Microelectronics Reliability 43 (2003) 11251136 www.elsevier.

com/locate/microrel

Three-dimensional FEM simulations of thermomechanical stresses in 1.55 lm Laser modules

Y. Deshayes
a

a,*

, L. Bechou a, J.Y. Deletage a, F. Verdier a, Y. Danto a, D. Latte b, J.L. Goudard b

ration, 33405 Talence Cedex, France IXL Laboratory, ENSEIRB, University of Bordeaux I, 351 Cours de la Libe b ALCATEL Optronics, Route de Villejust, 91625 Nozay, France Received 8 November 2002; received in revised form 28 March 2003

Abstract The purpose of this study is to present three-dimensional simulations using nite element method (FEM) of thermomechanical stresses and strains in 1550 nm Laser modules induced by Nd:YAG crystal Laser welds and thermal cycles on two main sub-assemblies: Laser submount and pigtail. Non-linear FEM computations, taking into account of experimental re measured curves, show that Laser welding process can induce high level of strains in columns of the Laser platform, bearing the Laser diode, responsible of an optical axis shift and a gradual drop of the optical power in relation with relaxation of accumulated stresses in the sub-assembly. In the case of thermal cycles, stresses can occur on elements sensitive to coecient of thermal expansion mismatches such as solder joint between the Laser platform and thermoelectric cooler and as ber glued into the pigtail leading to crack propagation with sudden drop of optical power. The main objective of the paper is to evaluate thermomechanical sensitivity and critical zones of the Laser module in order to improve mechanical stability after Laser weld and reach qualication standards requirements without failures. Experimental analyses were also conducted to correlate simulation results and monitor the output optical power of Laser modules after 500 thermal cycles ()40 C/+85 C VRT). 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction The development of high bandwidth single mode ber optics communication technologies coupled with the availability of emitter components for wavelength multiplexing have created a revolution in the transmission technology during the last ten years. These performances can be reached by packaging interface and control circuits with the optical chips leading to the concept of high reliable technically-advanced Laser modules which can be used by end-users without the need for a detailed knowledge of optoelectronics. Low cost, low consumption, hermetical and highly ecient optical coupling between the Laser diode and the single-

Corresponding author. Tel.: +33-5568-46547/42858; fax: +33-5563-71545. E-mail address: bechou@ixl.u-bordeaux.fr (Y. Deshayes).

mode ber associated to a mechanical stability are one of the key issues for such systems. Packaging of optoelectronics components requires the solution of optical, mechanical and electrical problems. These problems are often highly interactive and the stability of optoelectronic devices is an essential factor to ensure high bandwidth data transmission, acceptable bit-error rate and develop reliable solutions. Photonic systems involve both a mechanical alignment and a direct attachment or not between the light emitter and the optical ber [1,2]. To ensure high coupling eciency, the mechanical stability of the optical elements is critical. Three primary techniques have been developed to align and attach the light-emitter to the optical ber associated with dierent package congurations: solder, epoxies and Nd:YAG Laser welding [3]. It has been already demonstrated that Nd:YAG Laser welding technique is the most eective method to satisfy performances criteria previously described. Due to inherent advantages, a growing number

0026-2714/03/$ - see front matter 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S0026-2714(03)00099-4

1126

Y. Deshayes et al. / Microelectronics Reliability 43 (2003) 11251136

of communication systems integrators are requesting Laser welded packages for their end-users. The mechanical stability requires tolerances of less than 1 lm to avoid a power change lower than 10%, which must be consistent during the lifetime of the module and across the temperature range. In recent papers, possible causes of power changes in an optoelectronic transmitter have been listed [4,5]: mechanical stresses or defects in solders, degradation of the thermocooler, relaxation of thermomechanical stresses appearing during module assembly and mismatched CTE of package elements, breakage or slow movements of the ber glued in the ferule, . . . Standard qualication procedures, in particular power drift measurement, must be conducted to validate the system with respect to tolerances through temperature cycling or storage temperature characterizing the limits and the margins of the technology. Actual standards tend to be 500 cycles in the temperature range )40 C/+85 C without failures [4]. These ageing tests are generally realized in order to evaluate all the parameters in relation with failure distribution but more than one hundred modules must be performed during several thousands hours mixing dierent life test conditions. These results can allow to determine the robustness of the technology but due to a high complexity of the package, cannot give accurate information on the failure origin, which is responsible of the optical power drift. To face qualication challenges, new processes are now being proposed focusing on reliability concerns at the early stage of the product development. In this approach, the qualication is considered as a long-term process rather than a nal exam at the end of the development [6]. Based on environmental and functional specications, the product development can start with a technical risk analysis phase. This phase aims at pointing out the major risks for a given product design. These risks are then assessed and lowered through dedicated action plans performed on representative test units or complete products. In this case, physical simulations (thermal, mechanical and thermomechanical) can also be used to give complementary information and to assess the risk criticality [7]. The purpose of this study deals with results achieved from nonlinear thermomechanical simulations using nite-element method (FEM) of a direct modulation 1.55 lm Laser module for telecommunication applications. In this paper, two main parts will be developed: calculations of stresses and strains in the critical zones based on both technological and thermomechanical analyses of the whole Laser module (con-

