vol. 6, issue 11, november 2017 yield improvement using ... improvement... · issn(online):...

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ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology (A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal) Visit: www.ijirset.com Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017 Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0611070 21471 Yield improvement using Failure Modes & Effects Analysis (FMEA) in PCB Assembly Prashant Reddy Gangidi Microelectronics Product Quality and Reliability Engineering, Lam Research Corp, California, USA ABSTRACT: Electrical components reflowed onto a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) via Surface Mount Technology (SMT) process often result in various defects which can severely impact the line yields, resulting in reduced throughputs and scrap rates. Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), a popular quality and reliability management tool from Lean Six Sigmahas been implemented to identify the severity, occurrence frequency and detection capability of such defects and based on Risk Priority Number (RPN) ranking of individual fail modes, corrective actions have been implemented. Defect reduction in the SMT assembly process minimized cost and improvedreliability. Improvement in Stencil Design and advanced inspection procedures played key roles in lowering RPN numbers and improving yields. KEYWORDS: Yield improvement, Surface Mount Technology, Printed Circuit Board (PCB), Stencil Design,Risk Priority Number, FMEA I. INTRODUCTION The global market for Surface Mount Technology (SMT) equipment is projected to reach US$4.5 billion by 2020, driven by the strong demand for electronic products and the ensuing increase in production of Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs).SMT today plays a vital role in the PCB assembling process by enabling mounting of active and passive electronic components directly onto the surface of PCBs. Over the years, SMT equipment has contributed significantly towards simplifying PCB assembly operations, and enabling mass production of electronic devices [1]. Component miniaturization is critical in the SMT assembly industry as the demand for smart phones and other consumer electronic devices is ramping up. These smaller components continue to become mainstream as larger components continue to be used in the same assemblies. Along with complicated SMT processes to be used for assembling high density of components, end users are also pushing for improved yields and product reliability. The ability of the assembly operation to reduce defects in the SMT assembly process can minimize cost, reduce assembly time and ultimately improve product reliability. By identifying the most common types of SMT defects in the process, focus can be placed on specific ways to eliminate those defects. Several SMT defects have been outlined via the Failure Modes Effects & Analysis (FMEA) process but the high yield killer SMT defects addressed in this paper were found to be Solder bridging, poor stencil alignment, tombstones, insufficient solder during printing and component related abnormalities during component attach. The severity and type of SMT defects varies with end product being built. In this case, the manufacturing line was using SMT process for fabricating PCBs for microprocessor applications.FMEA tool was used to rank the severity, occurrence and detection for these defects and based on the Risk Priority Number (RPN) ranking, corrective actions were designed and implemented. Stencil design solutions have been utilized in production to reduce and in many cases,eliminate the defects altogether, thereby significantly improving first pass yields. Sections II and III provide a brief background on the SMT and FMEA process while sections IV and V discuss the FMEA case study on the manufacturing line and corrective actions respectively.

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Page 1: Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017 Yield improvement using ... improvement... · ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)

Visit: www.ijirset.com

Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0611070 21471

Yield improvement using Failure Modes & Effects Analysis (FMEA) in PCB Assembly

Prashant Reddy Gangidi

Microelectronics Product Quality and Reliability Engineering, Lam Research Corp, California, USA

ABSTRACT: Electrical components reflowed onto a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) via Surface Mount Technology (SMT) process often result in various defects which can severely impact the line yields, resulting in reduced throughputs and scrap rates. Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), a popular quality and reliability management tool from Lean Six Sigmahas been implemented to identify the severity, occurrence frequency and detection capability of such defects and based on Risk Priority Number (RPN) ranking of individual fail modes, corrective actions have been implemented. Defect reduction in the SMT assembly process minimized cost and improvedreliability. Improvement in Stencil Design and advanced inspection procedures played key roles in lowering RPN numbers and improving yields. KEYWORDS: Yield improvement, Surface Mount Technology, Printed Circuit Board (PCB), Stencil Design,Risk Priority Number, FMEA

