A shape optimal design methodology for packaging design

Shape optimal design methodology has been used as a design tool in the automotive and aerospace industries for quite some time now. In the present work the hybrid natural shape optimal design approach is used along with a nonlinear programming (NLP) technique to find the optimal shapes of electronic packaging components. The design problems are formulated as min-max problems and linear and materially nonlinear finite element analyses provide the function values. The applicability of the developed methodology is illustrated using a design example that deals with the packaging design of a plastic pad array carrier digital package. The results indicate that the methodology can be used either as an effective way of evaluating different design alternatives or refining existing designs.