Electronic packages are multimaterial structures. Their reliability is a major concern for the electronic industry and therefore widely studied. Apart from the electrical performance, the mechanical stability also needs attention. A dreaded failure cause is delamination. Therefore it is interesting to have a modeling tool, which can provide information on possible delamination risks. In this paper, a short overview of existing appropriate analyzing techniques is presented, focusing on the fracture-mechanics approach. The implementation of the method using energy release rate components is discussed. However, as in all modeling applications, the need for “critical material data” is also at hand. Therefore, the shear test is demonstrated to serve as a characterization tool. The Si-BCB interface is applied as test-case. In order to obtain the critical material data for this interface, a set of experiments is designed and performed. Due to the brittle failure observed in the experiments, only information about the onset of the delamination is obtained, leading to a crack extension locus. By comparing the experimental results and the numerical finite element results, an estimation on this crack extension locus (in the $G1-G2$ plane) can be made. This information can be used in later calculations on the reliability of components including Si-BCB interfaces.

1.
Beyne
,
E.
,
Van Hoof
,
R.
, and
Achen
,
A.
, 1995, “
The Use of BCB and Photo-BCB Dielectrics in MCM-D for High Speed Digital and Microwave Applications
,”
International Conference and Exhibition on Multichip Modules
, Denver, CO.
2.
Garrou
,
P. E.
,
Rogers
,
W. B.
,
Scheck
,
D. M.
,
Strandjord
,
A. J. G.
,
Ida
,
Y.
, and
Ohba
,
K. M.
, 1999, “
Stress-Buffer and Passivation Processes for Si and GaAs IC's and Passive Components Using Photosensitive BCB: Process Technology and Reliability Data
,”
1521-3323,
22
(
3
), pp.
487
498
.
3.
Hertzberg
,
R. W.
, 1996,
Deformation and Fracture Mechanics of Engineering Materials
,
4th ed.
,
Wiley
,
New York
.
4.
Gdoutos
,
E. E.
, 2005,
Fracture Mechanics, An Introduction
,
2nd ed.
,
Springer
,
Dordrecht, The Netherlands
.
5.
Perez
,
N.
, 2004,
Fracture Mechanics
,
Kluwer
,
Boston
.
6.
Broek
,
D.
, 1982,
Elementary Engineering Fracture Mechanics
,
Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
,
Dordrecht, The Netherlands
.
7.
Hutchinson
,
J. W.
, and
Suo
,
Z.
, 1992, “
Mixed Mode Cracking in Layered Materials
,”
0065-2156,
29
, pp.
63
191
.
8.
Rice
,
J. R.
, 1988, “
‘Elastic Fracture Mechanics Concepts for Interfacial Cracks
,”
ASME J. Appl. Mech.
0021-8936,
55
, pp.
98
103
.
9.
Toya
,
M.
, 1992, “
On Mode I and Mode II Energy Release Rates of an Interface Crack
,”
Int. J. Fract.
0376-9429,
56
, pp.
345
352
.
10.
Schammler
,
G.
,
Buschick
,
K.
,
Hahn
,
R.
, and
Reichl
,
H.
, 1997, “
Shear Test for Adhesion Measurement of Small Structures
,”
IRW
Final Report No. IRWS 1996.583379, pp.
31
36
.
11.
Leifer
,
J.
,
,
G. Y.
, and
Busch-Vishniac
,
I. J.
, 1995, “
Finite Element Simulation of a Nondestructive Shear Test for TAB Bonds
,”
IEEE Trans. Semicond. Manuf.
0894-6507,
8
, pp.
352
359
.