Nondestructive Evaluation of Thermal Phase Growth in Solder Ball Micro-Joints by Synchrotron Radiation X-Ray Micro-Tomography

Author(s):  
Toshihiko Sayama ◽  
Hiroyuki Tsuritani ◽  
Kentaro Uesugi ◽  
Akira Tsuchiyama ◽  
Tsukasa Nakano ◽  
...  

In high-density packaging technology, one of the most important problems is reliability of the micro-joints connecting LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit) chips to PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards) electrically and mechanically. Development of nondestructive testing methods with high spatial resolution is expected to enhance the reliability. Our research group has developed an X-ray micro-tomography system called SP-μCT at the beamline BL47XU in SPring-8, the largest synchrotron radiation facility in Japan. In this work, SP-μCT was applied to three-dimensional evaluation of microstructure evolution; that is, phase growth due to thermal cyclic loading in solder ball micro-joints. Simulating solder micro-joints used in a flip chip, specimens were fabricated by joining a Sn-Pb eutectic solder ball 100 μm in diameter to a steel pin in the usual reflow soldering process. The phase growth process was determined by observation of the CT images obtained consecutively at the fixed point of the target joining. In the reconstructed CT images, the distribution of the constituent phases in Sn-Pb eutectic solder was identified based on the estimation value of the X-ray linear attenuation coefficient. The following results were obtained. First, each phase involves not dispersing particles but a three-dimensionally monolithic structure just like a sponge. Second, the phase growth proceeds in such a way that the average phase size to the 4th power increases proportionally to the number of cycles. Finally, in the vicinity of the joining interface, more rapid phase growth occurs in comparison to the other regions because local thermal strain due to the mismatch of thermal expansion leads to remarkable phase growth. Consequently, the microstructure images obtained by SP-μCT bring us useful information to evaluate the reliability of micro-joints.

2007 ◽  
Vol 129 (4) ◽  
pp. 434-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Tsuritani ◽  
Toshihiko Sayama ◽  
Kentaro Uesugi ◽  
Takeshi Takayanagi ◽  
Takao Mori

In high-density packaging technology, one of the most important issues is the reliability of the microjoints connecting large scale integrated circuit chips to printed circuit boards electrically and mechanically. The development of nondestructive testing methods with high spatial resolution is expected to enhance reliability. An X-ray microtomography system called SP-μCT has been developed in Super Photon ring-8 GeV (SPring-8), the largest synchrotron radiation facility in Japan. In this work, SP-μCT was applied in the nondestructive evaluation of microstructure evolution, that is, the phase growth due to thermal cyclic loading in solder ball microjoints. Simulating solder microjoints used in a flip chip, specimens were fabricated by joining a Sn–Pb eutectic solder ball 100 μm in diameter to a steel pin in the usual reflow soldering process. The phase growth process was determined by observing the computed tomography (CT) images obtained consecutively at the fixed point of the target joining. In the reconstructed CT images, the distribution of the constituent phases in the Sn–Pb eutectic solder was identified based on the estimation value of the X-ray linear attenuation coefficient. Consequently, the microstructure images obtained nondestructively by SP-μCT provided us with the following useful information for evaluating the reliability of the solder microjoints. First, each phase involves not dispersing particles but a three-dimensional monolithic structure like a sponge. Second, the phase growth proceeds in such a way that the average phase size to the fourth power increases proportionally to the number of cycles. Finally, in the vicinity of the joining interface, more rapid phase growth occurs compared to the other regions because local thermal strain due to the mismatch of thermal expansion leads to a remarkable phase growth.


2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Tsuritani ◽  
Toshihiko Sayama ◽  
Yoshiyuki Okamoto ◽  
Takeshi Takayanagi ◽  
Kentaro Uesugi ◽  
...  

