Influence of Secondary Impact on Printed Wiring Assemblies—Part I: High-Frequency “Breathing Mode” Deformations in the Printed Wiring Board

Design rules for portable electronic device are continuously striving for thinner printed wiring assemblies (PWAs) and smaller clearances because of ever-increasing demand for functionality and miniaturization. As a result, during accidental drop and impact events, there is an increased probability of internal secondary impact between a PWA and adjacent internal structures. In particular, compared to the initial impact, acceleration pulses caused by contact during secondary impacts are typically characterized by significant increase of amplitudes and frequency bandwidth. The resonant response in the thickness direction of printed wiring boards (PWBs) (termed the dynamic “breathing mode” of response, in this study) acts as a mechanical bandpass filter and places miniature internal structures in some components (such as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)) at risk of failure, if any of them have resonant frequencies within the transmitted frequency bandwidth. This study is the first part of a two-part series, presenting qualitative parametric insights into the effect of secondary impacts in a PWA. This first part focuses on analyzing the frequency spectrum of: (i) the impulse caused by secondary impact, (ii) the energy transmitted by the dynamic “breathing” response of multilayer PWBs, and (iii) the consequential dynamic response of typical structures with high resonant frequencies that are mounted on the PWB. Examples include internal deformable structures in typical surface mount technology (SMT) components and in MEMS components. The second part of this series will further explore the effects of the breathing mode of vibration on failures of various SMT components of different frequencies.