Hisashi Tanie

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

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.Copyright

Substrate temperature control for the formation of metal nanohelices by glancing angle deposition

The targets of this study are to develop a device to precisely control the temperature during glancing angle deposition, to make films consisting of low melting temperature metal nanoelements with a controlled shape (helix), and to explore the substrate temperature for controlling the nanoshapes. A vacuum evaporation system capable of both cooling a substrate and measurement of its temperature was used to form thin films consisting of arrays of Cu and Al nanohelices on silicon substrates by maintaining the substrate temperature at Ts/Tm < 0.22 (Ts is the substrate temperature and Tm is the melting temperature of target material). The critical Ts/Tm to produce Cu and Al nanohelices corresponds to the transitional homologous temperature between zones I and II in the structure zone model for the solid film, where surface diffusion becomes dominant. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the Cu and Al nanohelix thin films were composed of coarse oriented grains with diameters of several tens of nanometers.

Warpage variations of Si/solder/OFHC-Cu layered plates subjected to cyclic thermal loading

Abstract Warpage variations of Si/solder/OFHC-Cu layered plates under cyclic thermal loading were investigated as a fundamental subject for inverter power modules. Two different solders, fully annealed and as-received OFHC-Cu plates, and three thickness ratios of the Si and Cu layers were used for the layered plates tested. It was experimentally observed that the initial warpage induced by soldering either grew or recovered with an increase in the number of temperature cycles: the cyclic growth of warpage occurred when the OFHC-Cu layer was fully annealed before soldering and was relatively thick. By performing 3D finite element analysis using available material data, it was then shown that the observed cyclic growth/recovery of warpage can be simulated well if an appropriate constitutive model is employed for the cyclic plastic behavior of OFHC-Cu plates.

Warpage Variation Analysis of Si/Solder/Cu Layered Plates Subjected to Cyclic Thermal Loading

In cyclic thermal tests of Si/solder/OFHC-Cu (silicon/solder/oxygen-free high conductivity copper)-layered plates, the authors observed either the cyclic growth or cyclic recovery of warpage to occur depending on the heat treatment of the copper before soldering. In this study, the test results are numerically analyzed by assuming three material models for the solder and two material models for the copper. It is shown that the test results are reproduced well if proper material models are used in finite element analysis. It is revealed that the so-called multiaxial ratcheting was induced in the solder, while the uniaxial type of ratcheting or cyclic strain recovery occurred in the copper. As a result, the Armstrong and Frederick model is suggested to be valid for the multiaxial ratcheting in the solder at such low strain rates as in the cyclic thermal tests, whereas the Ohno and Wang model is shown to be appropriate for the copper. To confirm this unexpected result for the solder, the Armstrong and Frederick model is applied to the multiaxial ratcheting of another solder at three strain rates.

Thermal Ratcheting of Solder-Bonded Layered Plates

The cyclic growth and recovery of warpage were observed in experiments on Si/solder/Cu layered plates subjected to cyclic thermal loading [1]. In the present study, the experiments were analyzed using representative material models for the solder and Cu layers in finite element analysis. The warpage growth/recovery behavior observed was reproduced well in the analysis using the Armstrong-Frederick and Ohno-Wang models for the solder and Cu layers, respectively. Material ratcheting due to non-proportional cyclic loading was found to happen in the solder layer as a consequence of the CTE mismatch, while material ratcheting due to proportional cyclic loading occurred in the Cu layer as a result of the significant temperature dependence of viscoplasticity in the solder layer.

Electromigration in Copper-Core Solder Ball Joints During Thermal Cycle Tests

Electromigration current densities in Cu and Al lines on a silicon die exceed 1.0 × 106 A/cm2 . However, solder joints can only withstand electromigration current densities below about 1.0 × 104 A/cm2 . Thus, electromigration in solder joints will become a problem in semiconductor packages in the near future. Previous studies demonstrated that Cu-core solder balls increased the electromigration lifetime and led to better current stability at temperatures below 423K. This is because electrons flow through the Cu cores, reducing the current density on the cathode side, which is where electromigration occurs. In the present study, we forcused on the reliability of solder joints in a combined environment by examining the effect of thermal cycle tests on the current in a new test sample. A new test sample for the evaluation of joining reliability by using Cu-core solder balls in a combined enbironment was made. In initial tests, this test sample exhibited similar results to those observed in previous studies. Cu-core solder balls subjected to cyclic testing at 233/398K and a current density of 1.0 × 104 A/cm2 exhibited lower reliabilities than when there was no current. Examination of cross-sections of the solder balls after reliability testing revealed that the combined environment accelerated growth of intermetallic compounds and cracks in the joining region. In a combined environment, Cu-core balls were converted into intermetallic compounds on the anode side. This phenomenon is thought to occur due to the different electrical resistivities of Cu-Sn intermetallic compounds.Copyright

Development of Highly Reliable BGA and Flip-Chip Structures by Using Cu-Cored Solder Ball