struction design, dissimilar materials, mismatched CTE, . . .), relation between calculated strains and optical misalignment responsible of gradual power drift. Experimental failure analyses will be also conducted to validate thermomechanical simulations, focused in particular on Laser welded joints in order to propose assumptions for accumulated strains relaxation phenomenon. In this context, both thermal, electrical and thermomechanical simulations on the package must be realized using an original approach based on multiphysics computations of ANSYS software, in particular for electro-thermal Nd:YAG Laser modeling [8]. First, a description of the Laser module is given and 3D-FEM models of each sub-assembly are presented taking into account of the dierent materials characteristics versus temperature and external loads related to manufacturing steps. The last section gives simulation results of the main sub-assemblies of the Laser module concluding on thermomechanical sensitivity of critical zones and the impact on a possible optical axis misalignment.

2. Description of the Laser module design Semiconductor Laser package bodies are typically either cylindrical-type or box-type styles. For lightwave communication systems, box-type bodies are widely used and in particular Dual-In-Line or Buttery packages with ber pigtails. Our study is focused on 1.55 lm Buttery package Laser module and a technological description is presented in Fig. 1. The Laser diode (Distributed FeedBack Laser diode InP/InGaAsP) emitting at 1.55 lm is soldered with a AuSn solder joint (8 lm) on the Laser sub-mount (AlN), and then the sub-mount is attached to the Laser platform (composed by a submount and 2 columns bearing the lens holder) in Kovar by a SnSb solder joint (8 lm). Lens 1, used to collimate the Laser beam from the Laser diode, and the isolator are welded to a lens holder (Kovar) by means of

Sub-assembly 1

Fig. 1. Technological description of the Laser module with the two main sub-assemblies.

Y. Deshayes et al. / Microelectronics Reliability 43 (2003) 11251136

1127

Nd:YAG Laser welding process. The Laser platform and the lens holder are also welded corresponding to the sub-assembly 1. This last element is then attached to the thermoelectric cooler and mounted with a SnPbAg solder joint (10 lm) in a Buttery-type package (Kovar). The sub-assembly 2 is composed of a second lens, used to focalized Laser beam into the ber core, glued with an adhesive material into a circular ferule (Zirconia/ Kovar). Finally, the sub-assembly 2 is Nd:YAG Laser welded to the Buttery-type package providing a complete hermiticity for the system. As an alternative to the common adhesives or solders used in the joining process, Nd:YAG Laser welding oers a number of attractive features such as high weld strength to weld size ratio, minimal heat aected zone, reliability providing some benets: low heat distortion, non-contact process, repeatability and ability to automate [1]. Nevertheless, the main drawback of Laser welding is that the intense energy input, resulting in severe thermal gradients, can contribute to generate strains driving elements out of alignment. Motions in excess of 10 lm can be introduced and sub-micron alignment usually requires some type of motion compensation after the initial welds to hold required tolerances [9]. It is also well-known that one severe limitation on the reliability of microassembling technologies concerns the stress caused by thermomechanical constants dierence relating to materials of the package (solder joints, glue, . . .). Consequently an important failure source is relative to solder or adhesive joints, which are in most cases, a critical part of the assembly and has a major inuence on its reliability. For example, defects appearing after a number of thermal cycles depend on many factors and mainly on CTE mismatches between the silicon die and the substrate in particular for chipon-board technology [10]. Generally, maximum strain rate is calculated to determine the most strained region corresponding to the most likely failure zone of the solder joint. In this case, the determination of the local maximum strain accumulated and plastic rate deformation after thermal cycles can only be done by FEM modeling of the whole package. For that, accuracy of simulations is strongly dependent on physical parameters introduced for thermomechanical computations. Solder and adhesive behaviors must be represented by a stressstrain re relation based on a bilinear model including both elastic and plastic zone varying with temperature and experimentally measured.

