Application of Steinberg Model for Vibration Lifetime Evaluation of Sn-Ag-Cu-Based Solder Joints in Power Semiconductors

Steinberg-equation-based vibration mechanical fatigue lifetime estimation of the Sn-Ag-Cu-based solder joints was extracted for the power semiconductor modules. In this model, maximum displacement of the printed circuit board (PCB) is used as the failure root cause for mechanical lifetime estimation. Contrary to the existing lifetime models, the proposed model is capable of considering the effects of location of the power semiconductor modules in the PCB leading to much more accurate predictions. For confirmation, multiple tests are conducted to support the theoretical process for the calculation of the lifetime of the solder joint under vibration loading. Experiments are carried out on the basis of the ISO16750-3 test-I standard. The results show that the maximum error between analytical methods and experimental tests is limited to 55% for the central power semiconductors.