COMPUTER-AIDED ENGINEERING (CAE) FOR THE MICROELECTRONIC ENCAPSULATION PROCESS

ENVERTHING FROM COMPUTERS AND CONSUMER ELECTRONICS TO MILITARY EQUIPMENT IS DRIVEN BY MICROCHIPS, THE FIRST LINK IN THE CHAIN OF TECHNOLOGY FOR THE MICROELECTRONIC INDUSTRY. IN ORDER TO EXTEND THE FLEXIBILITY AND CAPACITY OF DEVICE AND SYSTEM DESIGN, MICROELECTRONIC PACKAGING IS BECOMING AS IMPORTANT AS SILICON FABRICATION. AMONG EXISTING ENCAPSULATION METHODS, PLASTIC PACKAGING CONTINUES TO PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN THE GROWTH OF THE MICROELECTRONIC INDUSTRY. THE PERFORMANCE RELIABILITY OF PLASTIC PACKAGING DEPENDS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ENCAPSULANTS AND MANUFACTURING METHODS. TRADITIONALLY, DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING FOR MICROELECTRONIC ENCAPSULATION WITH PLASTIC PACKAGING ARE CONDUCTED IN AN AD-HOC MANNER BASED ON EXPERIENCE AND INTUITION, WHICH IS COSTLY AND TIME CONSUMING. THE STUDY IS AIMED AT ESTABLISHING THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS, AND ATTAINING AN ENGINEERING SOLUTION FOR CHARACTERIZING THE PROCESS. RESEARCHERS ARE EMPLOYING EXPERIMENTAL, ANALYTICAL, AND COMPUTATIONAL EFFORTS TO DEVELOP AN EFFICIENT, RELIABLE ANALYSIS TOOL. THE RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH DEEPEN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROCESS AND FACILITTES SIMULTANEOUS ENGINEERING BY MEANS OF COMPUTER SIMULATION. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE RESEARCH CAN HELP THE U.S. MICROELECTRONIC INDUSTRY GAIN COMPETITIVE STRENGTH IN THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE.