We study cracking from the interface of an In60-Pb40 solder joint on a brittle GaAs die when the joint is subjected to a uniform temperature change. Our primary objective is to apply and validate a fracture initiation criterion based on critical values of the stress intensities that arise from an analysis of the asymptotic elastic stress fields at the interface corner. In some regards the approach is similar to interface fracture mechanics; however, it differs in that it is based on a singular field other than that for a crack. We begin by determining the shape that the solder bump will assume after reflow when constrained by a fixed diameter wetting pad on the GaAs. To simplify the interpretation of the results, we focus on a class of solder bumps of various sizes, but with a self-similar shape. The approach, though, can be applied to different size and shape solder bumps. We then compute the asymptotic interface corner fields when the system is subjected to a uniform temperature change. The asymptotic structure (radial and angular dependence) of the elastic fields is computed analytically, and the corresponding stress intensities that describe the scaling of the elastic fields with geometry and loading are computed by axisymmetric finite element analysis. In order to assess the validity of fracture correlation using critical stress intensities, we designed and fabricated a series of test structures consisting of In60-Pb40 solder bumps on a GaAs chip. The test structures were subjected to uniform temperature drops from room temperature to induce cracking at the interface corner. From the tests we determined the relationship between the solder bump size and the temperature change at which cracking occurred. Not unexpectedly, smaller bumps required larger temperature changes to induce cracking. The observed scaling between solder bump size and temperature change is well described by the critical stress intensity failure criterion based on only a single parameter, the critical value of the mode 1 stress intensity, Interestingly, this is because over a significant region, the mode 2 and constant terms in the asymptotic expansion cancel each other. This failure criterion provides the necessary machinery to construct failure maps in terms of geometry and thermomechanical loading. We conclude by describing how to apply the approach in more general and more practical settings that are possibly applicable to a wide range of problems in microelectronics, optoelectronics, and microelectromechanical systems packaging.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
September 2003
Technical Papers
Die Cracking at Solder (In60-Pb40) Joints on Brittle (GaAs) Chips: Fracture Correlation Using Critical Bimaterial Interface Corner Stress Intensities
Bingzhi Su,
Bingzhi Su
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309
Search for other works by this author on:
Y. C. Lee,
Y. C. Lee
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309
Search for other works by this author on:
Martin L. Dunn
Martin L. Dunn
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309
Search for other works by this author on:
Bingzhi Su
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309
Y. C. Lee
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309
Martin L. Dunn
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309
Contributed by the Electronic and Photonic Packaging Division for publication in the JOURNAL OF ELECTRONIC PACKAGING. Manuscript received May 2002. Associate Editor: Z. Suo.
J. Electron. Packag. Sep 2003, 125(3): 369-377 (9 pages)
Published Online: September 17, 2003
Article history
Received:
May 1, 2002
Online:
September 17, 2003
Citation
Su, B., Lee , Y. C., and Dunn, M. L. (September 17, 2003). "Die Cracking at Solder (In60-Pb40) Joints on Brittle (GaAs) Chips: Fracture Correlation Using Critical Bimaterial Interface Corner Stress Intensities ." ASME. J. Electron. Packag. September 2003; 125(3): 369–377. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1602702
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Cited By
Enhancing Mechanical Reliability of Silver-Sintered Joints With Copper Nanowires in High-Power Electronic Devices
J. Electron. Packag (December 2024)
Special Issue on InterPACK2023
J. Electron. Packag (December 2024)
Impact of Encapsulated Phase Change Material Additives for Improved Thermal Performance of Silicone Gel Insulation
J. Electron. Packag (December 2024)
Related Articles
Fracture Mechanics Analysis of Low Cost Solder Bumped Flip Chip Assemblies With Imperfect Underfills
J. Electron. Packag (December,2000)
Thermal Management Enhancement for GaAs Devices Using CVD Diamond Heat Spreaders in a Plastic Package Environment
J. Electron. Packag (June,2000)
Design and Analysis: Thermal Emulator Cubes for Opto-Electronic Stacked Processor
J. Electron. Packag (September,2002)
Applying Anand Model to Represent the Viscoplastic Deformation Behavior of Solder Alloys
J. Electron. Packag (September,2001)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Microwave Modules and GaAs Chips
Thermal Management of Microelectronic Equipment, Second Edition
Radiative Properties of Gaas from First Principles Calculations
Inaugural US-EU-China Thermophysics Conference-Renewable Energy 2009 (UECTC 2009 Proceedings)
Impact Testing
A Quick Guide to API 510 Certified Pressure Vessel Inspector Syllabus