of both structures were the same.

Damage Path Simulation of Solder Joints in QFP

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minoru Mukai ◽  
Kenji Hirohata ◽  
Hiroyuki Takahashi ◽  
Takashi Kawakami ◽  
Kuniaki Takahashi
Keyword(s):  
Crack Propagation ◽  
Present Method ◽  
Printed Circuit Board ◽  
Solder Joints ◽  
Fatigue Cracks ◽  
New Method ◽  
Circuit Board ◽  
Crack Model ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Electronic Package

Fatigue life prediction of solder joints is one of the most important areas of research in the development of reliable electronic packages. Recent trends in electronic package development indicate a shift toward smaller solder joints and larger package sizes, and temperature changes under field conditions are also becoming greater. Since reliability design of solder joints has become severer, the estimation of the crack propagation is becoming important like the estimation of the crack initiation. In the present study, a new method of estimating the crack propagation, which is based on finite element analysis without geometrical crack model, was examined, in order to ensure suitability for practical use in electronic package design. On the basis of a damage model assumed for Sn-37Pb solder, the new method called ‘damage path simulation’ was verified for solder joints in QFP (Quad Flat Package). In the case of solder joints of the gull-wing type, fatigue cracks are commonly initiated from the upper surface of the solder fillet, and propagated in the vicinity of the interface with the outer lead. It was clear that the extension of the damage path showed good agreement with the behavior of crack propagation observed in the actual thermal cycle tests. Damage path extension from a pointed end of outer lead is also simulated simultaneously with that from the upper surface of the solder fillet, and both damage paths were finally combined at a gap between outer lead and printed circuit board. The advantage of the present method is especially evident when the fatigue cracks were initiated from two or more regions. From the results of this study, it was concluded that the estimation of the crack propagation in solder joints based on the present method is satisfactory for engineering purposes.

Effect of Micro Structure on Fatigue Characteristics of Lead Free Solder Joints

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takahiro Akutsu ◽  
Qiang Yu
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Fatigue Crack ◽  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Solder Joint ◽  
Crack Propagation ◽  
Solder Joints ◽  
Lead Free ◽  
Lead Free Solder ◽  
Micro Structure ◽  
Free Solder

This paper presents the influence of the micro structure on the crack propagation in lead free solder joint. The author’s group have studied the Manson-Coffin’s law for lead free solder joint by using the isothermal fatigue test and FEM analytical approaches to establish the practicable evaluation of thermal fatigue life of solder joints, for example, for the Sn-Cu-Ni solder, because this solder is attracted from the aspect of the decrease of solder leach in the flow process and material cost. However, even if the same loading is given to the solder joints of BGA test piece, there was a large dispersion in the fatigue life. Even though the effect of the shape difference has been considered, the range of the dispersion could not been explained sufficiently. In the study, the fatigue crack propagation modes in the solder joints were investigated, and an internal fatigue crack mode and an interfacial fatigue crack mode were confirmed. And the tendency of a shorter on fatigue life in the interfacial fatigue mode was confirmed. To clarify the mechanism of these fatigue crack modes, the crystal grain size in the solder joints was investigated before the fatigue test and also after the test. Furthermore, the verification of the mechanism using FEM models considering the crystal grain size was carried out. First of all, each element in FEM models matching to the average crystal grain size was made. Second, the inelastic strain ranges in each FEM models were studied. As a result, it was shown that the influence of the crude density of the crystal grain to the fatigue crack progress can be evaluated. In addition, the micro structure of the solder joint of large-scale electronic devices is observed, and FEM model was made based on the observation result. As a result, it was shown that the influence of the directionality with the crystal grain to the fatigue crack progress can be evaluated.

