Smeared-Property Models for Shock-Impact Reliability of Area-Array Packages

Abstract

Portable electronics is subjected to extreme accelerations in shock and drop impact. Product development cycle times and the cost constraints often restrict the number of design variations tested for drop robustness prior to identification of the final configuration. Simulation models capable of predicting transient dynamics can provide valuable insight into the design reliability under shock environments. In this study, explicit finite-element models have been used to study the transient dynamics of printed circuit boards during drop from 6ft. Methodologies for modeling components using smeared-property formulations have been investigated. Reduced integration element formulations examined include shell and solid elements. Model predictions have been validated with experimental data. Results show that models with smeared properties can predict transient-dynamic response of board assemblies in drop impact fairly accurately. High-speed data acquisition system has been used to capture in situ strain, continuity, and acceleration data in excess of 1×106samples∕s. Ultra-high-speed video at 40,000fps has been used to capture the deformation kinematics. Component types examined include plastic ball-grid arrays, tape-array ball-grid array, quad-flat-no-lead package, and conduction-cooled ball-grid array. Model predictions have been correlated with experimental data. Impact of experimental error sources on model correlation with experiments has been also investigated