A fracture mechanics approach is used to investigate how the fatigue life of a solder grid array (SGA) may be increased or decreased by the application of an axial force to individual solder interconnects, such as may be induced by use of an underfill, by warping of a printed wiring board, or by some other mechanical constraint. The predominant loading on the SGA is assumed to be the shear resulting from a difference in thermal expansion between the package and the printed wiring board in the presence of cyclic temperature variations. A fatigue crack growth model, akin to the Paris law, is proposed for the cycles to failure of an individual cracked interconnect which undergoes a cyclic mode-II shear loading in conjunction with either a constant crack opening force (mode-I) or a constant crack closing force. For typical SGA packages in use today, the model predicts that forces on the order of only one newton can significantly impede or accelerate the propagation of a fatigue crack.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
March 2003
Technical Papers
Extending the Fatigue Life of Solder Grid Array (SGA) Electronic Packages
Michael C. Larson, Mem. ASME,
Michael C. Larson, Mem. ASME
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118-5674
Search for other works by this author on:
Melody A. Verges, Mem. ASME
Melody A. Verges, Mem. ASME
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70148
Search for other works by this author on:
Michael C. Larson, Mem. ASME
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118-5674
Melody A. Verges, Mem. ASME
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70148
Contributed by the Electronic and Photonic Packaging Division for publication in the JOURNAL OF ELECTRONIC PACKAGING. Manuscript received by the EPPD Division, December 3, 2001. Associate Editor: S. M. Heinrich.
J. Electron. Packag. Mar 2003, 125(1): 18-23 (6 pages)
Published Online: March 14, 2003
Article history
Received:
December 3, 2001
Online:
March 14, 2003
Citation
Larson, M. C., and Verges, M. A. (March 14, 2003). "Extending the Fatigue Life of Solder Grid Array (SGA) Electronic Packages ." ASME. J. Electron. Packag. March 2003; 125(1): 18–23. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1520430
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Cited By
Anand Model Constants of Sn–Ag–Cu Solders: What Do They Actually Mean?
J. Electron. Packag (June 2025)
Sequential Versus Concurrent Effects in Combined Stress Solder Joint Reliability
J. Electron. Packag (June 2025)
Related Articles
Fracture Mechanics Analysis of Fatigue Crack Repaired Joints
J. Offshore Mech. Arct. Eng (May,2005)
Fatigue Modeling for
Elastic Materials With Statistically Distributed
Defects
J. Appl. Mech (November,2007)
A Nonlinear Fracture Mechanics Approach to Modeling Fatigue Crack Growth in Solder Joints
J. Electron. Packag (June,2008)
Validation of a General Fatigue Life Prediction Methodology for Sn–Ag–Cu Lead-Free Solder Alloy Interconnects
J. Electron. Packag (March,2008)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Crack(s) in a Rod or a Plate by Energy Rate Analysis
The Stress Analysis of Cracks Handbook, Third Edition
A Fracture Mechanics Method for an Advanced Evaluation of Inclusions and the Prediction of Fatigue Life of Rolling Element Bearings
Bearing and Transmission Steels Technology
Start-Up, Shutdown, and Lay-Up
Consensus on Pre-Commissioning Stages for Cogeneration and Combined Cycle Power Plants