Hygro-Thermo-Mechanical Reliability Assessment of a Thermal Interface Material for a Ball Grid Array Package Assembly

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Liu ◽  
Jiantao Zheng ◽  
Suresh K. Sitaraman

The thermal efficacy of thermal interface material (TIM) is highly dependent on its ability to adhere to the surfaces of interest. Any delamination of the TIM from the die or the lid will increase the local thermal resistance and, thus, will reduce the overall effectiveness of the TIM. Although significant amount of work has been done on understanding the thermal and moisture effects of various polymer materials used in microelectronic package assemblies, very limited work has been done to study the effect of temperature and moisture on TIM delamination. In this paper, a sequential hygro-thermal-mechanical finite-element model has been developed to mimic the loadsteps associated with package assembly as well as moisture soaking under 85°C/85RH over 500 h. The predictions from the models have been validated with a wide range of experimental data including laser Moiré data for thermomechanical loading and digital image correlation data for hygro-thermo-mechanical loading. Weight gain and coordinate-measurement machine have been used to characterize moisture diffusivity and moisture expansion coefficient of various polymer materials in the package assembly. The developed models show the evolution of normal strain in TIM during various loadsteps and provide important insight into the potential for TIM delamination under package assembly process and moisture soaking. Thus, the models can be used for developing various designs and process steps for reducing the chances for TIM delamination.

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 (DPC) ◽  
pp. 001391-001412
Author(s):  
Hanzhuang Liang ◽  
Linh Rolland

In a flip chip BGA package, thermal interface materials (TIMs) are applied for thermal management between the die and the heat spreader or between the heat spreader and the heat sink to conduct the heat generated in the die during component operation. Without a thermal interface, the die will overheat and the components will not function properly. Advanced microelectronics packaging demands high and dynamic standards of its supplier industries in relation to speed, precision and flexibility. For example, the demands on functionality, power density and performance of the components within a die are largely enhanced along with TIM requirements for higher heat resistance. Manufacturers are being asked to apply TIMs on more dies in more complicated geometries and to dispense them during any packaging process. This brings increased challenges for TIM dispensing equipment, such as the ability to handle abrasive and dry TIMs at a high throughput while maintaining precision and repeatability. A high-precision, high-throughput TIM dispensing process has been developed to fill the gap between the traditional slower dispensing of simple patterns and the challenges from emerging package designs. This process is being used in flip chip BGA production lines in package applications from consumer electronics to automotive products. These production lines are in full 24/7 operation with each dispensing system running at 240 units per hour (uph) for audio-video consumer electronics, 360 uph for CPUs/GPUs on smart phones and 750 uph for automobile control panels and computation servers. In this new dispensing system, the valve can be tightly controlled to achieve high dispensing accuracy at fast speeds. The dispense pattern and route can be modified at no cost, in minutes, and during any step in the design or the assembly stage. Shapes that can be dispensed include dots, lines, boxes and circles with fine height and edge definitions of 25micron and 45micron. The process can cover a wide range of pattern dimensions between 0.5mm and 100mm at flow rates of 30–370 mg/sec at a repeatability of 3–15% three sigma. Even TIM that has viscosity as high as 1500kcPs with a heavy load of large and coarse particles such as metals, ceramic and glass beads can be dispensed using this equipment and process. New equipment and processes are under development to further push the limit on higher throughput and precision, increased flexibility and material dispensability.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 (1) ◽  
pp. 000151-000156
Author(s):  
Tuhin Sinha

In this paper, we present the effects of assumptions made about the constitutive behavior of a cured, silicone gel type thermal interface material (TIM) and the package stress-free conditions on FEA modeling predictions. The focus will be on the deformations (or warpage) predicted by the models for lidded flip-chip packages. It is critical for such warpage predictions to be close to experimental measurements for accurate projection of mechanical stresses and strains in a package. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) warpage measurements on flip-chip modules are compared against the predicted values and the impact of above-mentioned assumptions will be discussed. It will be shown that the TIM mechanical and thereby, thermal degradation is a strong function of the TIM compressibility and stress-free condition assumptions. Bounds of non-linear elastic modeling technique for the TIM and guidelines for conducting numerical analysis for lidded flip-chip packages will be provided.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 807
Author(s):  
Syed Sohail Akhtar

