Virtual Validation of Electronic System Packaging Using Reliability Criterion of an Electronic Component at its Solder Joint

Electronic control modules for automotive applications are required to sustain harsh vibration conditions. With minimum mounting points and limit in size, the mechanical structure for the modules must provide sufficient rigidity and stiffness to support printed circuit board (PCB) and other electronic components. Physical testing of an electronic module can only be performed after the full assembly when all design and manufacturing are finalized. If the structure does not meet vibration requirement, the whole design process must be reiterated. To optimize design with reduced time and effort, computer modeling is used to conduct vibration analysis in which modes, PCB bending, structure stresses and area of improvement can be identified. Further more, electronic components are mounted on the system level model to study stresses at the component level such as solder joints. The computer model allows us to study the best location for a specific component and effect of its boundary conditions. This paper presents a methodology for virtual validation of electronic control systems using reliability criterion of an electronic component at its solder joint. Ball grid array package is used as example to demonstrate the procedure.