Abstract:

Addressing reliability issues in the design phase and eliminating costly prototype testing are critical to the timely and cost-effective development of electronic components, circuit cards, and equipment. This paper will describe the structure and operation of integrated software tools being developed at the CALCE EPRC which facilitate design-for-reliability and virtual qualification of electronic systems at the component and circuit card level. These software tools assess candidate and existing package designs for reliability in many different environments using a database of fully validated mathematical models based on the fundamental physical mechanisms underlying the failure of electronics systems. In doing so, those tools address a substantial void in the current suite of electrical engineering design automation systems.