A computational framework based on novel differential effective medium approximation and mean-field homogenization is used to design high-performance filler-laden polymer thermal interface materials (TIMs). The proposed design strategy has the capability to handle non-dilute filler concentration in the polymer matrix. The effective thermal conductivity of intended thermal interface composites can be tailored in a wide range by varying filler attributes such as size, aspect ratio, orientation, as well as filler–matrix interface with an upper limit imposed by the shear modulus. Serval potential polymers and fillers are considered at the design stage. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) with a non-dilute concentration (~60 vol%) of ceramic fillers exhibit high thermal conductivity (4–5 W m−1 K−1) without compromising the high compliance of TIMs. The predicted thermal conductivity and coefficient of thermal expansion are in excellent agreement with measured data of various binary composite systems considering HDPE, TPU, and polypropylene (PP) loaded with Al2O3 and AlN fillers in varying sizes, shapes, and concentrations, prepared via the melt-mixing and compression-molding route. The model also validates that manipulating filler alignment and aspect ratio can significantly contribute to making heat-conducting networks in composites, which results in ultra-high thermal conductivity.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 999
Author(s):  
Yafang Zhang ◽  
Juhua Huang ◽  
Ming Cao ◽  
Guoping Du ◽  
Ziqiang Liu ◽  
...  

Hexagonal boron nitride and silicone rubber (h-BN/SR) composites were prepared by the mechanical stirring method, and their crystal morphology, chemical structure, thermal properties, and compression stress–strain performance were investigated. The experimental results suggest that silicone rubber combined with h-BN exhibits better thermal conductivity and mechanical properties. When the proportion of h-BN is 30 wt%, the thermal conductivity of the h-BN/SR composite material is 0.58 W/m∙K, which is 3.4 times that of pure silicone rubber. At the same time, the compressive strength of h-BN/SR is 4.27 MPa, which is 6.7 times that of pure silicone rubber. Furthermore, the finite element model was employed to numerically analyze the thermal behavior of a battery with a h-BN/SR composite as the thermal interface material. The analytical results show that the highest temperature of the battery decreased when using h-BN/SR as the thermal interface material in the battery thermal management system. The h-BN/SR composite can thus effectively improve the safety properties of batteries.


Author(s):  
U. B. Jayadeep ◽  
R. Krishna Sabareesh ◽  
R. Nirmal ◽  
K. V. Rijin ◽  
C. B. Sobhan

Thermal contact conductance is used to indicate the resistance offered by a contact interface to the flow of heat. When an interface material is applied as nano-layered coatings on super-finished contacting surfaces, the possibility of size effects necessitates the use of a discrete computation method for its analysis. Hence, a methodology is proposed which utilizes Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations to obtain the size affected thermal conductivity of the interfacial layer, which in turn characterizes the thermal contact conductance behavior. Molecular Dynamics codes have been developed, making use of Sutton-Chen many-body potential, suitable for metallic materials. The model includes the asperities at the contact interface, assuming the asperities to be of a simplified geometry. The paper also presents the validation of the codes developed, and parametric studies on the effect of temperature, number of asperities and the material used for thermal interface coating on the size-affected interfacial conductivity.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1890
Author(s):  
Monika Rdest ◽  
Dawid Janas