Cleavage Crack Path Prediction in a PWR Vessel Steel

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyu Yang ◽  
Stéphane Marie ◽  
Clémentine Jacquemoud
Keyword(s):  
Crack Propagation ◽  
Crack Path ◽  
Cleavage Crack ◽  
Extended Finite Element ◽  
Vessel Steel ◽  
Stress Criterion ◽  
Statistical Effect ◽  
Path Prediction ◽  
Crack Paths ◽  
Crack Path Prediction

Cleavage crack propagation has been tested for three different geometries of Compact Tensile (CT) specimens: CT25, CT50 and extended CT25 (CT25 with CT50 width) (Figure 3). The experimental results show that the crack paths are straight for CT25 and CT50, but they are unstable and curved for extended CT specimens (Figure 5 to 7). Numerical computation had been performed by extended finite element method (XFEM) in CAST3M software. 2D modeling was used in order to predict the crack path. The analysis was based on a local non-linear dynamic approach with a RKR fracture stress criterion depending on temperature and strain rate. In order to simulate the curvature of the cracks path, a statistical effect was introduced in the model to take into account the spatial distribution of cleavage initiators, which is the characteristic of cleavage fracture. At each step of propagation during the modeling, the direction was randomly chosen, according to a uniform defects distribution. The numerical results show a good agreement with experience. The different crack paths were curved in extended CT25, but remained almost straight in CT25 and CT50 specimens, despite of the instability introduced in the modeling in the propagation direction. These results show that the statistics of micro-defects can induce, jointly with the geometry of specimen, a large scatter of crack propagation paths.

Degenerated graphite nodules influence on fatigue crack paths in a ferritic ductile cast iron

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Iacoviello ◽  
Vittorio Di Cocco
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Crack ◽  
Crack Propagation ◽  
Fatigue Crack Propagation ◽  
Crack Path ◽  
Annealing Treatment ◽  
Ductile Cast Iron ◽  
Propagation Resistance ◽  
Crack Propagation Resistance ◽  
Crack Paths ◽  
Scanning Electron

Focusing on ferritic-pearlitic DCIs, these alloys are characterized by a microstructure that ranges from a fully ferritic to a completely pearlitic matrix, and they are widely used for many applications (e.g. wheels, gears, crankshafts in cars, exhaust manifolds, valves, flywheels, boxes bearings, hubs, shafts, valves, flanges, pipelines ...). Considering the graphite elements, their morphology can be considered as degenerated when its nodularity is too low and this can be due to different causes (e.g., a partially failed nodularization process or a wrong inoculant). In this work, a ferritic DCI with degenerated nodules was obtained by means of an annealing treatment and the fatigue crack propagation resistance was investigated by means of fatigue crack propagation tests performed according to ASTM E647, focusing on the influence of degenerated graphite nodules on the fatigue crack paths. This analysis was performed both analysing the crack path profile by means of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and by means of a SEM fracture surfaces analysis.

Modeling of Fatigue Crack Propagation During Sliding Wear of Polymers

2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyanoush Sadeghipour ◽  
George Baran ◽  
Hanqing Zhang ◽  
Wei Wu
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Crack Propagation ◽  
Branch Point ◽  
Crack Path ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Polymer Materials ◽  
Vertical Crack ◽  
Fatigue Wear ◽  
Paris Law ◽  
Straight Line

The propagation of a crack initiating at the surface was analyzed to simulate the fatigue wear behavior of glassy polymer materials. A crack in a material half plane was assumed to propagate along a predefined path as a result of contact loading by a cylinder sliding on the polymer surface. The crack path consisted of a vertical straight-line segment and a declined straight line originating at a branch point on the vertical crack segment. The stress intensity factors KI and KII along the crack path were computed by using finite element methods, and their values utilized in the Paris law to determine crack propagation rates. Because this process simulates surface pitting, component fatigue life is assumed to be proportional to the time needed for the propagating declined crack to intersect a neighboring vertical crack, a condition known to lead to pitting. This fatigue life is estimated by integrating the Paris law. Numerical results show that the branch point where the declined crack path originates can effectively hinder crack propagation, and that the rate limiting step in fatigue is crack propagation along a small segment of the declined crack near the branch point. Some important factors that affect the reliability of numerically predicted fatigue life cycles are discussed. Experimental crack propagation paths and lifetimes are shown.

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