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The higher stiffness of Pb-free SAC solders makes Pb-free assemblies more sensitive to drop impact. In order to be able to optimize the drop test performance, it is necessary to have better insight into the crack propagation in the Pb-free solder joints. This study combines crack-front mapping using the dye and pry method and electrical FE simulation to establish a relation between DC electrical resistance and cracked area, and hence monitor the initiation and propagation of cracks in individual solder joints as the PCB assemblies are subjected to JEDEC type mechanical shock and high speed cyclic bending. The carrier in the study is a ball grid array (BGA), a critical component family for drop impact. Combinations of solder alloys and pad finishes, SnPb on organic solderable preservative (OSP), SAC305 on electroless nickel/immersion gold (ENIG), SAC101 on OSP, and SAC101(d) on ENIG are studied regarding the failure mode and crack propagation. This paper demonstrates that, for the large majority of Pb-free solder joints, there is a negligible initiation period; cracks can start forming at the first PCB bending cycle. The presence of large cracks, especially at both sides can increase the compliance of the joint and slow down crack growth. Even if large cracks are present, the resistance increase is less than 1 m? per interconnect, which is far from the 100 ? that is often taken as a failure criterion. Brittle joints as found with SAC305 on ENIG have erratic propagation rates while ductile joints are much more predictable. Therefore, the way to optimize the drop test performance of a Pb-free BGA assembly is to prolong the crack propagation within the ductile bulk solder material.

This paper presents a comprehensive methodology to model the static temperature-humidity (TH) aging test ( 85 degC/85%RH over 1000 h) of flip chip on flex interconnections with nonconductive adhesives (NCAs). NCAs, being a special form of conductive adhesives, are chosen, as they allow bringing the pitch further down. The methodology combines experimental techniques for material characterization, finite element modeling (FEM), and model validation. A NCA has been characterized using several techniques. The thermomechanical properties and the moisture absorption properties were obtained for the NCA. A temperature dependent viscoelastic constitutive model was also obtained for the NCA. The viscoelastic model was defined by the Prony series expansion. The shift factor was approximated by the Williams-Landel-Ferry (WLF) equation. Finite element modeling has been performed to analyze the flip chip interconnects on flex with the NCA under process condition and reliability aging conditions. The viscoelastic constitutive relation has been used to model the NCA in aging modeling. An integrated process-aging modeling methodology has been developed to combine the thermo-mechanical stress and hygro-mechanical stress, followed by stress relaxation analysis. To verify the finite element models, static TH aging tests (85 deg C/85%RH) were also performed. The contact resistance was monitored with high measuring resolution during the accelerated test. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results. The approach developed in this paper can be used to provide guidelines with respect to adhesive material properties, assembly process parameters to achieve good reliability performance.