Abstract
Experiments using the Design of Experiment (DoE) methodology were carried out to investigate the effects of pitch distance (P), temperature (T), voltage (V), and contamination (C) on the leak current measured on surface insulation resistance (SIR) test boards. A 24 full factorial design with eight replications was performed, and the response was measured continuously over a 20 hour period for each experiment. Current measured over time exhibited a clear pattern of an initial low and stable current, followed by a transition to a much higher current. Microscopic analysis of the boards indicates that the transition is due to dendrite formation due to electrochemical migration (ECM). The time at the start of this transition phase was identified as the time to failure (TTF) for each experiment. Leakage current (LC) was also calculated as the mean current prior to failure. Analysis of Variance methods were used to model both TTF and LC. Both TTF and LC were found to be significantly affected by P, T, and C. However, the effect of V was found to be significant only for TTF. The general current behavior over the prolonged experimental period and the resulting statistical models give new insight into the failure process related to ECM.
Highlights
Climatic reliability of electronic devices is a significant issue today due to the widespread use of electronic devices in different climatic conditions depending on the place of use
Experiments using the Design of Experiment (DoE) methodology were carried out to investigate the effects of pitch distance (P), temperature (T), voltage (V), and contamination (C) on the leak current measured on surface insulation resistance (SIR) test boards
Depending on the sensitivity of the printed circuit board assem blies (PCBAs) in question and the value of the base level leak current, first level of failures can occur just due to the parasitic leak current interfering with the functionality of the PCBA
Summary
Climatic reliability of electronic devices is a significant issue today due to the widespread use of electronic devices in different climatic conditions depending on the place of use. Formation of water film results in leak current between adjacent biased points on the PCBA surface and electrochemical migration (ECM) failure due to dendrite bridging. It can affect the product performance and lead to severe deterioration of the electronic devices [5,6]. Level of water film build up on the PCBA surface depends on the synergetic effects of various factors such as material characteristics, manufacturing and cleaning processes, poten tial bias, PCBA design, and climatic variations such as changes in hu midity and temperature [8]. The water film features are defined by the aspects of the PCBA design and electrochemical processes under various climatic conditions [9]
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