I. INTRODUCTION The global market for Surface Mount Technology (SMT) equipment is projected to reach US$4.5 billion by 2020, driven by the strong demand for electronic products and the ensuing increase in production of Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs).SMT today plays a vital role in the PCB assembling process by enabling mounting of active and passive electronic components directly onto the surface of PCBs. Over the years, SMT equipment has contributed significantly towards simplifying PCB assembly operations, and enabling mass production of electronic devices [1]. Component miniaturization is critical in the SMT assembly industry as the demand for smart phones and other consumer electronic devices is ramping up. These smaller components continue to become mainstream as larger components continue to be used in the same assemblies. Along with complicated SMT processes to be used for assembling high density of components, end users are also pushing for improved yields and product reliability. The ability of the assembly operation to reduce defects in the SMT assembly process can minimize cost, reduce assembly time and ultimately improve product reliability. By identifying the most common types of SMT defects in the process, focus can be placed on specific ways to eliminate those defects. Several SMT defects have been outlined via the Failure Modes Effects & Analysis (FMEA) process but the high yield killer SMT defects addressed in this paper were found to be Solder bridging, poor stencil alignment, tombstones, insufficient solder during printing and component related abnormalities during component attach. The severity and type of SMT defects varies with end product being built. In this case, the manufacturing line was using SMT process for fabricating PCBs for microprocessor applications.FMEA tool was used to rank the severity, occurrence and detection for these defects and based on the Risk Priority Number (RPN) ranking, corrective actions were designed and implemented. Stencil design solutions have been utilized in production to reduce and in many cases,eliminate the defects altogether, thereby significantly improving first pass yields. Sections II and III provide a brief background on the SMT and FMEA process while sections IV and V discuss the FMEA case study on the manufacturing line and corrective actions respectively.

Page 2: Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017 Yield improvement using ... improvement... · ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)

Visit: www.ijirset.com

Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0611070 21472

II. SMT ASSEMBLY PROCESS AND COMMON DEFECTS SMT uses an assembly process in which the components are soldered to lands on the surface of the board, rather than inserted into holes running through the board. Advantages of SMT include (1) increased package densities (2) dual side mounting (3) utilizing same electronic systems for smaller PCBs, (4) avoiding excessive via hole drilling (5) reduction in spurious capacitances and inductances [2].SMT line used for this study is highlighted in Fig.1 while Fig.2 shows the SMT process flow for component attach onto PCBs.

Fig. 1: SMT Line and Machines

Fig.2. SMT Process Flow

SMT process often results in several universal defects [1]. In this paper, most severely yield impacting defects are shown in Fig 3 [4]

Page 3: Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017 Yield improvement using ... improvement... · ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)

Visit: www.ijirset.com

Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0611070 21473

(a) (b) (c) (d)

(e)

Fig 3. Commonly observed defects during SMT (a) Bridging (b) Voids (c) Insufficient solder (d) Misalignment (e) Tombstones

III. LITERATURE REVIEW ON FMEA METHODOLOGY

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a reliability tool designed to (i) Identify and fully understand potential failure modes and their causes, and the effects of failure on the system or end users, for a given product or process, (ii) Assess the risk associated with the identified failure modes, effects and causes, and prioritize issues for corrective action and (iii) Identify and carry out corrective actions to address the most serious concerns [5]. An international standard named SAE J1739-2006 was developed by the automotive leaders Daimler Chrysler, Ford and General Motors which provides detailed documentation for different types of FMEA [6]. The types of FMEA mentioned in the document are: System – focuses on global system functions Design – focuses on components and subsystems Process – focuses on manufacturing and assembly processes Service – focuses on service functions Software – focuses on software functions. FMEA should serve as a guide to engineers for the development of a complete set of actions that will reduce risk associated with the design process, system, subsystem, and component or manufacturing/assembly process to an acceptable level. FMEA was first developed in the aerospace industry in the 1950 and 1960s and since then, it has been extensively used as a powerful technique for system safety and reliability analysis of products and processes in wide range of industries such as semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, automobile, biomedical device manufacturing, etc[7]. Benefits of using FMEA process are:

Improved product/process reliability and quality Happy customers Early identification and elimination of potential product/process failure modes.

300 um 300 um

Page 4: Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017 Yield improvement using ... improvement... · ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)

Visit: www.ijirset.com

Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0611070 21474

Prioritization of product/process deficiencies. Capture engineering/organization knowledge. Problem prevention very early in product life cycle. Documentation of risksand corrective actions taken. Providing focus for improved testing, control and development. Minimized cost of poor quality. Teamwork and idea exchange between cross functional teams.

The FMEA is a living document which must be a part of the control plan maintained by the Quality engineering department of an organization [8]. Throughout the product development cycle, changes and updates are made to the product and process. These changes can and often do introduce new failure modes. It is therefore important to review and/or update the FMEA when a design change is being done while an older revision of the product is still in manufacturing. The product and process are inter-related. When the design changes occur, the process is impacted and vice-versa.