A Cu-cored solder joint is a micro-joint structure in which a Cu sphere is encased in solder. It results in a more accurate height and has low thermal and electrical resistance. In a previous paper, we examined the thermal fatigue life of a Cu-cored solder ball grid array (BGA) joint through actual measurements and crack propagation analysis. As a result, we found that the thermal fatigue life of a Cu-cored solder BGA joint is about twice as long as that of a conventional joint. In this paper, we describe the impact strength of a Cu-cored solder BGA joint determined by conducting an impact bending test. This test is a technique to measure the impact strength of a micro-solder joint. This method was developed by Yaguchi et al., and they confirmed that it is an easier and more accurate method of measuring impact strength than the board level drop test. First, we simulated the impact bending test by finite element analysis (FEA) and calculated solder strains of both Cu-cored solder joints and conventional joints. The results indicated that the maximum solder strain of a Cu-cored solder joint during the impact bending test was slightly smaller than that of a conventional joint. The solder volume of the Cu-cored solder joint was also smaller than that of a conventional joint. On the other hand, joint stiffness of the Cu-cored solder joint was larger than in a conventional joint. The former increases the solder strain of the Cu-cored solder joint, and the latter decreases it. By balancing these phenomena, it is possible to obtain a maximum solder strain in the Cu-cored solder joint that is slightly smaller than in a conventional joint. Based on these phenomena, the impact strength of the Cu-cored solder joint is predicted to be the same as or higher than that of a conventional joint. Therefore, we measured the impact strengths of a Cu-cored solder joint and a conventional joint using the impact bending test. As a result, we confirmed that the impact strength of the Cu-cored solder joint was the same as or higher than that of a conventional joint. Accordingly, a Cu-cored solder BGA joint is a micro-joint structure that makes it possible to improve thermal fatigue life without decreasing impact strength. Moreover, we investigated whether the use of Cu-cored solder in a flip-chip (FC) joint improved its reliability. As a result, we found that the stress of an insulating layer on a Si die surface was reduced by using a Cu-cored solder FC joint. This is because bending deformation of the Cu land occurs, and the difference in thermal deformation between the Si chip and the Cu land becomes small. Accordingly, the Cu-cored solder FC joint is a suitable structure for improving reliability of a low-strength insulating layer.Copyright

An improved model for predicting fatigue-crack propagation behaviors in multiple solder bumps on a BGA package

A previously developed model for predicting the behavior of fatigue crack propagation in a solder bump on a BGA package has now been improved by switching to the use of a commercial structural analysis code, ADVENTURECluster, which supports large-scale nonlinear finite-element analysis based on parallel processing and the implicit method. The improved model can predict fatigue-crack-propagation behavior in dozens of solder joints in one analysis. The results of testing this improved “modified accumulated damage model” were in good agreement with experimental results, indicating that the improved model can accurately predict the behavior of fatigue crack propagation in multiple solder bumps and predict the fatigue life of each solder bump on a BGA package.

Electromigration failure analysis of flip-chip solder joint by using void growth simulation and synchrotron radiation X-ray microtomography

Electromigration (EM) failures of flip-chip solder joints due to void growth, resulting from miniaturization of joint structure, have recently been reported. In addition, growth behavior of electromigration voids in solder joints has not been clarified. It is therefore difficult to predict electromigration failure life. A novel method for simulating growth behavior of an electromigration void in a solder joint was developed. This method was applied to predict failure lives of a conventional solder joint and a copper-cored solder joint. According to the simulation results, the failure life of the copper-cored solder joint is more than three times longer than that of the conventional joint. Moreover, failure life of each joint was measured by electromigration test, and the void shape was observed by synchrotron-radiation X-ray microtomography provided at SPring-8. The good agreement between the predicted growth behaviors and the measured and observed behaviors demonstrate the validity of the developed simulation method.

Effect of Heat Generation on Fatigue-Crack Propagation of Solder in Power Devices

Power devices are used in inverters in a variety of electrical equipment, for instance, hybrid-power cars, electric vehicles, and generators. These types of equipment are used to decrease the negative impact on the environment, and thus, the power devices need to function effectively as electric power converters for the long-term stability of the equipment. In short, the long-term reliability, i.e., the life, of the power device is important, and a high level of reliability is required. In the development process of power devices, it is necessary to conduct thermal fatigue tests to evaluate the reliability. However, such tests are extended over a long period of time, which makes it difficult to shorten the development period. Therefore, a simulation technique needs to be developed to forecast the life of a thermal fatigue test in order to reduce the development period. During the thermal fatigue test, thermal stress is caused by differences in the line expansion coefficient between solder joint materials. Thermal stress causes crack generation and propagation in solder. The thermal resistance of a device increases steadily as the cracks grow. This raises the temperature of the device and increases thermal stress. As a result, crack propagation is accelerated. However, conventional crack propagation analysis does not take this phenomenon into account. We developed a method of crack propagation analysis that takes into account the changes in thermal and electrical boundary conditions resulting from the crack propagation. The method is a combination of electrical conduction analysis, heat transfer analysis, and crack propagation analysis. The boundary condition of the heat transfer analysis is determined from the results of the electrical conduction analysis. The boundary condition of the crack propagation analysis is determined from the results of the heat transfer analysis. The crack propagation behavior in solder is calculated by repeating these analyses. This method reproduces the drastic increase in thermal resistance in the latter part of the thermal fatigue test, and the results agree well with the experimental results. We confirmed that the temperature distribution of the device changes as the crack propagates and that thermal and electrical coupled analysis has a major effect on the prediction of fatigue life of power device products. We also revealed that the thermal fatigue life is affected by the position of the heat source and cracks.© 2011 ASME