TherMoiré Applications

Flatness Measurement and Analysis System

Semiconductor Assembly and Test (SAT) Applications:

Advanced packaging designs are more than ever dependent upon mechanical integrity for effective level I and level II interconnect. Complex constructions of dissimilar materials alone account for significant losses due to die cracking, de-lamination, voiding, singulation and solder joint/bumping interconnect defects. Combine these with stacked package technologies and the impact can be exponential.

Prototype Qualification (TherMoiré) - By measuring thermo-mechanical performance at the first article stage, problems with new package designs can be identified, verified and documented before going into production, insuring customer specifications are being met. Accelerating the ramp to production can directly reduce NPI (new product introduction) costs and time-to-market for new products.

Assembly Yield and Reliability Investigation (TherMoiré) - Yield and reliability problems with a product already in production translate to increased costs as a result of waste, rework, and warranty expenses. An efficient tool for studying thermo-mechanical warpage can assist in root cause analysis and identifying the responsible party in a complex multi-organization supply chain.

Sampling Thermal Warpage for Production QC (TherMoiré) - Even after the thermo-mechanical performance of the product design is qualified, good quality practice requires ongoing monitoring. Unexpected changes in materials and processes are more often the rule than the exception. Testing equipment capable of handling large numbers of samples quickly in a repeatable automated fashion can reduce inspection time and cost. Advanced software and data management tools provided by Akrometrix enable SPC monitoring, trending and traceability.

Mechanical Model Validation (TherMoiré) - Computer simulation of thermo-mechanical performance can be a powerful tool for warpage prediction, but it requires experimental verification. Akrometrix characterization solutions provide feedback optimized for rapid comparison with simulation results and can therefore speed model development, confirmation of materials properties and overall confidence in simulation results.

PCB Fabrication Applications:

Key industry drivers including fine pitch interconnect devices and lead free solder temperatures are putting increased importance on substrate flatness compliance. Emerging specifications for local area (key component site) flatness at both room and elevated temperatures are today being implemented by leading OEMs to ensure higher first pass assembly yields and field reliability.

Prototype Qualification (TherMoiré) - By measuring thermo-mechanical performance at the first article stage, problems with new board designs can be identified, verified and documented before going into production, insuring customer specifications are being met. Accelerating the ramp to production can reduce NPI (new product introduction) costs and reduce time-to-market for new products.

Assembly Yield and Reliability Investigation (TherMoiré) - Yield and reliability problems with a product already in production translate to increased costs as a result of waste, rework, and warranty expenses. An efficient tool for studying thermo-mechanical warpage can assist in root cause analysis and identifying the responsible party in a complex multi-organization supply chain.

Sampling Thermal Warpage for Production QC (TherMoiré) - Even after the thermo-mechanical performance of the product design is qualified, good quality practice requires ongoing monitoring. Unexpected changes in materials and processes are more often the rule than the exception. Testing equipment capable of handling large numbers of samples quickly in a repeatable automated fashion can reduce inspection time and cost.

Mechanical Model Validation (TherMoiré) - Computer simulation of thermo-mechanical performance can be a powerful tool for warpage prediction, but it requires experimental verification. A measurement tool that provides feedback optimized for rapid comparison with simulation results speeds model development, confirmation of materials properties, and overall confidence in simulation results.

Electronic Assembly Applications:

'Junk in equals junk out." Substrate flatness compliance is ever more critical for successful assembly operations on both a global (whole board) and local (key component site) basis. Akrometrix' product and software offerings provide a comprehensive, quantitative means to achieve measured success on either a supplier management (sampling) or process (100%) inspection basis.

Process Development (TherMoiré) - Reflow performance of new PCBs and components can be tested without tying up the production line, reducing NPI time and cost. Thermal time-temperature profiles can be optimized in the laboratory.

Assembly Yield and Reliability Investigation (TherMoiré) - Yield and reliability problem for a product already in production translate to increased costs associated with waste, rework, and warranty expenses. An efficient tool for studying thermo-mechanical warpage assists root cause analysis and identifying the responsible party in a complex multi-organization supply chain. Localized heating effects during rework can be measured and debugged.

Traceability - (TherMoiré) - Advanced software and data management tools offered by Akrometrix enable SPC monitoring, trending and traceability. On-site or remote monitoring and reporting can provide valuable insight and time savings for customer critical response requirements.

OEM/ODM Applications:

95% of the world's largest semiconductor OEMs have used Akrometrix' equipment to help determine the impact that warpage has on their product offerings. Today, these OEMs are realizing a competitive advantage by introducing room temperature and temperature dependent flatness specifications to their supply base to directly improve assembly yields and product reliability.

Monitoring Vendor Quality (TherMoiré) - OEM/ODMs have to manage complex supply chains. Thermo-mechanical testing can double-check supplier performance against specifications, identify root cause and the responsible party when assembly problems arise, and predict reliability of the finished product.

Qualify New Designs (TherMoiré) - New PCB and package designs can be evaluated at the first article stage, thereby accelerating time-to-market and competitive position.

Mechanical Model Validation (TherMoiré) - Computer simulation of thermo-mechanical performance can be a powerful tool for warpage prediction, but it requires experimental verification. A measurement tool that provides feedback optimized for rapid comparison with simulation results speeds model development, confirmation of materials properties, and overall confidence in simulation results.

Electronic Materials and Passive Components Applications:

Materials and their unique properties are the building blocks of all components and substrates in the microelectronics industry. A fundamental understanding of their impact on finished product constructions is paramount to achieving effective sensitivity analyses on related processes and substitutions.

Laminates and Pre-pregs (TherMoiré) - Laminate materials suppliers need to monitor the quality of their raw materials, including resins, fibers and foils. In addition, they need to correlate raw materials properties with composite performance and monitor outgoing product quality for their customers. Thermo-mechanical testing enables verification of the as-processed properties in ways directly applicable to final use.

Sockets (TherMoiré) - Sockets designed to hold high value IC packages are complex mechanical structures. Thermomechanical testing identifies potential interconnect problems before they create yield and reliability losses.

Connectors (TherMoiré) - Connectors are frequently the longest components attached to the assembly. They have complex mechanical structure with unreinforced polymer bodies and are subject to high thermomechanical strains. Bow along the long axis and CTE mismatch problems can be identified at the first article stage, thereby increasing customer satisfaction and reducing time-to-market.