IV. FMEA METHODOLOGY The process for conducting an FMEA is outlined by the steps below: Step1: Assemble a cross-functional team of people with diverse knowledge about the process, product or service and customer needs. Functions often included are: design, manufacturing, quality, testing, reliability, maintenance, purchasing (and suppliers), sales, marketing and customer service. Step2: Identify the scope of the FMEA. Is it for system, design, process, service or software? Use flowcharts/tree diagrams to identify the scope and to make sure every team member understands it in detail. Describe the product/process and its function. In-depth understanding of product or process under consideration helps identifying those product/processes that fall within scope and those that are not in scope. For Process FMEA, the engineer must perform a GEMBA (live audit/inspection) around the manufacturing line to identify processes that could cause potential risk to the product. Step 3: Develop and fill out FMEA template as shown in fig.4

Fig.4: FMEA template example Step4:Scope functions are identified which seek answers to questions like “What is the purpose of this system, design, process or service? What do our customers expect it to do?”

Page 5: Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017 Yield improvement using ... improvement... · ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)

Visit: www.ijirset.com

Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0611070 21475

Step 5:For each function, identify all possible ways a failure could happen. These are potential failure modes. Historical fail modes through RMA (Return material authorization) process, customer out of box quality issues, inline defect and rework issues etc. Step 6:For each failure mode, identify all the consequences on the system, related systems, processes, product, service, customer or regulations. These are potential effects of failure. This step tries to understand “What are customer risks because of this failure? What happens when this failure occurs?” Use of customer surveys can be used to gather problems faced by customers. Step 7:Determine severity of the fail mode by rating it on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is insignificant and 10 is catastrophic. If a failure mode has more than one effect, enter on the FMEA table only the highest severity rating for that failure mode. Step8:For each failure mode, determine all the potential root causes based on team knowledge, experience, historical data. Step 9:For each cause, determine the occurrence rating, or O. This rating estimates the probability of failure occurring for that reason during the lifetime of your scope. Occurrence is usually rated on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is extremely unlikely and 10 is inevitable. Step 10:For each cause, identify current process controls. These are tests, procedures or mechanisms that you now have in place to keep failures from reaching the customer. Good examples of control mechanisms are Statistical Process Control (SPC) charts to detect process variation and defective parts, defect scanning machines like X-ray scanners, optical microscopes etc. Step 11:For each control, determine the detection rating, or D. This rating estimates how well the controls can detect either the cause or its failure mode after they have happened but before the customer is affected. Detection ratings are from 1 to 10, where 1 means the control is absolutely certain to detect the problem and 10 means it is almost impossible for detection or no control exists at all. Step 12:Risk priority number, or RPN is calculated by simply multiplying S × O × D. These numbers provide guidance for ranking potential failures in the order they should be addressed. Table I shows qualitative scale for Severity, Occurrence and Detection (Stamatis, 2003). Step13:Developcorrective actions around design or process changes to lower severity or occurrence and additional controls to improve detection. Action item owners must be identified across the team along with target completion dates. Step 14:As actions are completed, note results and the date on the FMEA form. Also, note new S, O or D ratings and new RPNs. New RPN’s determine effectiveness of completed corrective actions and tell us about further improvements [9,10].

Page 6: Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017 Yield improvement using ... improvement... · ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)

Visit: www.ijirset.com

Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0611070 21476

TABLE I: Scale for Severity, Occurrence and Detection

Rank Severity Occurrence Detection 1 Insignificant Extremely unlikely Almost Certain 2 Very Minor Remote Very High 3 Minor Very Slight High 4 Very Low Slight Moderately High 5 Low Low Moderate 6 Moderate Medium Low 7 High Moderately High Very Low 8 Very High High Remote 9 Serious Very High Very Remote 10 Catastrophic Inevitable Almost Impossible

V. FMEA CONSTRUCTION FOR SMT LINE

Utilizing FMEA table construction methodology with the SMT process steps and Failure modes/Defects detected at each step, FMEA table for SMT is outlined in Table II. Most typical Failure effects of poor SMT processes are component shorting, leakage, poor solder joint quality and reliability (cold solder joints, bridging, voids, collapsing etc).

