Thermomechanical Analysis of Conformally Coated QFNs for High-Reliability Applications

The use of quad flat no-leads (QFNs) in highreliability applications is receiving increased interest. To address concerns of harsh working environments, conformal coatings are used to protect the components and associated printed circuit board (PCB). However, using conformal coatings can pose a reliability risk for the components on the PCB. This paper details an investigation into the effect of conformal coatings on the reliability of QFN second-level solder interconnections. Five QFN package types and two types of conformal coatings were investigated. In the experiments, a large population of QFN assemblies coated with conformal coatings were subjected to a thermal cycling test condition. These components, designed with daisy-chain connections, were monitored during the thermal cycling tests, and the exact time for failure to occur for each component was recorded and analyzed. Detailed finite-element models for the tested QFN assemblies were developed; the inelastic strain energy density was used as the damage indicator to evaluate the impact of conformal coating on the solder joint reliability. Modeling results reveal that the conformal coating plays an intricate role in QFN solder joint reliability. The presence of conformal coating results in a reduction in the shear stress in the solder joint and plays a positive role in solder reliability. However, it also induces more stress in the solder joint in the out-of-plane direction and plays a negative role. These two mechanisms are competing, and their relative magnitude will determine the overall effect of conformal coating on solder joint reliability.