This perspective article describes the application opportunities of carbon nanotube (CNT) films for the energy sector. Up to date progress in this regard is illustrated with representative examples of a wide range of energy management and transformation studies employing CNT ensembles. Firstly, this paper features an overview of how such macroscopic networks from nanocarbon can be produced. Then, the capabilities for their application in specific energy-related scenarios are described. Among the highlighted cases are conductive coatings, charge storage devices, thermal interface materials, and actuators. The selected examples demonstrate how electrical, thermal, radiant, and mechanical energy can be converted from one form to another using such formulations based on CNTs. The article is concluded with a future outlook, which anticipates the next steps which the research community will take to bring these concepts closer to implementation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (20) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole J. Bale ◽  
Marton Palatinszky ◽  
W. Irene C. Rijpstra ◽  
Craig W. Herbold ◽  
Michael Wagner ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT “Candidatus Nitrosotenuis uzonensis” is the only cultured moderately thermophilic member of the thaumarchaeotal order Nitrosopumilales (NP) that contains many mesophilic marine strains. We examined its membrane lipid composition at different growth temperatures (37°C, 46°C, and 50°C). Its lipids were all membrane-spanning glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs), with 0 to 4 cyclopentane moieties. Crenarchaeol (cren), the characteristic thaumarchaeotal GDGT, and its isomer (crenʹ) were present in high abundance (30 to 70%). The GDGT polar headgroups were mono-, di-, and trihexoses and hexose/phosphohexose. The ratio of glycolipid to phospholipid GDGTs was highest in the cultures grown at 50°C. With increasing growth temperatures, the relative contributions of cren and crenʹ increased, while those of GDGT-0 to GDGT-4 (including isomers) decreased. TEX86 (tetraether index of tetraethers consisting of 86 carbons)-derived temperatures were much lower than the actual growth temperatures, further demonstrating that TEX86 does not accurately reflect the membrane lipid adaptation of thermophilic Thaumarchaeota. As the temperature increased, specific GDGTs changed relative to their isomers, possibly representing temperature adaption-induced changes in cyclopentane ring stereochemistry. Comparison of a wide range of thaumarchaeotal core lipid compositions revealed that the “Ca. Nitrosotenuis uzonensis” cultures clustered separately from other members of the NP order and the Nitrososphaerales (NS) order. While phylogeny generally seems to have a strong influence on GDGT distribution, our analysis of “Ca. Nitrosotenuis uzonensis” demonstrates that its terrestrial, higher-temperature niche has led to a lipid composition that clearly differentiates it from other NP members and that this difference is mostly driven by its high crenʹ content. IMPORTANCE For Thaumarchaeota, the ratio of their glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) lipids depends on growth temperature, a premise that forms the basis of the widely applied TEX86 paleotemperature proxy. A thorough understanding of which GDGTs are produced by which Thaumarchaeota and what the effect of temperature is on their GDGT composition is essential for constraining the TEX86 proxy. “Ca. Nitrosotenuis uzonensis” is a moderately thermophilic thaumarchaeote enriched from a thermal spring, setting it apart in its environmental niche from the other marine mesophilic members of its order. Indeed, we found that the GDGT composition of “Ca. Nitrosotenuis uzonensis” cultures was distinct from those of other members of its order and was more similar to those of other thermophilic, terrestrial Thaumarchaeota. This suggests that while phylogeny has a strong influence on GDGT distribution, the environmental niche that a thaumarchaeote inhabits also shapes its GDGT composition.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1699
Author(s):  
Sriharsha Sudhindra ◽  
Fariborz Kargar ◽  
Alexander A. Balandin

We report on experimental investigation of thermal contact resistance, RC, of the noncuring graphene thermal interface materials with the surfaces characterized by different degree of roughness, Sq. It is found that the thermal contact resistance depends on the graphene loading, ξ, non-monotonically, achieving its minimum at the loading fraction of ξ ~15 wt %. Decreasing the surface roughness by Sq~1 μm results in approximately the factor of ×2 decrease in the thermal contact resistance for this graphene loading. The obtained dependences of the thermal conductivity, KTIM, thermal contact resistance, RC, and the total thermal resistance of the thermal interface material layer on ξ and Sq can be utilized for optimization of the loading fraction of graphene for specific materials and roughness of the connecting surfaces. Our results are important for the thermal management of high-power-density electronics implemented with diamond and other wide-band-gap semiconductors.


2014 ◽  
Vol 49 (22) ◽  
pp. 7844-7854 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Liu ◽  
U. Sahaym ◽  
I. Dutta ◽  
R. Raj ◽  
M. Renavikar ◽  
...  

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