New nondestructive inspection methods with high spatial resolution are expected to support the evaluation and enhancement of the reliability of microjoints on printed circuit boards. An X-ray microtomography system, the SP-μCT has been developed at the Super Photon ring-8 GeV (SPring-8), the largest synchrotron radiation facility in Japan. In this work, the SP-μCT was first applied to the nondestructive evaluation of thermal fatigue phenomena, namely microstructure evolution (i.e., phase growth) and microcrack propagation, appearing in actual solder microbumps of flip chip interconnects due to thermal cyclic loading. In addition, a refraction-contrast imaging technique was simultaneously applied to visualize the fatigue cracks with an actual opening of less than 100 nm. The observed specimen has a flip chip structure joined by Sn-37wt%Pb eutectic solder bumps 150 μm in diameter. Consequently, the process of phase growth and crack propagation was determined via observation of consecutive computed tomography (CT) images obtained in the same plane of the same specimen. As the thermal cycle proceeded, remarkable phase growth was clearly observed, followed by the appearance of fatigue cracks in the corners of the interfaces between the solder bump and Cu pad. Moreover, the CT images also enabled us to evaluate the fatigue lifetime of the bumps, as follows. The lifetime to fatigue crack initiation was estimated by quantifying the increase in the phase growth. The crack propagation lifetime to failure was then determined by measuring the average crack propagation rate. Such results have not been obtainable at all by X-ray CT systems for industrial use and demonstrate the possibility of nondestructive inspection by a synchrotron radiation X-ray microtomography system.


2010 ◽  
pp. 109-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neda Motchurova-Dekova ◽  
David Harper

Synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM) is a non-destructive technique for the investigation and visualization of the internal features of solid opaque objects, which allows reconstruction of a complete three-dimensional image of internal structures by recording of the differences in the effects on the passage of waves of energy reacting with those structures. Contrary to X-rays, produced in a conventional X-ray tube, the intense synchrotron light beams are sharply focused like a laser beam. We report encouraging results from the use of SRXTM for purely taxonomic purposes in brachiopods: an attempt to find a non-destructive and more efficient alternative to serial sectioning and several other methods of dissection together with the non-destructive method of X-ray computerised micro-tomography. Two brachiopod samples were investigated using SRXTM. In ?Rhynchonella? flustracea it was possible to visualise the 3D shape of the crura and dental plates. In Terebratulina imbricata it was possible to reveal the form of the brachidium. It is encouraging that we have obtained such promising results using SRXTM with our very first two fortuitous samples, which had respectively fine-grained limestone and marl as infilling sediment, in contrast to the discouraging results communicated to us by some colleagues who have tested specimens with such infillings using X-ray micro-tomography. In future the holotypes, rare museum specimens or delicate Recent material may be preferentially subjected to this mode of analysis.


Author(s):  
Alexandra Roberts ◽  
John True ◽  
Nathan T. Jessurun ◽  
Dr. Navid Asadizanjani

Abstract Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) play a critical role in everyday electronic systems, therefore the quality and assurance of the functionality for these systems is a topic of great interest to the government and industry. PCB manufacturing has been largely outsourced to cut manufacturing costs in comparison with the designing and testing of PCBs which still retains a large presence domestically. This offshoring of manufacturing has created a surge in the supply chain vulnerability for potential adversaries to garner access and attack a device via a malicious modification. Current hardware assurance and verification methods are based on electrical and optical tests. These tests are limited in the detection of malicious hardware modifications, otherwise known as Hardware Trojans. For PCB manufacturing there has been an increase in the use of automated X-ray inspection. These inspections can validate a PCB’s functionality during production. Such inspections mitigate process errors in real time but are unable to perform highresolution characterization on multi-layer fully assembled PCBs. In this paper, several X-ray reconstruction methods, ranging from proprietary to open-source, are compared. The high-fidelity, commercial NRecon software for SkyScan 2211 Multi-scale X-ray micro-Tomography system is compared to various methods from the ASTRA Toolbox. The latter is an open-source, transparent approach to reconstruction via analytical and iterative methods. The toolbox is based on C++ and MEX file functions with MATLAB and Python wrappers for analysis of PCB samples. In addition, the differences in required imaging parameters and the resultant artifacts generated by planar PCBs are compared to the imaging of cylindrical biological samples. Finally, recommendations are made for improving the ASTRA Toolbox reconstruction results and guidance is given on the appropriate scenarios for each algorithm in the context of hardware assurance for PCBs.