lations are performed using FEM ANSYS software. The dierent models and boundary conditions are dened in this part and the two main sub-assemblies, previously described, are divided into three parts as a function of the simulation type: Sub-assembly 1a is composed of the Laser platform and the lens holder essentially in Kovar. The assembling of the two parts requires Laser welding process, which is the most critical manufacturing step. This study is particularly focalized on impact of Nd:YAG Laser welding process on optical beam axis deviation taking into account of real manufacturing conditions of the Laser module. The model is based on electrical thermal and mechanical simulation using multiphysics approach and will allow to extract isothermal contour plots to evaluate magnitude of thermal gradients in the sub-assembly 1a. The nal goal is to calculate residual stresses and the optical beam axis deviation after this process. Sub-assembly 1b, related to the Laser platform, is mounted on a thermoelectric cooler by means of a SnPbAg solder joint (10 lm). Non-linear thermomechanical simulations considering thermal cycles ()40 C/+85 C) are made to evaluate thermal fatigue of the solder joint. The ber pigtail represents the sub-assembly 2. Nonlinear thermomechanical simulations considering thermal cycles ()40 C/+85 C) are made to evaluate strains on the lament of the optical ber glued into the ferule of the pigtail. Solder joint and glue are at the origin of fatigue phenomenon and defect propagation located in interfaces. Theses elements are very sensitive during ageing tests. Sub-assembly 1a: Fig. 2 presents the global model of sub-assembly 1a with a planar symmetry (Ox, Oy ). Fixed points, considered as nodes without any degrees of freedom, represent xing anges used in manufacturing process to maintain the lens holder and the Laser

3. Finite element analysis conditions In order to determine critical areas of the Laser module from a thermomechanical point of view, simu-

Fig. 2. Sub-assembly 1a simulated design with external loads.

1128

Y. Deshayes et al. / Microelectronics Reliability 43 (2003) 11251136

platform during Laser welding process. The external loads are listed below: The weight is applied on the gravity center. The clamp forces Fpres to ensure an adjustment between Laser platform and lens holder is applied on the back of the lens holder during Laser welding process. The Laser heating conditions are described by the inset of Fig. 2a and modeled by Joule heating considering the well-known thermal/electrical analogies. The equipotential surface is adjusted to obtain a maximum temperature at 1400 K. We use two dierent electrical characteristics to traduce a localized heat source as generated by a Nd:YAG Laser beam. This part will be developed in the next section. An optimized model with 7526 elements and 11803 nodes using three-dimensional hexagonal multiphysics transfer elements was used for this sub-assembly 1a. Sub-assembly 1a is mainly composed of Kovar. Values of physical constants used in these simulations for the sub-assembly 1 are listed in Table 1. Material properties are assumed to be dependent on temperature. The time dependence of Laser welding process has conducted us to elaborate time-dependent (transient) simulations. Fig. 3 summarizes the time dependence of the applied conditions for an analysis of thermal stress and distortion of the sub-assembly 1a. In this study, the laser heating is modeled by Joule heating taking into account of electrical/thermal energy considering that a Laser welded joint can be associated to an electrical resistance calculated from the same area of material (Kovar). To evaluate the thermal energy developed in the volume of the welded joint, we considered the relation between the enthalpy variation and the electrical energy (1): V Dt 1 R with DH denes the enthalpy variation, R is equivalent of an electrical resistance of the Laser welded joint volume, V corresponds to the time-dependent applied DH
Table 1 Physical constants of the material using in the sub-assembly 1a versus temperature Kovar 300 K CTE (lm/K) Young modulus (GPa) Yield strength (MPa) Poisson ratio Thermal conductivity (W m1 K1 ) Heat capacity (J kg1 ) Melting point (K) 5.13 138 345 0.317 17.3 439 873 K 5.86 138 245 0.317 17.3 439 1723 1473 K 11.5 138 50 0.317 17.3 649
2

Fig. 3. Time dependence of boundary conditions for subassembly 1a.