TABLE II: FMEA table for SMT Process Steps Process Step

Failure Mode/Defects

Failure effects

S Causes O Current Controls/Detection

D RPN

Paste Screen Printing

Solder Bridging

Shorting

10 Poor Stencil Design

6 Aperture size measurement/Optical inspection

7 420

Incorrect alignment of stencil to paste

6 Optical inspection 5 300

Aging squeegee 2 Optical inspection 2 40 Incorrect paste 2 Buddy Checks, expiration

date checks manually 3 60

PCB Temperature gradient

4 Thermocouple 2 80

Leakage

8 Poor Stencil Design

6 Design reviews with engineering

7 336

Incorrect alignment 6 Optical inspection 2 96 Aging squeegee 2 Optical inspection 2 96 Incorrect paste 2 Buddy Checks, expiration

date checks manually 2 32

PCB Temperature 4 Thermocouple 2 64 10 Warped stencil 2 Manual checks 1 20

Opens 10 Operator error 5 Optical inspection 3 150 10 Warped stencil 2 Manual Checks 2 40

Poor Solder Uniformity

Solder Joint Reliability

10 Inappropriate squeegee handling by Operator

2 Optical inspection/ X-ray 2 40

10 Stencil planarity 2 Nikon Scope (Flatness 2 40

Page 7: Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017 Yield improvement using ... improvement... · ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)

Visit: www.ijirset.com

Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0611070 21477

Measurement) Poor Solder Quality

Cold Solder joints

10 Poor storage/handling; expired material

2 X-ray 2 40

Cross contamination

4 Optical inspection/X-ray 4 160

Insufficient Solder

Cold Solder joints,

10 Aperture size 4 Optical inspection (manually)

3 120

10 Lack of Cleanliness 4 Manual checks 3 120 10 Insufficient paste

on stencil 5 Manual checks 4 200

10 Dry Paste 2 Viscosity tests 2 40 Tombstones Rework 8 Uneven paste

printing 5 Optical inspection 4 160

Poor pad design 5 Optical inspection 4 160 Component Placement

Solder Bridging

Leakage 10 Inaccurate component placement by Operator

6 Operator buddy checks on traveler and Final Quality Assurance manual inspection

7 420

Tombstone

rework 8 Chip placement speed (too fast/slow)

5 Not in place 4 160

Missing/Tilted component

Electrical failure, rework

9 Pick and Place machine error

8 Manual checks 6 432

Missing components in reel (supplier related)

8 Manual checks 6 432

Reflow

Voids Leakage 8 Poor Stencil Design

8 Not in place 7 448

Pad oxidization 5 Optical inspection, reflow checks

4 160

Poor Reflow profile causing Flux Outgassing

5 Optical inspection, SEM 4 160

8 Inappropriate Paste Chemistries

3 Optical inspection, SEM 2 48

Tombstone Rework 8 Uneven reflow oven temperature

5 Optical inspection, SEM 4 160

Based on the above Table II, a pareto was generated for key fail modes by each process step which is presented in Fig.5. This paper focusses on highest yield impacting fail modes with high RPN values and the main causes of fail modes as summarized in Table III.

Page 8: Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017 Yield improvement using ... improvement... · ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)

Visit: www.ijirset.com

Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0611070 21478

TABLE III: FMEA Table for high RPN fail modes impacting yields

Process Step Fail Mode S O D RPN Main Causes Paste Screen Printing

Solder bridging 10 6 7 420 Poor Stencil Design Poor Stencil Alignment 10 8 5 400 Poor Stencil Design, Operator

error Tombstones 8 5 4 160 Poor Stencil Design

Uneven Paste Printing Insufficient Solder 10 6 7 420 Poor Stencil Design

Component Placement

Solder bridging 8 5 4 160 Pick and Place Machine error Tombstones 8 5 4 160 Pick and Pace Machine

velocity, nozzle problems Missing/Tilted/incorrect components

9 8 6 432 Missing components on supplier reel Operator error during handling of feeder trays

Reflow Voids 8 8 7 448 Flux Outgassing Poor Reflow Profile Paste chemistry

Fig 5: RPN Pareto for key Fail Modes by SMT Process Step

As we can see from Table III, failure effects such as shorting, open circuits, poor joint reliability have severe impact on the customer and hence rank very high for Severity (S), while failure effects such as leakage, missing/tilted components, tombstones, rework have a lesser Severity number as they only impact inline yields and are not detected at customer due to better in process detection capability.

