Determination of interface fracture parameters: Energy Release Rate and Mode Mixity using FEA

Interfacial delamination IS one of the most important reliability issues in the microelectronic industry. On this account more and more focus is set on related research. The application of advanced Finite Element Analysis (FEA) provides a way to understand, predict and in conclusion to prevent reliability issues. Critical interface fracture data, which include the Critical (Strain) Energy Release Rate G
_c
(Ψ) as a function of temperature, humidity or aging, are crucially needed in microelectronic industry for failure modeling, lifetime prediction and design evaluation associated with reliability [1], but they are rarely given in literature. Therefore fast measurement methods are needed [2, 3, 4]. The evaluation of the critical data with respect to interfacial fracture mechanics needs not only measurements, but also simulations to be carried out in parallel. The numerical methods used in this work are the Crack Surface Displacement Extrapolation Method (CSDEM) [3, 5] and the Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) [3, 4, 6]. The interface we focus on is between Cu-Lead frame and epoxy-based glue-Die Attach. This work is focused on the measurement method of the critical fracture mechanic properties with the micro Mixed Mode Tester (μMMT) [2] on samples cut from real products and their numerical evaluation including parameter effect studies.