Simulation-aided analysis of the influence of voids on the reliability of solder-joints for LED-applications

This investigation focuses on the influence of the voids on the reliability of solder joints for high-power LED applications. Concerning the long time scale for the reliability tests such as Power cycling tests (PCT), finite-element-method had been considered to enable a simulation-aided analysis and to gain a better understanding of the fatigue behavior of the solder joints with different void distributions. For the material behaviors, the Garofalo equation is implemented for calculating the creep strain and to detect the crack initiation. Finally, the simulated results of crack initiation are compared with the results of real experimental data. The comparison shows good correlation between simulations and experimental tests with respect to failure modes such as the position of cracks. Potentials and challenges of using numerical methods are also discussed for further studies.