Page 9: Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017 Yield improvement using ... improvement... · ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)

Visit: www.ijirset.com

Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0611070 21479

VI. CORRECTIVE ACTION DEVELOPMENT Through extensive literature review, most of the failure modes can be prevented by improving the Stencil Design [11,12]. This section identifies the design, equipment and process level changes implemented as corrective actions to address the high RPN failure modes. Table IV focusses on stencil design changes while table VI highlights process and operator level changes implemented. VI.1 Stencil Design Changes

TABLE IV: Stencil Design Changes Defect/Fail Mode Stencil Design Improvement Solder Bridging

Make aperture width half of the pitch of component leads as shown in Fig.6. For instance, if the pitch is 15.7 (0.4 mm), the stencil aperture width should be 7.85 mils.

Fig.6: Half pitch rule

Tombstones Reverse U-Shape” aperture was designed (Fig. 7). This design removes excess solder paste on the outside of the component which lowers the wetting force of the solder when it becomes liquid consequently aiding in component tombstoning prevention [13].

Fig 7: Reverse U Shape Aperture Design

Page 10: Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017 Yield improvement using ... improvement... · ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)

Visit: www.ijirset.com

Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0611070 21480

Voids Break up big aperture square into smaller apertures. Larger aperture separations further reduced voiding. The IPC 7525(B) Stencil Design Guidelines [14] address ground pads for LCC/BTC device and suggests a 20% to 50% reduction in the area and the use of a window pane design as shown in Fig. 8.

Fig 8: Different Aperture designs to reduce voiding

VI.2 Pick and Place Machine improvements to reduce missing/tilted/incorrect components Most Pick and Place machines operate in a sequential manner as shown in Fig 9.

Fig 9: Sequential Pick and Place process

Problems encountered with sequential Pick and Place process include:

High accelerations / decelerations High forces acting on components that induce risk of component shift or loss No component position monitoring between component alignment and placement position. Lack of force control/no presence check.

Working with SMT tool vendor, we switched to a parallel pick and place (P&P) component assembly process represented in Fig.10.

Page 11: Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017 Yield improvement using ... improvement... · ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)

Visit: www.ijirset.com

Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0611070 21481

Fig.10: Parallel Pick and Place (P&P) process

The parallel Pick and Place process offers following advantages:

Component pick correction Better Force control Component presence and alignment check.

Experiments were carried out wherein several components were mounted using the Sequential and Parallel P&P process and a Defects Per Million Opportunities (DPMO)comparison study on these components was carried out to compare yields (Fig.11). Data revealed a yield delta of 21.1 % between both the processes which was significant enough to switch the manufacturing line to sequential pick and place from Parallel pick and place process. Yield comparisons shown below

(a) (b) Fig.11(a) Parallel P&P line data (b) Sequential P&P line data

VI.3 Process Level Improvements Apart from Stencil design and equipment level changes discussed in previous sections, this section outlines the process level changes including material and operator level training as corrective actions to address the fail modes via Table V.

Page 12: Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017 Yield improvement using ... improvement... · ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)

Visit: www.ijirset.com

Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0611070 21482

TABLE V: Summary of Design, process/equipment, material and operator changes

Fail Mode

Corrective Action

Design Process/Equipment Material Operator Solder Bridging Improve stencil design

Check operating temperature to be within supplier recommendations.

Perform cold and hot slump test result using IPC-TM-650 Method 2.4.35 [11].

Follow IPC recommended reflow profile based on solder paste alloy combination used

Paste expiry checks every 2 months.

Extensive training via 1 Point lessons following IPC standards.

IPC recertification implementation monitored by supervisors

Voids Improve stencil and PCB pad design

Optimize Peak reflow temperature and ramp rate during reflow by performing Design of Experiments (DOE).

Install Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) system

Optimize Alloy composition as different alloys have different voiding results.

Not Applicable (N/A)

Tombstones Improve stencil design

Improve Pad design to ensure equal pad size and uniform component coverage

Note: Equal Pad size will minimize component size variation which reduces unequal wetting (major driving force for tombstones)

Improve SMT machine component placement and accuracy(Parallel P&P process)

If due to design limitation, use a gradual soak ramp rate during reflow just before reaching liquidus point, e.g.,SAC305, soak @ 190-220°C for 30-45 sec [11].

N/A Operator training plans on AOI usage to detect tombstones during inline inspection

Poor Stencil Alignment N/A Inspect squeegees at regular intervals.

Implement vision finding software for fiducial positioning.

Check for dry paste

Operator training and certification process.

