The automotive industry, among others, depends on power modules to house and protect delicate semiconductors and other components that power various automobile functions. Given the vital importance of power modules in relation to product reliability, a robust design must be in place in order to mitigate risk from defect, create margins and ultimately satisfy customer expectations.
Reliability is the desired result of product design and testing. Rightly so, as everything from functionality, safety and a brand’s reputation hinges on it.
Vehicle technology is rapidly becoming a key differentiator in the automotive industry. To stay ahead of the competition, manufacturers are tasked with devising new ways to optimize automotive electronics without compromising components or performance.
Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) are increasingly used in safety-critical vehicle systems. This introduces new and evolving silicon and semiconductor packaging technology, and greater failure risk. Computer-aided engineering (CAE) tools are needed to evaluate, eliminate or mitigate susceptibilities to failure modes during MEMS device design.
Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) tools are comprehensive, making them exceptional options for determining design properties and performance through an array of engineering analysis tasks, including:
Abaqus, Ansys and NX Nastran are synonymous with finite element analysis (FEA) and simulation. The host, DfR Solutions’ Dr. Gil Sharon, explains how these tools can be made even more powerful – and PCB modeling faster – with Sherlock Automated Design Analysis™ software.
Electronics integration is prevalent in many markets, perhaps none more so than the automotive industry. As a result, physics-based computer aided engineering (CAE) tools have taken vehicle, subsystem and component evaluations off the road and into the lab, allowing for increased design complexities – and necessitating major reliability testing process changes.
Over the past two decades gold prices have increased nearly $1,000 per Troy ounce, necessitating a transition to replace gold with copper bond wires in integrated circuits (ICs). This seemingly small change is actually very significant. The differences between the metals’ properties require full optimization of each module in order to compensate for the nuances of the copper wire bonds (Cu-WBs).
For decades, the electronics industry depended on gold for wire bonding. The metal’s softness and oxidation resistance made it easy to manipulate, and very fine bonds could be made without cracking or damaging boards. Temperature cycling was never a major concern – a boon for automotive applications routinely exposed to harsh environments.
The technologies currently available to or being developed for the automotive industry are staggering. With these advancements comes the need to examine the types of processing units appropriate to power the autonomous vehicle electronics functionality.
