- Email: [email protected]
Photoelastic techniques reveal endangered component terminals on printed circuit boards of epoxy resin
Microelectronic.s and Reliability, Vol, 16, pp. l l l to 123. Pergamon Press, 1977. Printed in Great Britain
WORLD
ABSTRACTS ON MICROELECTRONICS RELIABILITY
AND
The abstracts below are given in reasonable detail where necessary so that an appreciation can be made of the coverage of the article. They are probably the most comprehensive detailed abstracts published in these two fields and in general are all of articles published within the last 12 months. They are classified into the following sections. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Reliability--General. Reliability of Components, Tubes, Transistors and ICs. Circuit and Systems Reliability, Maintenance and Redundancy. Microelect r onics--Gener al. Microelectronics Design and Construction. Microelectronics--Components, Systems and Equipments. Semiconductor Integrated Circuits, Devices and Materials. Thick- and Thin-Film Components, Hybrid Circuits and Materials. Electron, Ion and Laser Beam Techniques.
1. RELIABILITY--GENERAL Basic integrated circuit failure analysis techniques. DALE PLATTETER. Proc. IEEE Reliab. Phys. p. 248 (April 1976). This tutorial is a review of several basic analytical techniques used to perform failure analysis on integrated circuits. Included are methods for failure verification, package opening, and electrical die probing. "Secrets" for obtaining ac measurements above 1 MHz are discussed along with techniques of microsurgery for isolation of integrated components. A detailed presentation of the metallurgical technique of angle lapping is included along with an error correction scheme to aid in precise junction depth
measurements. Chemical formulas for staining silicon and selectively removing silicon oxides and metallization are revealed. General method for incipient failure detection. DAVID HORWlTZ. IEEE Trans. Reliab. R-25, (5) 299 (Dec. 1976). This paper reviews the highlights of some previous work in the field of Incipient Failure Detection and proposes development of general methodology for furthering the state-ofthe-art. Examples are presented as early application of the technique.
2. RELIABILITY OF COMPONENTS, TUBES, TRANSISTORS AND ICs Pbotoelastic techniques reveal endangered component terminals on printed circuit boards of epoxy resin. R. FEIERTAG. Feinwk-Tech. Messtechnik 84, (7) 326 (1976). (In German.) The deformation of printed circuit boards made of glass fiber-reinforced epoxy resin results in photoelastic activity. Whereas the flexion and torsion of the entire board can be only slightly recognized in polarized light, local stress changes developed between the woven glass fibers and the matrix as a result of soldering temperatures become very distinctly apparent. This permits, above all, of a detection of overheated portions of the circuit board. Such overheated portions are often a cause of failures due to a detaching and breakage of conductors. The failure tracers• ROGER ALLAN. IEEE Spectrum p. 33 (Oct. 1976). In the early 1970s, the Lockheed Missile and Space Company rejected 68,000 of the 106,000 integrated circuits delivered to it by vendors. Faults included surface defects, wire-bond failures, conductive foreign particles and testing deficiencies. And earlier this year, the U.S. Navy experienced numerous failures of a computer system containing inoperative IC shift registers. These are just two examples demonstrating that, despite ever-increasing levels of reliability (failure rates of 0.001 percent per 1000 hours, or one device failure in 100,000!) some degree of failure is a way of life in the semiconductor device field--and the penalties paid by users are becoming more and more severe due to increasing application complexities. Thermal characterization of multilayer interconnection boards. R. N. WILD. Proc. lnternepcon, p. 43 (Oct. 1975). This study was conducted to better understand the effects
of different thermal environments on the reliability of plated-through holes (PTHs) in Multilayer Interconnection Boards (MIBs). This study included tests to determine limits and failure points in different type thermal shock and soldering environments. In addition to determining the reliability difference between solder-filled and unfilled PTHs in a very severe thermal cycling environment. A brief outline of this study is as follows: Effects of Thermal Shock Testing Effects of Severe Thermal Cycling With: No Solder in PTHs Solder-Filled PTHs Pin in PTHs Effects of Production Type Soldering Failure Modes Thermal Design Considerations. New failure analysis techniques for beam lead and multilevel metal integrated circuits. JOHN SPA~O. Proc. 1EEE Reliab. Phys. p. 279 (April 1976). The ultra-sonic probe was invented to go where conventional probes could never go and to do what conventional probes could never do. Special problems related to "isolation cutting" of titaniumplatinum-gold interconnects are essentially eliminated. Electrical node probing through deep insulation glass on multi-level metal I/C's is now possible. In addition, the ultra-sonic probe makes possible a new, fast and accurate technique for measuring oxide thickness over selected circuit components. Isolation cutting, electrical node probing and glass thickness measurements are all techniques advanced in the "state-of-the-art" with the application of this new, simple and low cost instrument.
