PB-FREE_EFFECT OF IM · Reliability study of fine-pitch area-array Pb-free solder joints for advanced electronic packaging effect of inter-metallic compounds
FP6 — Marie Curie Actions (Human Resources and Mobility)
- Duration
- 2006-07-01 → 2008-06-30
- EU contribution
- €169,365
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- IIF
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Results in brief
Final Activity Report Summary - PB-FREE_EFFECT OF IM (Reliability study of fine-pitch area-array Pb-free solder joints for advanced electronic packaging - effect of intermetallic compounds)
This research project investigated digital tools to predict the reliability of environmentally friendly electronics that addressed the new European legislation, such as the reduction of hazardous substances (RoHS) and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) Directives. There were concerns by electronics companies worldwide that the adoption of green materials in electronics would severely reduce products' reliability. The development of computer modelling tools, as proposed by this Marie-Curie project, would help companies to identify possible problems at the very early design stage of product development. The principal achievements that were realised during the project included: 1. development of computer-based models of lead-free solder joints that connected a semiconductor package to a printed circuit board; 2. ability to predict how cracks grew through the solder joint interface capturing material microstructural effects such as intermetallics; 3. dissemination of this work at key international conferences in both Europe and the Far East and publications in archival journals.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The demand for Pb-free solders in a green environment and the increasing requirements to miniaturize electronic goods are the two most critical considerations in the global electronics market. Such a two-fold critical requirement possesses a reliability t hreat in the selection of proper materials and processes as a state-of-the-art requirement of the electronics industries. Although many studies of Pb-free soldering have been performed recently, most of them are related to Surface Mount Technology(SMT) com ponents. In the case of SMT components, although a good joint reliability has been shown in most Pb-free solder joints, similar reliability is not expected in the area-array solder joints used for the Flip Chip(FC) and Ball Grid Array(BGA) packages. These solder joints, because of their tiny contact area and the limited volume of solder alloy, operate under more stressed conditions during mechanical/thermal shock loading. In particular, intermetallic compound (IMC) formation during soldering and subsequent aging (at the time of device operation) as well as higher tensile strength and lower elongation to failure of Pb-free solder than conventional Sn-Pb solder is likely to lead to easy crack initiation and propagation along the solder-IMC interface, which is a serious concern for electronic packaging scientists and engineers at this moment. The key objectives of the proposed project are as follows: a.To develop a finite element model capturing microstructural characteristics of area-array Pb-free solder joi nts where IMC volume is relatively higher. b.To establish a theoretical model to predict the reliability of a Pb-free solder joint. c.To understand the failure mechanisms of tiny Pb-free solder joints with the variation of the IMC characteristics. Along with the mathematical modeling, an experimental study will also be conducted. In this project, the researcher will gain training in computational mechanics and the use of finite element technology.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH · GREENWICH, LONDONCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union