Active components embedded into organic boards - Accelerated design by means of finite element simulation and micro deformation measurements

More and more dense packaging is one of the most important challenges in advanced electronics and micro technology. One way to achieve this is to bury active as well as passive components into the printed circuit boards. In addition, very short interconnects can be realised which is advantageous especially for RF applications. Besides the pure functionality, the designers of new products have to meet reliability requirements. This is not only related to the electrical properties but also to the thermal as well as the thermo-mechanical design. As most as possible of the imaginable loading conditions have to be investigated which are expected during manufacturing, testing, storing, and operation. This can be done efficiently by numerical studies based on finite element analyses (FEA), accompanied by deformation measurements at suitable test structures. The resulting methodology is outlined here, can be generalised, and applied to many design procedures before any real parts are available. It is helpful to reduce cost and time-to-market for future products by minimising real tests and an expensive redesign.