Leading Indicators of Failure for Prognostication of Leaded and Lead-Free Electronics in Harsh Environments

Abstract

In this paper, a methodology for prognostication-of-electronics has been developed for accurate assessment of residual life in a deployed electronic components, and determination of damage-state in absence of macro-indicators of failure. Proxies for leading indicators-of-failure have been identified and correlated with damage progression under thermomechanical loads. Examples of proxies include — microstructural evolution characterized by average phase size and intermetallic growth rate in solder interconnects. Validity of damage proxies has been investigated for both 63Sn37Pb leaded and SnAgCu leadfree electronics. Structures examined include — plastic ball grid array format electronic and MEMS Packages and discrete devices assembled with FR4-06 laminates. Focus of the research presented in this paper is on interrogation of the aged material’s damage state and enhancing the understanding of damage progression. The research is aimed at development of damage relationships for determination of residual life of aged electronics and assessment of design margins instead of life prediction of new components. The prognostic indicators presented in this paper, can be used for health monitoring of electronic assemblies.

Scaled CMOS reliability and considerations for spacecraft systems: Bottom-up and top-down perspectives

“…Recent results for three different ball grid designs are shown in Figure 4 [8]. The results fit a diffusion model, and provide a better way to evaluate this particular failure mechanism compared to deep thermal cycling.…”

“…Figure 4. Increase in the buildup of intermetallic growth compounds in column grid arrays [8]. The results fit a diffusion model, and are more directly applicable to failure modes expected in conventional space applications where deep thermal cycling is not expected.…”

Space radiation effects and reliability considerations for the proposed Jupiter Europa Orbiter

“…An example of ongoing work on package reliability is work by Lall, et al, [20]. They proposed using the growth of intermetallic compounds in BGA test structures during thermal aging as a reliability indicator when limited thermal cycling is expected.…”

Advanced testing and prognostics of Ball Grid Array (BGA) components with a stand-alone monitor IC

“…The use of leading indicators of failure for prognostic indication of impending failure of electronics has been previously demonstrated [17][18][19][20], [25]. One important reason for using an in-situ solder-joint fault sensor is that stress magnitudes are difficult to derive, and even more challenging to keep track of [21].…”