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March, 2018 PARTNERING Nikon Verifies
Power Semiconductor Devices for IXYS UK Westcode
By Chris Wright, Director, The Right Image, Ltd. I
XYS UK Westcode, part of the global semiconductor manufac- turer IXYS Corporation, is in- vesting in its Chippenham, U.K., fac- tory to manufacture a new range of power semiconductor devices. These new devices will be marketed along- side the company’s longstanding Press-Pack capsules. Nikon Metrolo- gy was chosen to supply the X-ray equipment to check the quality of the reflow soldering process during pro- duction.
Power semiconductor devices
switch high currents and voltages and are widely used in the rail, wind turbine, mining, and petrochemical sectors. Press-Pack capsules are clamped together under high pres- sure to achieve the required electri- cal rating, whereas isolated power modules use integrated circuit on DCB (direct copper bonded) sub- strate technology. The Nikon Metrol- ogy XT V 160 is suitable, because the reflowed solder, which attaches the chips to their contact pads, must be continuous with a controlled level of
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voids and X-raying is an excellent way to see if these conditions have been met.
“I previously used a smaller Nikon 130 kV X-ray quality assur- ance system when I worked at an electronics company in South Wales, so I knew how easy their equipment is to use,” says Fiona Lambert, process engineer at IXYS UK West- code. “After reviewing what else was on the market, it was clear that the more powerful 160 kV model would best suit our application, which in- volves penetrating thicker and high- er density materials to observe solder coverage.”
What Lambert particularly likes about the Nikon system is the easy access to its large stage, which allows her to place several large com- ponents on it at the same time. The machine is fast in operation and the stage is easy to manipulate in multi- ple axes, so tilting, rotating and posi- tioning, as well as zooming in on the image onscreen is rapid.
“You can see everything clearly, as the image is high-resolution,” Lambert says. “The software is also user-friendly and even works out the percentage of voids in the solder au- tomatically. This ensures that the product meets rigorous specifica- tions.”
Two-Step X-Ray Inspection
X-ray is carried out at two stages during manufacturing. The first is after the chips have been placed on the blank DCB substrate and reflow soldered. After six sub- strates have been electrically tested and soldered onto a 0.2 in. (5 mm) thick aluminum-silicon-carbide base- plate, the entire assembly is X-rayed again.
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The XT V 160 inspects the as- sembly reliably, even without Nikon Metrology’s optional X-ray laminog- raphy software or computed tomog- raphy (CT) add-on. Features include a 20W target power rating, focal spot size between 0.04 and 0.4 mil (1 and 10 μm) depending on power output, up to 36,000x system magnification, and high image quality provided by a Varex 16-bit flat panel. Having such fine resolution allows easy distinc- tion between geometrical shapes and the amorphous voids.
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While the X-ray machine was installed specifically for DCB inspec- tion, its presence at the Chippenham site has proved beneficial for verify- ing the quality of brought-in materi-
als. On one occasion, a supplier dis- puted that there was a high inci- dence of solder blockages in a con- signment of delivered coolers that form part of Press-Pack IGBT stacks. A simple analysis using the XT V 160
The Nikon Metrology XT V 160 is suitable, because the reflowed solder, which attaches the chips to their contact pads, must be continuous with a controlled level of voids and X-raying is an
excellent way to see if these conditions have been met.
provided irrefutable evidence and re- sulted in the prompt arrival of a re- placement batch.
Open-Tube X-Ray Source Design
An additional advantage of Nikon’s X-ray technology is the sta- bility of output, due to the micro- focus spot source and advanced image processing capabilities. These are essential to avoid degradation of the image quality.
Focus of the electron beam is maintained by a computer-controlled, electromagnetic lens that ensures the target does not overheat, while main- taining a micron spot size, even at high-kV settings.
Although it is a high-power ma- chine, the XT V 160 has an open-tube design. As part of planned mainte- nance, replacement of the electron beam-producing filament can be scheduled a couple of times per year for a cost of a few dollars. Filament replacement takes minutes, so down- time is short. A sealed tube, on the other hand, will last for a couple of years, but can stop working without warning. The manufacturer then has to be called in to renew the tube at a cost of many thousands of dollars and the machine is down for days. IXYS UK Westcode’s inspection of power semiconductor devices will increase over the coming years. With one or two products per batch to be X-rayed for quality assurance, the Nikon Metrology machine will be in constant use once the process has been finally established. Contact: Nikon Metrology, Inc., 12701 Grand River Avenue, Brighton, MI 48116 810-220-4360 Web:
www.nikonmetrology.com
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