Chip Package

Define the geometry, placement, and physics of the chip package using Generic and PCB QuickParts.

To define the substrate:
  1. In the Graphics window, right-click the top surface of the PCB and select New QuickPart > PCB > Rectangular.
  2. In the Edit dialog, set Name to Substrate.
  3. Set the following Geometry properties:
    Property Setting
    X 40.0 mm
    Y 40.0 mm
    Thickness 1.0 mm
  4. Set the Location vector to [0.0, 0.0, 0.5] mm.
  5. Click Update.


  6. Within the Physics section, set Thermal Specification to Specify By Layer.
  7. Set the thickness and metal fractions of the layers to the following values:
    Name Thickness Metal Fraction
    Layer 1 0.3 mm 0.9
    Layer 2 0.4 mm 0.01
    Layer 3 0.3 mm 0.9
  8. Click OK.
To define the integrated circuit:
  1. Right-click the top surface of the substrate and select New QuickPart > Generic > Block.
  2. In the Edit dialog, set Name to IntegratedCircuit.
  3. Set the following Geometry properties:
    Property Setting
    X 25.0 mm
    Y 25.0 mm
  4. Set the Location vector to [0.0, 0.0, 0.0] mm.
  5. Click Update.


Account for the heat generation and material of the integrated circuit:
  1. In the Physics section, set Heat Source to 1.0 W.
  2. Click the Solid material box and select Si.
  3. Click OK.
To define the case:
  1. On the substrate, right-click the top face as highlighted below and select New QuickPart > Generic > Block.


  2. In the Edit dialog, set Name to Case.
  3. Right-click one of the long edges of the substrate as highlighted below and select Set Dimension... > X.


  4. Repeat step 19 and select Set Dimension... > Y.
  5. Within the Geometry section, set Z to 3.0 mm.
  6. Set the Location vector to [0.0, 0.0, 0.0] mm.
  7. Click Update.


  8. In the Physics section, click the Solid material box and select Epoxy.
  9. Click OK.
To subtract the Integrated Circuit from the Case:
  1. Right-click the QuickParts > Case node and select Edit Interactions.
  2. In the Subtract group box, click the Solid Quick Objects box and select IntegratedCircuit.
  3. Click Apply and Close.
The next steps describe how to set up the solder balls. Spherical solder balls require extensive mesh refinement in the gaps between the spheres and the attached components. To achieve a good quality mesh with reasonable cell count for this tutorial, the solder balls are modeled as cylinders. To set up the cylindrical shape of a solder ball:
  1. Right-click the QuickParts > PCB node and select Hide From All Scenes.
    The PCB geometry disappears from the scene.
  2. In the Graphics window, right-click the bottom surface of the substrate and select New Construction Geometry > Cylinder.
  3. In the Edit dialog, set the following Geometry properties:
    Property Setting
    Height 0.5 mm
    Base Radius 0.5 mm
  4. Set the Location vector to [-16.0, -16.0, 0.0] mm.
  5. Click Update and OK.


The solder balls follow a regular pattern along straight lines. To set up the pattern:
  1. Right-click the Construction Geometry > Cylinder node and select Pattern Construction Geometry.
  2. In the Edit dialog, within the Direction (n) group boxes, set the following properties:
    1. Direction (1)
      Property Setting
      Distance -2.5 mm
      Number of Instances 14.0
    2. Direction (2)
      Property Setting
      Distance 2.5 mm
      Number of Instances 14.0
  3. Click Update and OK.


To assign physics to the solder balls:
  1. Right-click the QuickParts node and select New QuickPart > Generic > Custom.
  2. In the Select Construction Geometry dialog, select Construction Pattern and click OK.
  3. Right-click the QuickParts > Generic node and select Edit.
  4. In the in-place dialog set Name to SolderBalls.
  5. Within the Physics section, click the Solid material box and select SnPb.
  6. Click Apply and Close.
    All components of the chip package are now complete.
  7. Right-click the QuickParts > PCB node and select Show On All Scenes.
To visualize the overlay of the different chip package components, make the default displayer transparent:
  1. Right-click the Scenes > Electronics Cooling 1 > Default node and select Edit Displayer.
  2. In the in-place dialog, set Opacity to 0.1.
  3. Click Apply and Close.


Organize the components of the chip package in an assembly:
  1. Under the QuickParts node, multi-select the Case, SolderBalls, IntegratedCircuit, and Substrate nodes.
  2. Right-click the selected QuickParts and select Composite.
  3. Right-click the QuickParts > Composite node, select Rename..., and enter Package.
  4. Save the simulation .