Mechanical response of PCB assemblies during infrared reflow soldering

A finite element structural model is developed to predict the thermomechanical behavior of printed circuit board (PCB) assemblies during infrared reflow soldering. Specifically, the model predicts the amount of board warpage, the effects of increased PCB assembly stiffness resulting from the solder joint formation, and the size of gaps generated at the module lead solder pad interface. In this paper, quantitative estimates of these process-induced variables are provided as well as a description of the approach used for the analyses.