voltage (VYAG1 and VYAG2 ) and Dt is the YAG Laser pulse duration (2.5 ms). VYAG1 and VYAG2 respectively correspond to inferior and superior Laser welded joint and are not applied simultaneously as shown in Fig. 3. Deposed energy with a YAG Laser is calculated considering electrical energy dissipated from a resistance on which an applied voltage allows to simulate a thermal energy in the volume of the spot weld with a temperature close to the melting temperature. Our simulations are based on the following expressions giving the relation between electrical energy and thermodynamical conditions: V2 Dt mCp DT Lf R DH mCp DT Lf 2

Eq. (2) gives the heating conditions corresponding to the Laser energy quantity deposed on the material with Cp denes as heat capacity (in J kg1 C1 ) and Lf represents the latent heat of melting given in Joule. Cooling conditions taking into account of latent heat solidication Ls , given in Joule, are resumed by Eq. (3). It is known that, for Kovar, the heat capacity parameter has temperature dependence and literature allows to extract the value until 1200 C rather than heat latent of solidication is dicult to obtain [5]. This parameter traduces cooling which is critical in this case. So proposed simulations are computed at a temperature close to 1473 K corresponding to the temperature at which thermomechanical constants are given in Table 1. All thermomechanical properties have been used to simulate the Laser welding process and give thermal and mechanical solutions [5]. Sub-assembly 1b: The sub-assembly 1b is composed of the Laser platform mounted on the thermoelectric cooler with a SnPbAg solder joint (10 lm). Fig. 4 presents the dierent external loads of sub-assembly 1b:

Y. Deshayes et al. / Microelectronics Reliability 43 (2003) 11251136

1129

Table 2 Physical constants of the materials using in the sub-assembly 1b (ambient temperature) Kovar CTE (lm/K) Youngs modulus (GPa) Yield strength (MPa) Poisson ratio 5.13 138 345 0.317 Al2 O3 7 200 0.3 SnPbAg 24.7 9 9 0.3

Fig. 4. Sub-assembly 1b simulated design with external loads.

The weight is applied on the gravity center. The magnetic force between lens holder and metallic (KOVAR) package due to permanent magnetic eld located in isolator used to polarized Laser beam emitted by Laser diode is modeled by pressure strength on the columns of the Laser platform. Application of thermal cycles ()40/+85 C). The reference conditions for simulations are: the planar symmetry (Ox, Oz), the reference plane induces no displacement in z direction and reference point with no displacement in all directions. An optimized FEM model with 55 075 elements and 123 193 nodes using three-dimensional quad and hexagonal transfer elements was used for this sub-assembly 1b and the dierent materials are listed in Table 2. Thermomechanical behavior of all materials is assumed to be linear for each temperature excepted for the SnPbAg solder joint. Fig. 5 gives the stress/strain behavior versus temperature with a bilinear model using tensile experimental analysis of test samples realized with a thickness of 15 lm. All thermomechanical

properties have been used to simulate thermal cycling ageing conditions and give thermal and mechanical solutions. Sub-assembly 2 (pigtail): Fig. 6 shows the global model of sub-assembly 2. The planar symmetry (Ox, Oy ) model was used. The xed points represent the xing conditions of the ferule holder on the body package. External stresses are: The weight is applied on the gravity center. Application of thermal cycles ()40/+85 C).

Fig. 5. Stress/strain versus temperature of SnPbAg solder joint (thickness 15 lm).

Fig. 6. Sub-assembly 2 simulated design with external loads.

1130

Y. Deshayes et al. / Microelectronics Reliability 43 (2003) 11251136

FEM model is build with 16 741 elements and 3572 nodes. The dierence between number of elements and nodes is explained by the additional element traducing the pivot contact between the ferule and the holder. Table 3 resumes physical constants for each material of sub-assembly 2 to perform simulations. These ones imply that all materials have a linear behavior versus temperature excepted for adhesive material. Stress/strain characteristics curves dependent on temperature have been experimentally determined by tensile experiments on normalized test samples (Fig. 7) [11]. All thermomechanical properties have been used to simulate thermal cycling ageing conditions and give thermal and mechanical solutions. We can note that all mesh models of each sub-assembly are created with an automatic mesh generator excepted for the sub-assembly 1b which has been optimized because of the thin layer of solder joint (15 lm). For sub-assemblies 1b and 2, all materials are considered as homogeneous and simulations are static and isothermal (steady-state). All assemblies are submitted to a temperature cycling )40 C/+85 C with a step of 20 C between each step of calculation. For all simulations, the reference temperature is set to 27 C.

Fig. 7. Stress/strain characteristics of adhesive material in the pigtail.