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International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)

Visit: www.ijirset.com

Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0611070 21483

VI.4 Improving Detection Capability While tables IV and V focus on actions that help reduce occurrence ranking of the high impacting failure modes, a great deal of effort was also spent on improving detection score. Due to increased complexity of the boards being manufactured, manual inspection did not seem like a viable option to reduce defects. Several operator misses of component assembly resulted in poor first pass yields and customer failures. With the marketplace now requiring high volume, high quality products to be brought to market very quickly, very reliable and fast methods are needed to ensure that product quality remains high. Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) is an essential tool in an integrated electronic test strategy that ensure costs are kept as low as possible by detecting faults early in the production line. AOI systems can be placed into the production line just after the solder process. By doing so, they can be used to detect problems early in the production process. This has a number of advantages. With faults costing more to fix the further along the production process they are found, this is obviously the optimum place to find faults. Additional process problems in the solder and assembly area can be seen early in the production process and information used to feedback quickly to earlier stages. This creates a rapid response which can ensure that problems are recognized quickly and rectified before too many boards are built with the same problem.AOI systems are able to detect a variety of surface feature defects such as nodules, scratches and stains as well as the more familiar dimensional defects such as open circuits, shorts and thinning of the solder. They can also detect incorrect components, missing components and incorrectly placed components. As such they are able to perform all the visual checks performed previously by manual operators, and far more swiftly and accurately. AOI uses techniques such as template matching, pattern matching to provide the analysis of whether a board is satisfactory or has any defects. We installed the FX-940 AOI system (Fig.12) from Nordson at our SMT assembly line which offers high-speed PCB assemblies inspection with exceptional defect coverage, inspecting solder joints and verifying correct part assembly, enabling improved quality and increased throughput.

Insufficient solder Improve Stencil design for maximum paste transfer efficiency. (Area ratio > 0.66, Aspect ratio > 1.5, No burrs on stencil aperture edge)

Implement Statistical Process Control (SPC) for inline process variation.

Reduce print speed to provide sufficient time for paste to roll into aperture.

Set bottom zones in reflow oven to be higher temperature if possible, to keep PCB hotter than component leads.

Check paste conditions such as dry paste phenomenon by verifying if paste rolls or skids along print direction.

Operator training and certification process.

Missing/Tilted/incorrect components

N/A Switch Pick and Place settings from sequential to parallel transfer.

Periodic Tool maintenance on nozzle

Implement AOI inspection step.

N/A Training based on IPC standards and work instructions.

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ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710

International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)

Visit: www.ijirset.com

Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0611070 21484

Fig.12: Nordson FX-940 AOI System

VII. RESULTS& CONCLUSIONS After implementing the corrective actions, revised RPN numbers were calculated and compared with original RPN numbers (Fig. 13). Note that in Fig. 13 histogram, the fail modes have been normalized across process steps and values were plotted thereafter for easier visualization. First Pass Yield calculations for SMT component assembly are primarily calculated by analyzing number of PCBs passing electrical leakage tests and missing/faulty component checks through AOI. Defects listed in this paper all contribute to leakage failures. Pre/Post PFMEA implementation yield chart is presented in Fig. 14.

Fig.13. RPN histogram comparison pre/post corrective action implementation

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International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

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Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017

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Fig.14. Yield rates pre/post FMEA implementation From the above 2 charts, it can be clearly seen that implementation of design, process, equipment and operator level changes not only greatly reduced risk levels for all the defects listed but also greatly enhanced first pass yield values from 70 -80 % range to 90-100 % range.

VIII. ONGOING WORK

We are currently evaluating the deployment of Statistical Process Control (SPC) across the SMT process steps i.e paste printing, component placement and reflow process. Key process parameters for each of these processes have been outlined as shown in Table VI. Specification limits are obtained using IPC standards and customer requirements while control limits will be determined from the process runs. Beginning with process characterization, and followed by development of a process control plan to assess, track and control assembly, we are seeking to develop a successful methodology for SPC in the SMT process area which will further improve First Pass Yields. Table VI. Highlights the key process parameters for the SMT process steps that require SPC.

TABLE.VI: Process Parameters for SMT Process Steps

Process Step Process Parameter to be Controlled

Paste Printing Print Alignment, Solder fillet Volume

Component Placement X-Y Displacement, Rotation

Reflow Ramp Rate, Soak Time, Peak Temperature, Time above Reflow

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International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

(A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal)

Visit: www.ijirset.com

Vol. 6, Issue 11, November 2017

Copyright to IJIRSET DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2017.0611070 21486

IX. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author would like to thank faculty of Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani, India for their mentorship and guidance on technical aspects. Author would like to express gratitude towards Lam research for laboratory and equipment access.

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