ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the thermo-mechanical behavior of plastic area-array packages. The role of packaging in semiconductor electronic applications is to protect and preserve the performance of the semiconductor device from electrical, hygro-thermo-mechanical, and chemical corruption or impairment. An experimental methodology has been described integrating material characterization, experimental measurements, and modeling verification in an attempt to develop a capability to predict the thermo-mechanical behavior of the package. The concern for structural integrity due to thermal deformation of the solder balls has been recognized from the beginning of the development of flip-chip packages. The results demonstrated that the underfill properties can be modified by changing the filler content, which in turn affects the thermal deformation of the flip-chip packages. An experimental methodology has been described integrating material characterization, experimental measurements, and modeling verification in an attempt to develop a capability to predict the thermo-mechanical behavior of the package.