4. Results of thermomechanical simulations Sub-assembly 1a: Nd:YAG Laser welding process involves a highly focused Laser beam responsible of a nonuniform temperature distribution on the focal print. Simulated energy deposed allows to be close to melting temperature of Kovar material (1723 K). Fig. 8 shows the nodal solution contour plot of thermal cartography of Laser platform after rst Laser welding process. The temperature variation along the column of Laser platform can be tted by a Gaussian law which can be expressed as: T r T1 T0 T1 expr2 =W02 4

Table 3 Physical constants of the materials using in the sub-assembly 2 (ambient temperature) Kovar CTE (lm/K) Young modulus (GPa) Yield strength (MPa) Poisson ratio 5.13 138 345 0.317 Zirconia 7 200 0.3 SiO2 0.56 72.4 0.19 Adhesive material 13.7 1.9 54 0.3

with T0 1427 K, the maximal temperature of Laser weld, T1 600 K the minimal temperature of Laser weld and W0 the beam waist dened as the minimum radius of the Laser beam. Experimental and calculated beam waist values are the same and evaluated around 150 lm. The good

Fig. 8. Temperature variation and cartography of sub-assembly 1a.

Y. Deshayes et al. / Microelectronics Reliability 43 (2003) 11251136

1131

agreement between experimental and calculated values validate the simulation approach for Laser Nd:YAG welding process (Fig. 9). Fig. 10a compares strains in sub-assembly 1a structure before and after Nd:YAG Laser welding process. Strain occurring in the column is observed and this particular view (deformed and undeformed nodal solution plots) allows to highlight optical beam axis deviation of the lens holder. Fig. 10b clearly shows the residual eective Von Mises stresses close to 55 MPa located in the column base of the Laser Platform after Laser welding. Thermal gradients (1100 K) along columns of Laser platform induce maximal displace-

ments close to 2 lm located in the column base after Nd:YAG Laser welding process in manufacturing conditions and maximal strains of 0.05% (Fig. 11). These displacements are observed by optical axis angular deviation h and Dx, Dy and Dz axial deviations. Simulation results give calculated values of these parameters. In Fig. 12, two nodes of lens holder representing optical axis have been considered. We also reported Dx, Dy , Dz and h deviations of optical axis allowing to give its nal position after total Laser welding process. Considering this two nodes, optical axis deviation resulting from residual stress after Laser welds can be evaluated close to an angular deviation of h 0:03 and axial deviations of Dxmax 2 lm, Dy 0 and Dzmax 0:1 lm. Experimental analyses for evaluation of optical coupling drop in 1550 nm Laser modules have reported that optical power losses of 15% result from two critical values of parameters variation: An angular deviation h of 0.02 between sub-assembly 1 and sub-assembly 2. Dy , Dz deviations of 10 lm between Laser diode and Lens holder. At this step of the manufacturing process, optical coupling between lens holder and Laser diode is correct because Dy , Dz deviations are close to 0.1 lm

Fig. 9. Theoretical Laser beam characteristics assuming Gaussian energy distribution U0 r.

Fig. 10. Residual eective Von Mises strains (a) and stresses (b) after Laser welding process on the sub-assembly 1a.

1132

Y. Deshayes et al. / Microelectronics Reliability 43 (2003) 11251136

Fig. 11. Displacements and deformed-undeformed view of strains located in sub-assembly 1a after Laser welding process.

Fig. 12. Theoretical optical axis deviation before and after Laser welding process.

corresponding to optical coupling losses lower than 0.1%. Thus, an operator could not suspect a possible displacement of the rst lens axis after Nd:YAG Laser welds. The assembling step between the pigtail and the sub-assembly 1 requires then a dynamic alignment to nd maximal optical coupling. In this case, the operator can adjust a possible optical beam axis deviation without any information about the value of the previous deviation and the level of accumulated stresses trapped in the sub-assembly one. After Nd:YAG Laser welds, intrinsic and extrinsic stresses can appear. Intrinsic stresses are generally related to only Laser YAG energy deposition on metal surface. The most important accumulated stress is located inside the heat-aected zone (HAZ) caused by plastic deformation and very rapid thermal variation in welded joints [3,12]. Extrinsic stresses are caused by external loads applied during process and discontinuity of materials on the interface [13]. In our case, the most

