could be voiding, could be post-sep, could be copper cracking as speculated
here. i'd place my bets on the relative likelihood in that respective order.
all this is academic until you see x-sections.
At 08:34 AM 2/26/2007, Paul Reid wrote:
>Hi Wayne,
>
>Glass transition temperature (Tg) is a good indicator, in most cases, of
>the robustness of a material but not in all cases. There are high Tg
>materials that offer no advantage over low Tg materials in HDI or
>sequential lamination applications. This means that you have to consider
>the balance of copper quality, board design and material robustness for a
>given application. Once you have quantified the influences of all three
>variables, you would be able to establish reliability expectation. We have
>found mixed materials in coupon constructions and associated that
>condition to early failures.
>
>Thanks for mentioning IST testing. We use IST coupons to measure Tg in a
>number of ways (TMA, DMA, capacitance). In respect to rules of this forum,
>discussions about IST testing by me need to be moved off-line. I would be
>glad to field IST questions on a one on one basis.
>Sincerely,
>
>Paul Reid
>
>Program Coordinator (for IST testing and failure analysis)
>
>PWB Interconnect Solutions Inc.
>235 Stafford Rd., West, Unit 103
>Nepean, Ontario
>Canada, K2H 9C1
>
>613 596 4244 ext. 229
>[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Wayne Thayer
>Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2007 6:53 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [TN] need help with cracking vias
>
>
>We are placing test coupons on most of our orders. One of these is for
>Tg--More than once I have spec'd high Tg material which has not produced
>high Tg assemblies. The problem is usually that the circuit board fab
>uses high Tg core material, but uses the low Tg pre-preg! Another test
>coupon is for IST (interconnect stress test). This can be used to qualify
>the boards prior to a large assembly run because if the blame finger
>points to the board fab, they won't pay for the lost assembly parts and labor.
>
>Wayne Thayer
>
> >>> [log in to unmask] >>>
>Hi John,
>
>You have already received some good advice from Joe, Kim and especially
>Werner, whom I have learned to pay particular attention. I would like to
>add a few comments.
>
>Copper quality is usually the primary influence in circuit board
>reliability but, with lead/free assembly, material is beginning to play a
>greater role.
>
>I did not notice if you mentioned whether you were using tin/lead (230°C)
>or lead/free (260°C) assembly temperatures. If you used tin/lead
>assembly you should find barrel cracks in the central zone of the plated
>through via (PTV). Tin/lead assembly shifts failure, to some degree, away
>from the central zone and up to corner of the PTV where you will find an
>increase in knee cracks.
>
>When you are faced with one set of boards that are fine and an other set
>failing, and all process and board parameters appear to be similar, by
>microsection measurements, then the material must be considered. In your
>case delamination may be playing role. It turns out that delamination
>de-stresses PTV and protects them from failing during thermal cycling. I
>would look for evidence of delamination in the dielectric as a latent
>failure mode on any microsections processed.
>
>Another useful bit of information about printed circuit board (PCB)
>material embraces hysteresis. One definition of hysteresis is a failure
>to return to the original condition. In the case of circuit boards we
>sometimes find damaged circuits (barrel cracks) show no increased
>resistance at ambient (~22°C); they are self healing. Other damaged
>circuits present an increased resistance at ambient. The circuits that
>maintain an elevated resistance at ambient condition are exhibiting a
>resistance hysteresis.
>
>IPC (6012) has establishes that a 10% increase in resistance in a circuit
>is considered a failure. We frequently find boards that are elevated 10%
>above of their normal resistance at 150°C, show no increase in their
>original resistance at ambient. This makes it particularly hard for
>trouble shooting via failures. The changes are usually so subtle you need
>to make resistance measurements using a 4-wire ohmmeter.
>
>To understand this phenomenon we need to understand dielectric
>material. Normally the dielectric is elastic and, after a thermal cycle,
>returns to it's original shape at ambient. Barrel cracks are forced closed
>at ambient due to the dielectric's elastic properties, and resistance
>returns to the original measurement. If, on the other hand, the
>dielectric has lost its elasticity, a typical response to multiple or
>higher temperature cycling, it will undergo plastic deformation and will
>not return to its original shape at ambient, resistance remains elevated.
>Barrel cracks in PTVs in a board where the dielectric is plastic will show
>evidence of hysteresis and circuit resistance will remain elevated at ambient.
>
>A bed of nail continuity test is usually not capable of finding resistance
>increases that are in the order of 10%. Boards that exhibit hysteresis due
>to plastic deformation of the dielectric that keep barrel cracks open at
>ambient have a better chance of being found with ET. Kim's finding
>increased amount of damage is probably due to accumulating damage and a
>slowly degrading dielectric that is losing its elasticity.
>
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Paul Reid
>
>Program Coordinator
>
>PWB Interconnect Solutions Inc.
>235 Stafford Rd., West, Unit 103
>Nepean, Ontario
>Canada, K2H 9C1
>
>613 596 4244 ext. 229
>[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
>
>---chNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of John Foster
>Sent: Saturday, February 24, 2007 1:43 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: [TN] need help with cracking vias
>
>
>I was wondering if I could get a opinion on some problems
>we are having with vias. Built two different types of getek boards
>10 layer .062. Both types have over 2000 10 mil vias. One set
>of boards went through everything and are doing fine. The other
>set went through the same fab shop and same assembly shop.
>
>The second set of boards passed electrical test at the fab house but
>after assembly and the start of useage the boards are developing
>opens like crazy in the 10 mil holes. I am going over on Monday to
>get some cross sections of actual bad vias. I just wanted to
>get some ideas of what to look for. If the barrels show cracks
>can you tell anything by where the cracks are? If the plating
>is too thin will it make the vias much more likely to crack during reflow.
>
>I am just trying to really understand what happened so that it doesn't happen
>again. But the vias just continue to open you fix one and the board works
>for awhile and then another one opens up.
>
>I am thinking that if there is adequate plating in the bad holes then the
>assembly
>shop either ran the boards to hot or for too long and the z axis expansion
>killed
>me. Is it possible that something in the plating process caused the vias to
>be inadeqaute. Doesn't the plating have to have some ductility to it?
>
>
>any input will really be appreciated
>
>Thanks
>John Foster
>
>---------------------------------------------------
>Technet Mail List provided as a service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8e
>To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in
>the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet
>To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to
>[log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL)
>To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to
>[log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest
>Search the archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives
>Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16
>for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or
>847-615-7100 ext.2815
>-----------------------------------------------------
>
>---------------------------------------------------
>Technet Mail List provided as a service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8e
>To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in
>the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet
>To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to
>[log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL)
>To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to
>[log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest
>Search the archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives
>Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16
>for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or
>847-615-7100 ext.2815
>-----------------------------------------------------
>
>---------------------------------------------------
>Technet Mail List provided as a service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8e
>To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in
>the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet
>To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to
>[log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL)
>To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to
>[log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest
>Search the archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives
>Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16
>for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or
>847-615-7100 ext.2815
>-----------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
Technet Mail List provided as a service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8e
To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in
the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet
To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL)
To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest
Search the archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives
Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16 for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-615-7100 ext.2815
-----------------------------------------------------
|