Development in Optical Methods for Reliability Analysis in Electronic Packaging Applications

Abstract

The mechanical analysis of electronic packaging has significant impact on the system reliability of an electronic device, and, therefore, is critical in packaging design and manufacturing. The main concerns of the mechanical analysis are the thermal strain/stress, interfacial failures, and the fatigue life of components and interconnections. As electronic technology advances, electronic packages are becoming smaller and smaller. Strain/stress concentrations are frequently localized in very tiny zones with high magnitudes. Determinations of thermal strain/stress and predictions of failure and reliability become more and more difficult. Recently, advanced optical techniques have been developed for electronic packaging analysis and have accomplished many tasks that could not be accomplished by conventional experimental methods. Optical techniques have been used for experimental stress/strain analysis, on-line inspections, simulation validations, and hybrid methods in many packaging areas. In this paper, recent developments in optical techniques are discussed. Several techniques are demonstrated by applications that are directly related to new electronic product development. The examples show the results and impact of using these optical techniques in the electronics industry to assist in product designs, qualifications, reliability improvements, and cycle time reductions.