Virtual thermo-mechanical prototyping of electronic packaging challenges in material characterization and modeling

This paper presents the strategy, methodology and results of virtual prototyping-based thermo-mechanical design and qualification methods, developed by Philips together with its technology partners. The results of virtual thermomechanical prototyping can be used to predict, evaluate and optimise the thermal and mechanical behavior of electronic packages against the actual packaging requirements prior to major physical prototyping and manufacturing investments. The presented results show that the development and application of the virtual prototyping method can make substantial contribution to the sustainable business profitability of the electronics industry. The industrial feasibility and added values of virtual prototyping-based thermo-mechanical design and qualification methods largely depend on, among other aspects, the advanced methodologies and technologies used to characterize and model the process dependent thermomechanical properties of packaging materials. Process dependencies are related to the production history as well as to the subsequent thermo-mechanical loading (time, temperature, stress level, geometry, damage evolution, etc.). Therefore, the present paper presents our investigation results on the state of the art, the bottlenecks and the innovative solutions for material characterization and modeling, focusing on solder and polymer materials and taking into account the needs for future electronic packages. The experimental and modeling results presented in this paper demonstrate that by integrating the proposed innovative solutions for material characterization and modeling with the virtual thermo-mechanical prototyping methods, competitive packaging development can be achieved.