Integrated Computational Mechanics and Optimization for Design of Electronic Components

Abstract

This paper presents detailed modeling for electronic component assembly and subsequent reliability. Physics simulation (stress/strain due to thermal load) technology combined with design optimization is used to provide details on the strategy where specified product criteria are achieved by determining suitable design parameters. This modeling approach provides predictions of model characteristics (i.e. geometry, material properties) that ensure higher reliability and improved performance of the assembled product (i.e. a mobile phone). Integrating computational mechanics modeling tools with optimization tools can reduce greatly design time and improve significantly product quality, leading to a balanced and better design achievement.

Design of electronic package is used in this paper for demonstration and discussion of the applied modeling procedure. This detail the integration approach taken between the computational mechanics code — PHYSICA, and the design optimisation tool — VisualDOC. Simulations will predict the thermal mismatch between the different materials in the assembly (i.e. silicon chip and printed circuit board) — resulting in high shear strains across the solder interconnects, and used to estimate fatigue failure indicator. Thus, the electronic component fatigue reliability is maximized by systematic and iterative changing of the optimisation model inputs (the design variables) based on system analysis output responses from the computational mechanics code. Different optimisation techniques will be tested as a part of this modeling framework to estimate the appropriate design approach.