Connectors and System-Level Interconnects: Degradation and Wear Mechanisms
Connector and interconnect reliability is a critical factor in electronic and system level packaging. Harsh Environment applications present several challenges. Important areas for research include fretting degradation and tin whiskers.
Area-Leader
Dr. George T. Flowers (Research Leader)
Objectives
- Investigate basic mechanisms of vibration-induced fretting corrosion
- Investigate factors that influence tin whisker growth in lead free plating finishes for connector pins
- Investigate failure mechanisms for pin connectors and high current/voltage connectors
Project Titles
- P15-403 Capacitance Effects in Fretted Electrical Connectors
- P13-407 Impact of Coaxial Connector Failures on High Frequency Signal Transmission
- P17-401 Capacitance Effects in Fretted Electrical Connectors
- P17-402 Lifetime Prediction of Electrical Connector under Temperature and Particulate Contamination
Posters
- Two Previous Whisker Investigations...1.5 Years Later - Michael Bozack (Physics), Zekun Wang (ME), George Flowers (ME)
- Capacitance Build-up in Electrical Connectors due to Vibration Induced Fretting Corrosion - Haoyue Yang (ME), Yang Tong (ME), George Flowers (ME), Zhongyang Cheng (ME)
- Effect of Fretted Electric Contacts on High Frequency Data Transmission - Haoyue Yang (ME), Thomas Stegeman (EE), Michael Hamilton (EE), Rui Ji (BUPT), Jinchun Gao (BUPT), George Flowers (ME)
- Lifetime Prediction of Electrical Connector under Temperature and Particulate Contamination - Qingya Li (BUPT), Jinchun Gao (BUPT), George Flowers (ME)
- The Generation and Prediction of Passive Intermodulation in Coaxial Connectors - Qiuyan Jin (BUPT), Jinchun Gao (BUPT), George Flowers (ME)
- High-frequency Characterization, Modeling and Fault Diagnosis of Coaxial Connectors in Communication Systems - Rui Ji (BUPT), Jinchun Gao (BUPT), George Flowers (ME)
Representative Recent Publications
Lall, P., Deshpande, S., Nguyen, L., Reliability of Copper, Gold, Silver, and PCC Wirebonds Subjected to Harsh Environment, Proceedings of the IEEE 2018 Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm2018), San Diego, CA pp. 724-734, May 29-June 1, 2018.
Lall, P., Goyal, K., Leever, B., Marsh, J., Thermo-mechanical Deformation in Flexible-Board Assemblies During Reflow and Post-Assembly Usage, Proceedings of the IEEE 2018 Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm2018), San Diego, CA pp. 26-31, May 29-June 1, 2018.
Lall, P., Yadav, V., Zhang, D., Suhling, J., Reliability of SAC Leadfree Solders in Automotive Underhood Temperature-Vibration, Proceedings of the IEEE 2018 Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm2018), San Diego, CA pp. 1255-1269, May 29-June 1, 2018.
Lall, P., Dornala, K., Deep, J., Lowe, R., Measurement and Prediction of Interface Crack Growth at the PCB-Epoxy Interfaces Under Hi-G Mechanical Shock, Proceedings of the IEEE 2018 Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm2018), San Diego, CA pp. 1097-1105, May 29-June 1, 2018.
Lall, P., Luo, Y., Nguyen, L., A Novel Numerical Multiphysics Framework for the Modeling of Cu-Al Wire Bond Corrosion under HAST Conditions, Proceedings of the IEEE 2018 Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm2018), San Diego, CA pp. 1177-1185, May 29-June 1, 2018.
Lall, P., Deshpande, S., Kothari, N., Suhling, J., Nguyen, L., Effect of Thermal Cycling on Reliability of QFN Packages, Proceedings of the IEEE 2018 Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm2018), San Diego, CA pp. 1357-1365, May 29-June 1, 2018.
Lall, P., Deshpande, S., Nguyen, L., Development of Model for Identification of Process Parameters for Wet Decapsulation of Copper-Aluminum Wirebond in PEMs, IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology, Volume 7, No. 8, doi: 10.1109/TCPMT.2017.2672498, pp. 1280-1292, August 2017.
Lall, P., Mirza, K.M., Harsha, M., Goebel, K., Microstructural Indicators for Assessment of Effect of Prolonged and Intermittent Storage on Reliability of Lead-free Electronics, IEEE Transactions on Device and Materials Reliability, Volume 16, No. 3, doi: 10.1109/TDMR.2016.2597740, pp. 304-317, September 2016.
Lall, P., Mirza, K., Suhling, J., A Study on the Effect of Aging on Thermal Cycling Reliability of Sn-Ag-Cu Interconnects Using Digital Image Correlation, Proceedings of the IEEE 2016 Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm2016), Las Vegas, NV, pp. 519-529, May 31-June 3, 2016.
Lall, P., Dornala, K., Suhling, J., Lowe, R., Foley, J., Life Prediction and RUL Assessment of Fine Pitch Solder Joint Fuze Electronics Under Mechanical Shock Loads Up to 50,000g, Proceedings of the IEEE 2016 Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC2016), Las Vegas, NV, pp. 232-243, May 31-June 3, 2016.
Roberts, J., Bhat, C., Suhling, J.C., Jaeger, R.C., Lall, P., Reliability of a CBGA Microprocessor Package Incorporating a Coupling Capacitor Array, Proceedings of the IEEE 2016 Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm2016), Las Vegas, NV, pp. 278-284, May 31-June 3, 2016.
Lall, P., Dornala, K., Lowe, R., Foley, J., Survivability Assessment of Electronics Subjected to Mechanical Shocks up to 25,000g, Proceedings of the IEEE 2016 Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm2016), Las Vegas, NV, pp. 507-518, May 31-June 3, 2016.
Lall, P., Deshpande, S., Nguyen, L., Murtuza, M., Microstructural Indicators for Prognostication of Copper-Aluminum Wire Bond Reliability Under High-Temperature Storage and Temperature Humidity, IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing, Volume 6, No. 4, doi: 10.1109/TCPMT.2015.2495164, pp. 569-585, April 2016.