Semiconductor measurement technology: The use of acoustic emission to determine the integrity of large Kovar glass-sealed microelectronic packages

The general objective of this research was to develop tests to determine the integrity of large hybrid packages under various thermal and mechanical stresses that may be encountered during assembly, during installation in systems, or in operation. The accomplishments were: (1) The effects of avionics environmental vibration on the seals of hybrid packages mounted on printed-circuit (PC) boards were determined. (2) A small acoustic-emission detector was developed that is sensitive to surface waves, but relatively insensitive to vibration induced cable noise. (3) A high-temperature (125 C) open-package helium leak test method was successfully developd to observe marginal seal damage. (4) An acoustic-emission test for inspection of hybrid packages during high-temperature thermal shock was developed.