2007 ◽  
Vol 2007.7 (0) ◽  
pp. 221-222
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Tsuritani ◽  
Toshihiko Sayama ◽  
Yoshiyuki Okamoto ◽  
Takeshi Takayanagi ◽  
Kentaro Uesugi ◽  
...  

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010.7 (0) ◽  
pp. 291-292
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Tsuritani ◽  
Toshihiko Sayama ◽  
Yoshiyuki Okamoto ◽  
Takeshi Takayanagi ◽  
Kentaro Uesugi ◽  
...  

1995 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 381-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Hirano ◽  
K. Usami ◽  
Y. Tanaka ◽  
C. Masuda

Internal damage in metal matrix composite (MMC) under static tensile loading was observed by in situ x-ray computed tomography based on synchrotron radiation (SR-CT). A tensile testing sample stage was developed to investigate the fracture process during the tensile test. Aluminum alloy matrix composites reinforced by long or short SiC fibers were used. The projection images obtained under tensile loading showed good performance of the sample stage, and matrix deformation and breaks of the long SiC fibers could be observed. In the CT images taken at the maximum stress just before failure, debondings of the short SiC fibers to the matrix, many pullouts of the fibers, and matrix cracking could be clearly observed. The in situ SR-CT allowed the observation of generation and growth of such defects under different tensile stress levels. The results from the nondestructive observation revealed that the MMC was broken by propagation of the matrix cracks which might be caused by stress concentration at the ends of the short fibers. A three-dimensional CT image reconstructed from many CT images provided easy understanding of the fiber arrangement, crack shape, and form of the void caused by fiber pullout. In situ SR-CT is a useful method for understanding failure mechanisms in advanced materials.


Author(s):  
Hiroyuki Tsuritani ◽  
Toshihiko Sayama ◽  
Yoshiyuki Okamoto ◽  
Takeshi Takayanagi ◽  
Kentaro Uesugi ◽  
...  

A synchrotron radiation X-ray micro-tomography system called SP-μCT with a spatial resolution of about 1μm has been developed in SPring-8, the largest synchrotron radiation facility in Japan. In this work, SP-μCT was applied to the nondestructive evaluation of microstructure evolution; that is phase growth, and micro-crack propagation appearing as thermal fatigue damage in solder micro-bumps of flip chip interconnects. The observed specimens have a flip chip structure joined by Sn-37wt%Pb eutectic solder bumps 100μm in diameter. A thermal cycle test was carried out, and the specimens were picked up at any number of cycles. The solder bumps were observed by using SP-μCT at the beamlines BL47XU and BL20XU in SPring-8. An X-ray energy of 29.0 keV was selected to obtain absorption images with a high contrast between the Sn-rich and the Pb-rich phases. Additionally, a refraction-contrast imaging technique was applied to visualize fatigue cracks in the solder bumps. The obtained CT (Computed Tomography) images clearly show the process of phase growth and crack propagation due to the thermal cyclic loading of the same solder bump; such information has not been obtained at all by industrially-used X-ray CT systems. In the initial state, the Pb-rich phase was dispersed with characteristic shape, which appears in reflow soldering process. Remarkable phase growth was also observed clearly as the thermal cycle test proceeded. When the loading reached 300 cycles, fatigue cracks appeared in the corners of the interfaces between the solder bump and the Cu pad. The CT images enabled us to evaluate the lifetime of the bumps to the initiation of fatigue cracks by estimating the increase in a phase growth parameter, which corresponds to the accumulation of fatigue damage in the solder joints. The results showed that the estimated lifetime strongly agreed with the average value, which was determined by SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) destructive observations. As the thermal cycle proceeded, the cracks propagated gradually to the inner region of the solder bump. From the CT images, the average propagation rate was calculated, and the mean of the total fatigue lifetime was estimated to be less than 1800 cycles. These results show the possibility that nondestructive testing by a synchrotron radiation X-ray micro CT system is useful for evaluating the thermal fatigue lifetime in micro-joints.


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