111
WORLD
ABSTRACTS ON MICROELECTRONICS RELIABILITY
AND
The abstracts below are given in reasonable detail where necessary so that an appreciation can be made of the coverage of the article. They are probably the most comprehensive detailed abstracts published in these two fields and in general are all of articles published within the last 12 months. They are classified into the following sections. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Reliability--General. Reliability of Components, Tubes, Transistors and ICs. Circuit and Systems Reliability, Maintenance and Redundancy. Microelect r onics--Gener al. Microelectronics Design and Construction. Microelectronics--Components, Systems and Equipments. Semiconductor Integrated Circuits, Devices and Materials. Thick- and Thin-Film Components, Hybrid Circuits and Materials. Electron, Ion and Laser Beam Techniques.
1. RELIABILITY--GENERAL Basic integrated circuit failure analysis techniques. DALE PLATTETER. Proc. IEEE Reliab. Phys. p. 248 (April 1976). This tutorial is a review of several basic analytical techniques used to perform failure analysis on integrated circuits. Included are methods for failure verification, package opening, and electrical die probing. "Secrets" for obtaining ac measurements above 1 MHz are discussed along with techniques of microsurgery for isolation of integrated components. A detailed presentation of the metallurgical technique of angle lapping is included along with an error correction scheme to aid in precise junction depth
measurements. Chemical formulas for staining silicon and selectively removing silicon oxides and metallization are revealed. General method for incipient failure detection. DAVID HORWlTZ. IEEE Trans. Reliab. R-25, (5) 299 (Dec. 1976). This paper reviews the highlights of some previous work in the field of Incipient Failure Detection and proposes development of general methodology for furthering the state-ofthe-art. Examples are presented as early application of the technique.
2. RELIABILITY OF COMPONENTS, TUBES, TRANSISTORS AND ICs Pbotoelastic techniques reveal endangered component terminals on printed circuit boards of epoxy resin. R. FEIERTAG. Feinwk-Tech. Messtechnik 84, (7) 326 (1976). (In German.) The deformation of printed circuit boards made of glass fiber-reinforced epoxy resin results in photoelastic activity. Whereas the flexion and torsion of the entire board can be only slightly recognized in polarized light, local stress changes developed between the woven glass fibers and the matrix as a result of soldering temperatures become very distinctly apparent. This permits, above all, of a detection of overheated portions of the circuit board. Such overheated portions are often a cause of failures due to a detaching and breakage of conductors. The failure tracers• ROGER ALLAN. IEEE Spectrum p. 33 (Oct. 1976). In the early 1970s, the Lockheed Missile and Space Company rejected 68,000 of the 106,000 integrated circuits delivered to it by vendors. Faults included surface defects, wire-bond failures, conductive foreign particles and testing deficiencies. And earlier this year, the U.S. Navy experienced numerous failures of a computer system containing inoperative IC shift registers. These are just two examples demonstrating that, despite ever-increasing levels of reliability (failure rates of 0.001 percent per 1000 hours, or one device failure in 100,000!) some degree of failure is a way of life in the semiconductor device field--and the penalties paid by users are becoming more and more severe due to increasing application complexities. Thermal characterization of multilayer interconnection boards. R. N. WILD. Proc. lnternepcon, p. 43 (Oct. 1975). This study was conducted to better understand the effects
of different thermal environments on the reliability of plated-through holes (PTHs) in Multilayer Interconnection Boards (MIBs). This study included tests to determine limits and failure points in different type thermal shock and soldering environments. In addition to determining the reliability difference between solder-filled and unfilled PTHs in a very severe thermal cycling environment. A brief outline of this study is as follows: Effects of Thermal Shock Testing Effects of Severe Thermal Cycling With: No Solder in PTHs Solder-Filled PTHs Pin in PTHs Effects of Production Type Soldering Failure Modes Thermal Design Considerations. New failure analysis techniques for beam lead and multilevel metal integrated circuits. JOHN SPA~O. Proc. 1EEE Reliab. Phys. p. 279 (April 1976). The ultra-sonic probe was invented to go where conventional probes could never go and to do what conventional probes could never do. Special problems related to "isolation cutting" of titaniumplatinum-gold interconnects are essentially eliminated. Electrical node probing through deep insulation glass on multi-level metal I/C's is now possible. In addition, the ultra-sonic probe makes possible a new, fast and accurate technique for measuring oxide thickness over selected circuit components. Isolation cutting, electrical node probing and glass thickness measurements are all techniques advanced in the "state-of-the-art" with the application of this new, simple and low cost instrument.
111