An elasto-plastic analysis of the thermal stresses and strains in a surface mounted plastic-quad-flat-pack (PQFP) assembly by using a 3-D finite element method is presented in this paper. Detailed stress and strain distributions and whole-field displacements of the assembly are also provided for a better understanding of its mechanical behavior during thermal cycling. It was found that the stresses and strains in the PQFP solder joint are smaller than those in the plastic-leaded-chip-carrier (PLCC) solder joint. The results presented herein should be useful in the design for reliability of this class of surface mount assemblies.

This content is only available via PDF.
You do not currently have access to this content.