important external load is represented by pressure strength Fpres used to ensure an adjustment between Laser platform and lens holder. Relaxation of accumulated stresses in the subassembly 1a can occur and could be accelerated by defects induced in the welded zone [12,13]. Rapid solidication processing in HAZ leads to a metastable phase formation, solid solution or dispersion strengthened alloys and intermetallics and the whole physical phenomenon is at the origin of defects formation located in welded joints [14,15]. It has been demonstrated that metallic alloys creep fatigue is related to defects rate located in welded joints considered as a metallic alloy zones [16]. In particular, a model based on molecular dynamics calculations, developed by J.D. Vazquez, has discussed on isotropic and anisotropic relaxation phenomenon from simulations of lattice relaxation of metallic alloys considering the sudden appearance of vacancy or an interstitial site in the crystal [17]. This microscopic relaxation model allows to highlight macroscopic eective displacement of system responsible of relaxation phase. Experimental measurements, using in particular an optical method, have been also conducted to observe strains, stresses and fractures of welded joints at the mesoscale level by Panin [17]. This study has characterized, in bulk material, the accumulated stresses located in HAZ and their evolution after Laser welding process. So our interpretation of gradual optical power drift between the sub-assembly 1a and the pigtail can be explained by relaxation phenomenon and time evolution can be directly related to the number and the location of defects into the welded joints but also in the structure. Experimental procedure has been established for localize strains and stresses in sub-assembly 1a during the whole step Nd:YAG Laser welding process and evaluation of relaxation phenomenon after thermal cycles.

Y. Deshayes et al. / Microelectronics Reliability 43 (2003) 11251136

1133

This part of study is high cost and long process and will be exposed in a next work. Sub-assembly 1b: The most critical part of subassembly 1b concerns SnPbAg (10 lm) solder joint connecting the interface between Laser platform and thermoelectric cooler. To evaluate the fatigue of this element, the maximum cumulated plastic rate strain has been mapped after two complete cycles. Maximum total Von Mises strains and stresses are extracted from the edges of the solder joint (highest stress zone) only for the last cycle, given the maximum cumulated plastic rate strain ep (0.08%) as represented in Fig. 13. Dep allows to give an evaluation of minimal number of thermal cycles before failure (N) that could generate an initiation of creep by thermal fatigue calculated without residual stresses and defects in the solder material. This phenomenon is traduced by ConManson equation used for parallelepiped solder joint [18]: N k D ep n 5

Fig. 14. Values of plastic strains in SnPbAg solder joint at +85 C (symmetry view).

The number of thermal cycles N before failure reach 600 cycles from )40 C to +85 C with n 1:2 corresponding to 10 lm thickness solder joint and k 27:2 that is an empiric constant given by J.H. Lau for parallelepiped solder joint [18]. The location of the maximum cumulated plastic strain in solder joint determined from ANSYS simulations is located in the edges of the solder joint (Fig. 14). Considering two nodes of the subassembly 1b, optical axis angular deviation h resulting from residual stress after thermal cycles ()40 C/+85 C) can be evaluated close to 3 106 degrees (). So the solder joint, without defect, cannot be considered as a critical zone from a thermomechanical point of view because the resulting misalignment is lower of 4 decades of degree than the optical deviation previously calculated after Laser welding process on the sub-assembly 1a.

Sub-assembly 2: Fig. 15 gives the maximal computed sheild stresses (SXY, SYZ and SXZ) and tensile stresses (SX, SY and SZ) in the ber versus computed steps. Each step represents the dierent temperature of thermal cycle. The temperatures are set to )40 C and +85 C. The maximum value of the stress in the ferule is 42 MPa at 85 C and )49 MPa at )40 C. These values are lower than the value of rupture given by the manufacturer (2.5 GPa) but microstripes and cracks can be initiated by striped process and so addition of successive compressive and tensile stresses occurring in the ber after thermal cycling dramatically increase the possibility of failure by thermomechanical fatigue. Destructive physical analyses have shown the good agreement with simulations and in particular appearance of ber break into the ferule after 500 thermal cycles) 40 C/+85 C.

5. Ageing tests analysis Qualication procedures, in particular power drift measurement, must be conducted to validate the system with respect to tolerances through temperature cycling or storage temperature characterizing the limits and the margins of the technology. Actual standards tend to be 500 cycles in the temperature range )40 C/+85 C with a failure criterion of 10% of optical power drift. The methodology of failure diagnostic for optoelectronics components and modules for telecommunication applications imposed to do ageing tests to validate dierent assumptions coming from the simulation results. First ageing tests have been made on 1550 nm InGaAsP/InP DFB Laser diodes. After 500 thermal cycles )40 C/+85 C, no failure occurred on Laser diodes. Measurements have been made with a specic test bench with temperature dependence has been developed to monitor P(I), I(V) and L(E). This result demonstrates that optical power drift is only associated to misalignment in relation with thermomechanical aspects. The

Fig. 13. Stress/strain curve during thermal cycles and calculation of plastic rate deformation.

