Advanced testing and prognostics of ball grid array components with a stand-alone monitor IC

In this paper, we introduced a new solder-joint fault sensor, SJ Monitor. We gave a brief overview of the mechanics-of-failure, the intermittent behavior of fractured solder bumps, the state-of-the-art in fault detection, details of the SJ Monitor and discussed intermittency mitigation. The primary contributor to fatigue damage of solder joints is thermomechanical stresses. Solder-joint fatigue damage can result in fractures that cause intermittent instances of high-resistance spikes that are hard to diagnose.