Figure 1. Ensuring board-level reliability through comprehensive datasets supports advancement of design and testing process. Source: Shutterstock/Studio Romantic

The dizzying pace at which technology has advanced in virtually every area of modern life has opened doors into worlds that not long ago existed only in science fiction: Machines capable of learning, vehicles that drive themselves, interfaces between humans and machines contained within smart surfaces. The list could go on, with each example tied to a common thread — the assurance of dependability being paramount, at the deepest level of each related system.

Board-level reliability

Ensuring board-level reliability (BLR) is particularly challenging in industries such as automotive and high-performance computing, which drive artificial intelligence (AI). In each, harsh operating environments and additional demands are increasing reliability requirements and PCB complexity. Add to this the fact that the interconnect between board and component can be a system’s weakest link, and the scope of the task becomes clear.

Understanding interconnections

The use of proprietary alloys and polymer reinforcement materials has proven successful in increasing the probability of an interconnect’s long-term survival. Due to the lack of industry testing standards, however, the use of advanced material combinations also introduces a measure of unpredictability into the equation. One could choose an alternate route. Unless they have the bandwidth to expend hundreds of hours on testing along with the ability to draw upon high-level material science expertise, the reliability assurance of advanced interconnect solutions remains largely out of reach for most manufacturers. Having access to the aforementioned data helps build confidence in decision making to implement new, innovated material solutions.

An innovative approach

Yet this challenging landscape prompted one integrated materials solutions provider, MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, to try a new approach. By channeling its material science expertise, along with 10,000-plus hours of testing into a reliability enhancement tool with a highly intuitive graphic interface, the company can demonstrate board-level reliability to a broader group of specialists, allowing for informed decision making in addressing the complex challenges of modern-day electronics.

Tool interface: First look

At first glance, it’s clear that MacDermid Alpha designed its reliability enhancement tool to communicate extensive datasets in a digestible manner. The interactive data matrix consists of a comparison of test methods and materials solution sets. When clicked, each intersection reveals a wealth of material test data based on industry-defined common market segment test methodologies.

All material sets are benchmarked against the industry standard lead-free baseline alloy: SAC 305.

Advanced solder alloy

One tier up (from SAC305) is ALPHA® Innolot®, the company’s patented lead-free high reliability solder alloy. It combines the SAC alloy with additional elements to change mechanical and thermomechanical properties, and improve high-temperature creep resistance, translating to higher reliability for solder joints. Providing reliable interconnect performance at high temperatures (up to 150° C) while under thermo-mechanical strain, Innolot was designed specifically with applications such as automotive electronic components in mind.

Reinforcement polymers

MacDermid Alpha populates the rest of the tool’s axis with each of these two solder alloys combined with a polymer reinforcement material: either ALPHA® HiTech Edgebond, a one-component, heat-curable epoxy designed to be either jetted or dispensed on ball grid array (BGA) edges; or one of a series of ALPHA® HiTech Underfills, which are one-component, heat-curable epoxy-based materials optimized for capillary underfill. These underfills are designed to be dispensed on the edges of a BGA, chip-scale package (CSP), or flip-chip device and use capillary forces to fill the spaces between soldered input/outputs (I/Os).

The intersecting axis, meanwhile, is divided into three sections, each corresponding to test data collected to address a specific reliability challenge or pain point.

Reliability

The first section considers mechanical reliability, both in terms of the purely mechanical and thermomechanical. Thermal cycling is tested both for the BGA and for the CSP. The growing use of the latter, with its finer pitch and lower standoff, is among the trends increasing the complexity of PCB assembly. Moreover, various package types were investigated and found to show different responses based on the material technology used.

Figure 2. A thoughtful interface of the new reliability enhancement tool is bound to make a strong first impression on users. Source: Shutterstock/SFIO CRACHO

The electrochemical reliability section reflects MacDermid Alpha’s extensive research on the use of lead-free, no-clean solder paste (such as ALPHA® CVP-390V) in combination with polymer reinforcement materials. Despite the wealth of data in this tool, the real value is in the unique insights on material interactions that MacDermid Alpha has accumulated over years of material science expertise.

Total cost of ownership

The final section is perhaps the tool’s most innovative area. It breaks down the total cost of ownership (TCO) for adopting these material sets and compares the tradeoff between adopting different material technologies.

Taking a step back to view the tool in context, it becomes clear that the design works, not only as a way to communicate data digestibly but also to facilitate informed decision-making and build confidence in material sets under consideration. MacDermid Alpha is at the forefront of finding innovative ways to share their expertise with their customers.

Beyond the tool: The path to board-level reliability

The intuitive interface of the new reliability enhancement tool is bound to make a strong first impression on users, but there are a few other elements of the MacDermid Alpha approach worth noting as well.

As an electronic solutions provider, MacDermid Alpha populated the tool with its own material sets, including its ALPHA Innolot, ALPHA HiTech Edgebond and ALPHA HiTech Underfills. As a result, once a manufacturer chooses which materials to move ahead with, they can be provided directly by MacDermid Alpha itself — increasing consistency and reliability by simplifying the supply chain.

Data driven decisions

The company’s expertise in the technologies behind advanced interconnect solutions allows it to navigate the unique challenges inherent in complex combinations of material sets, and to approach changing reliability requirements with agility. While broad offerings matter, the ability to draw from a deep repository of data to illuminate the potential for interactivity between material sets is critical. This dynamic is especially evident in MacDermid Alpha’s pivotal role as a solutions provider. Working in partnership with a broad range of manufacturers, the company strives to provide guidance both toward attaining higher reliability for current needs and preparing for future industry demands.

As an underscore to the power of this type of partnership, MacDermid Alpha reports that it is already receiving requests from partners to integrate some of the data that drives the reliability enhancement tool into their own models. Partners with experience working with high-reliability technologies are also replicating research and confirming the same findings. Even though this may seem counterintuitive, external factors such as specific customer board designs and components can impact material performance response.

No matter where a manufacturer lands in terms of its own capacity to apply material science principles and perform combinational testing, MacDermid Alpha’s reliability enhancement tool is designed to provide a head start into a larger journey along the path to BLR. The first step of that journey is reaching out. Get in touch with MacDermid Alpha to learn more.