1134

Y. Deshayes et al. / Microelectronics Reliability 43 (2003) 11251136

Fig. 15. Evolution of maximal strains values in ber versus thermal cycles.

second ageing test is made on optoelectronic modules in nal packaging. Fig. 16 shows evolution of DEta (%) dened by:   DPopt DEta 6 Popt I 100 mA with Popt is initial optical power measurement, DPopt is the dierence between optical power measured after

ageing time and initial optical power measurement and I is the current value for optical power measurement. This experimental procedure is applied on nine InGaAsP/InP 1550 nm Laser modules versus thermal cycles )40/+85 C. In Fig. 16, evolution of output optical power measured at 100 mA after 500 thermal cycles ()40/+85 C) are reported. Three dierent behaviors have been observed and related with simulation results as resumed in Table 4. Experimental and simulation

Fig. 16. Evolution of optical power measured at 100 mA after 500 thermal cycles ()40 C/+85 C) on 1550 nm InGaAsP/InP Laser modules.

Y. Deshayes et al. / Microelectronics Reliability 43 (2003) 11251136 Table 4 Synthesis of simulation results and failure modes Subassembly Maximal strains (%) Maximal stresses (MPa) Location of stresses and strains Failure modes Thermomechanical stresses and strains sensitivity (optical deviation maximal value) Very high (0.03) Assumption on failure mechanisms

1135

1a

0.5

58.4

Column base of the Laser platform

Gradual degradation

1b 2

0.7

49

Edges of solder joint Fiber core

No degradation Sudden degradation

Low (3 106 ) High (0)

High levels of strains after Laser welding processoptical axis deviation associated to stresses relaxation phenomenon Thermomechanical fatigue after 600 cycles ()40/85 C) Microcrack in the core of the ber leading to a break after thermal cycles

results lead to give failure modes and assumptions on failure location: sudden total optical power drop explained by a break located in the optical ber core, gradual optical power drift outside the failure criteria limit in relation with thermomechanical aspect responsible of columns deformation in sub-assembly 1a and related by stresses relaxation phenomenon, gradual optical power drift inside the failure criteria demonstrating the relative instability of optical coupling in Laser module especially on sub-assembly 1a. 6. Discussion and conclusion Laser welding process in sub-assembly 1a has been identied as the most potential critical zone and to correlate simulation results using ANSYS software, experimental analyses have been also investigated [19]. Calculated optical misalignment in sub-assembly 1a have demonstrated an angular optical beam axis deviation of 0.03 and responsible of a possible rst lens axis movement conrming that Laser welding process can induce optical instability of Laser modules and degradation of performances for telecommunication applications. The main solution could be given by a better optimization of the Nd:YAG Laser power density close to 1.5 105 W/cm2 . For this technology, average Nd:YAG Laser power density reaches 2.5 105 W/cm2 and can generate bulk defects and thermal stresses in welded joints (Fig. 17). In a recent paper, W.H. Cheng has established that optical losses in Laser modules can related to the presence of bulk fractures [15]. It has also been demonstrated that power density is responsible of bulk defects and accumulative stresses. In our case, the presence of bulk defects, observed in Fig. 17, could explained random acceleration of time stress relaxation allowing to explain optical power drop. The time before failure related to

Fig. 17. Bulk defects formation in a Laser welded joint of the sub-assembly 1a after Nd:YAG Laser welding process.

10% of the optical power drift is directly related to the manufacturing process and to the order of static indetermination of the system strongly dependent on the Laser platform and the lens holder design. All conditions are correlated to a mechanical misalignment between Lens1 axis and pigtail. The major cause of bulk defects formation in the Laser welding process for sub-assembly 1a is due to the excess Laser energy. The other causes are gas bubbles trapped within the weld sections and the heterogeneous nucleation in weld joints [15]. In conclusion, this paper reports 3D thermomechanical simulations and experimental tests in order to identify critical zones Buttery-package Laser module showing that three main zones must be carefully analyzed: shape and volume of glue in the ferule, solders and Laser welds. Laser welding process is a useful and eective method to ensure hermeticity and secure metal parts but the mechanical distortions due to severe thermal gradients should be controlled within allowance limits. The main advantages of this technique are given by precision of alignment close to 0.2 lm, the whole

