Plastic Ball Grid Array Solder Joint Reliability for Avionics Applications

The solder-joint reliability of plastic ball grid array (PBGA) packages for an avionics application was assessed. The fatigue life under combined temperature cycling and random vibration conditions was initially simulated using analytical models. Further simulation was used to plan an accelerated test and to estimate an acceleration factor between field conditions and test conditions, and experimentally verified. The combination of simulation and experimental results was then used to reassess the solder-joint reliability under field conditions. Based on the simulation and test results, it was estimated that PBGA packages without underfill would not satisfy the long-term life expectation for the avionics application under study. In addition, the experimental results also show that the simple application of linear damage superposition (Miner's rule), which neglects the interactions between loads, will underestimate the damage and overpredict the product life. Therefore, calculating the acceleration factor is necessary and cost-efficient for providing the basis of product field reliability assessment