Reduction of IC package warpage through finite element analysis and direct optimization

Warpage due to thermal stresses in IC packaging is a current challenge for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. This study uses FEM coupled with a direct optimization to reduce warpage in an AMB IC package. ANSYS Static Structural module was set to predict the warpage of an active metal brazed (AMB) ceramic substrate composite material when undergoing thermal cycling during manufacturing. It was then coupled with the Direct Optimization module of Design Explorer. The DO changes dimensions and features in the composite material, within restrictions set, in search for the best configurations that will counter warpage. The results show that, when reducing warpage induced by channels or cuts on the AMB face, mirroring the channel patterns on the opposite side of the AMB reduces resulting warpage by 92%