1136

Y. Deshayes et al. / Microelectronics Reliability 43 (2003) 11251136 [7] McLeod R, Wolkin M, Morozov V, Sawyer K. Packaging of micro-optics component to meet Telcordia standards. In: Proc OFC, Anaheim, CA, USA, March 2002. [8] Fricke S, Keim E, Schmidt J. Numerical weld modelingmethod for calculating weld-induced residual stresses. Numer Eng Des 2001;206:13950. [9] Hayashi T, Tsunetsugu H. Optical module with MU connector interface using self-alignment technique by solder-bump chip bonding. In: Proc 46th Electronic Components and Technology Conference, 1996. p. 139. [10] Trigwell S. Die-attach materials and methods. Solid State Technol 1995;(April):638. [11] Perichaud MG, Deletage JY, Tregon B, NKaoua G, Fremont H, Danto Y, et al. Optimisation of an assembling process of passive components connected with conductive adhesives. In: 12th European Passive Components Symposium, CARTS-EUROPE 98, 1998. p. 505. [12] Panin VE, Pleshanov VS, Kobesva SA, Burkova SP. Relaxation mechanism of rotational type in fracture of weld joints for austenic steels. Theoret Appl Fract Mech 1998;29:99102. [13] Inoue T, Koguchi H. Relaxation of thermal stresses in dissimilar materials (approach based on stress intensity). Int J Solids Struct 1997;34:321533. [14] Hariprasad S, Sastry SML, Jerina KL. Deformation behavior of a rapidly solidied ne grained Al8.5% Fe 1.2% V1.7% Si alloy. Acta Mater 1996;44:3839. [15] Cheng WH, Wang WH, Chen JC. Defect formation mechanisms in Laser welding techniques for semiconductor Laser packaging. IEEE Trans Compon Pack Manuf Technol 1996;19:7649. [16] Asayama T. Creep-fatigue evaluation of stainless steel welded joints in FBR class 1 components. Nucl Eng Des 2000;198:2540. [17] Dominguez-Vazquez J, Perez-Martin AMC, JimenezRodriguez J, Gras-Marti A. Relaxation of metals: a model based on MD calculations. Nucl Instru Meth Phys Res 1998;135:2148. [18] Lau JH. Thermal stress and strain in microelectronics packaging. 1st ed. New York: Von Nostrand Reinhold; 1993. [19] Experimental validation of thermomechanical simulations on 1550 nm Laser modules. Internal Report, ALCATEL Optronics-IXL, September 2001.

process fully automated to contain the cycles time within 6090 s. But it has been shown that one of the main inconvenient of the Laser welding process is the excess of deposed Laser energy resulting in high thermal gradients and residual stresses in the Laser platform responsible of an optical misalignment and a possible failure in term of optical power drift requirements. We have demonstrated that FEM simulations, to predict distortion of Laser welding which is very dicult to measure, is very attractive and can be applied to dierent package congurations. Our activities are now focused on FEM predictions that could be improved by a detailed knowledge of the eect of bulk defects located in Laser welded joints on stresses relaxation phenomenon and also by a better implementation of heating and cooling conditions in computations. The main objective is to improve packaging design rules and optical misalignment reduction in order to achieve highly reliable bandwidth single mode ber communication systems. References
[1] Sherry WM, Gaebe C, Miller TJ, Schweizer RC. High performance optoelectronic packaging for 2.5 and 10 Gb/s Laser modules. In: Electronic Components and Technology Conference, 1996. p. 6207. [2] Breedis JB. Monte Carlo tolerance analysis of a passively aligned silicon waferboard package. In: Electronic Components and Technology Conference, 2001. p. 24754. [3] Jang S. Packaging of photonic devices using Laser welding. In: Proc SPIE, 1996. p. 13849. [4] Sauvage D, Latte D, P erinet J, Berthier P, Goudard JL. Reliability of optoelectronic components for telecommunications. Microelectron Reliab 2000;40:17018. [5] Cheng WH, Yang YD, Liang TC, Wang GL, Sheen MT, Kuang JH. Thermal stresses in box-type Laser packages. Opt Quant Electron 1999;31:293302. [6] Goudard JL, Berthier P, Boddaert X, Latte D, Perinet J. New qualication approach for optoelectronic components. Microelectron Reliab 2002;42:130710.