Theory of electrochemical cells and its application to plastic-encapsulated IC reliability

MicroelectronicsElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc

Frumkin–Butler–Volmer Theory and Mass Transfer in Electrochemical Cells1

An accurate mathematical description of the charge transfer rate at electrodes due to an electrochemical reaction is an indispensable component of any electrochemical model. In the current work we use the generalized Frumkin-Butler–Volmer (gFBV) equation to describe electrochemical reactions, an equation which, contrary to the classical Butler–Volmer approach, includes the effect of the double layer composition on the charge transfer rate. The gFBV theory is transparently coupled to the Poisson–Nernst–Planck ion transport theory to describe mass transfer in an electrochemical cell that consists of two parallel plate electrodes which sandwich a monovalent electrolyte. Based on this theoretical approach we present analytical relations that describe the complete transient response of the cell potential to a current step, from the first initial capacitive charging of the bulk electrolyte and the double layers all the way up to the steadystate of the system. We show that the transient response is characterized by three distinct time scales, namely; the capacitive charging of the bulk electrolyte at the fastest Debye time scale, and the formation of the double layers and the subsequent redistribution of ions in the bulk electrolyte at the longer harmonic and diffusion time scales, respectively.Materials Innovation InstituteMechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineerin

Modelling thermomechanical degradation of moulded electronic packages using physics-based digital twin

Semiconductor devices are commonly encapsulated with Epoxy-based Moulding Compounds (EMC) to form an electronic package. EMC typically occupies a large volume within a package, and thus, governs its thermomechanical behaviour. When exposed to high temperatures (150°C and above), electronic packages predominantly show oxidation of the outer layer of EMC. Oxidized EMC exhibits notably different material properties, resulting in a modified deformation pattern of a thermally aged package under varying thermal loads. As the oxidation layer grows in thickness, its mechanical properties also evolve, indicating distinct phases of the oxidized material at different stages of thermal ageing. Reflecting these changes (i.e., the current state of degradation) into a Finite Element (FE) model-based analysis can provide better insights into failure prediction and component reliability. It requires updating the geometry and material behaviour as a function of ageing. This paper presents a systematic procedure to build a continuously updated physics-based Digital Twin of a thermally aged flip-chip package that can represent intermediate oxidation stages. First, experimental measurements are carried out to quantify the growth of the oxidation thickness at 150°C and a diffusion-dominant mathematical model is proposed. Then, an accurate geometry of the test package is prepared with a parametric outer layer from all exposed sides of EMC to represent the oxidized layer at different stages of thermal ageing. Next, the experimental characterization of a few partially oxidized EMC specimens is done, and analytical methods are utilized to extract the thermomechanical properties of the oxidized EMC at different stages of ageing. Experimental warpage data of aged test packages are utilized to verify the defined material-model parameters that represent curing shrinkage, thermal expansion, glass transition, and corresponding elasticity moduli of the oxidized EMC at select stages of ageing. Then, a workflow to establish continuity in the material model is presented. Finally, the developed Digital Twin is utilized for an FE analysis to study the change in the trend of out-of-plane package deformations as a function of several stages of EMC oxidation.Electronic Components, Technology and Material

De industriële zuivering van caprolactam

Document uit de collectie Chemische ProcestechnologieDelftChemTechApplied Science

The influence of phosphor particles on the water transport in optical silicones for LEDs

The reliability of LEDs decreases in moist environments. One potential gateway of moisture ingress, reducing the product lifetime is the lens. In white LEDs, phosphor particles are embedded into the optical silicone of the lens to convert the blue light emitted by the diode down in frequency and achieve a light output that appears white. In this study, the influence of these phosphor particles on the moisture sorption, permeation and diffusion in optical silicones is investigated by comparing two silicone resins that are commonly used in LEDs, both with and without the addition of phosphor particles. The results of two methods are compared: the wet-cup method and a gravimetric approach of dynamic vapour sorption (DVS). Diffusion coefficients between 20 and 75 °C are reported as well as sorption isotherms, activation energy and sorption enthalpy. It is concluded that the addition of phosphor particles only has a very small impact on the moisture transport properties of the silicones.Electronic Components, Technology and Materials(OLD) MSE-

Elucidating the large variation in ion diffusivity of microelectronic packaging materials

The risk of corrosion poses a challenge to meet the stringent reliability requirements of microelectronic devices that are used in harsh environments. Microelectronic devices are often encapsulated in polymer packaging materials, which protect them from corrosion. These polymers are, however, not completely hermetic and thus allow small amounts of ions and moisture to reach the device, which might cause corrosion of the microelectronic circuitry. To improve and predict the reliability of the device, it is important to quantify the ion diffusivity in these materials. Previously reported values for the ion diffusivity vary by multiple orders of magnitude for a single class of material. Here, we investigate the causes for this discrepancy using three experimental methods: (i) saltwater immersion, (ii) diffusion cell measurements, and (iii) transient electric current measurements. Several materials, such as silicone, epoxy, and polyamide, were tested to cover the broad spectrum of polymers used by the microelectronics industry. We found that the discrepancies are likely due to the strong dependence of the ion diffusivity on both the moisture content within the polymers, as well as on the salt concentration and pH of the solutes. Furthermore, we found that the very low ion diffusivity causes long measuring times, and thus a large risk for errors from contamination, leakage, or minor defects in the samples.Electronic Components, Technology and Material

Interphase effect on the effective moisture diffusion in epoxy–SiO₂ composites

Epoxy Mold Compounds (EMC) are used to protect integrated circuits (IC) from environmental influences, with one of these influences being moisture ingress, causing corrosion. To obtain the needed thermal and mechanical properties EMCs require a high loading of (silica) fillers, introducing a large amount of interface. While silane coupling agents promote good binding, they have shown to introduce an interphase volume that exhibits a faster moisture transport between epoxy and SiO2 in glass fiber filled epoxy. In this work, we investigate if such an interphase volume is also introduced by the filler particles in EMC and if it influences the moisture diffusion coefficient of the composite. We compare moisture uptake measurements performed by dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) with predictions from effective medium theory, as well as with numerical simulations based on micro-CT scans of our samples for a model epoxy system containing different filler levels and commercial EMC samples with two different filler levels. From the measured DVS data, we observe an effective diffusion coefficient, that is higher than predicted for an absence of any interphase for both the EMC and the model system. This suggests that an interphase layer should be present.Electronic Components, Technology and MaterialsTeam Arjan Mo