Cloud-Based PCB Module Analysis Platform

Taiwan has the world's most comprehensive printed circuit board (PCB) industry cluster. As electronic products become increasingly complex, semiconductor components are becoming smaller, more sensitive, and more fragile, making PCB design and structural analysis increasingly important. With the growing use of multilayer structures and heterogeneous materials in circuit boards, manufacturing issues such as warpage and solder ball failure have also become more common, creating greater challenges for design and quality control.

To help industry rapidly and accurately evaluate design quality, the National Center for High-performance Computing (NCHC) has independently developed the PCBA Cloud Analysis Platform. Combining solid mechanics with high-performance computing, the platform provides analysis tools that help designers quickly assess and improve stress and warpage in PCB structures under manufacturing or operating temperature conditions, thereby enhancing product reliability and service life.

Key features of the platform include:

• Automated model conversion: Automatically converts PCB structures and circuit diagrams into analysis models, enabling simulation workflows to begin quickly.
• Warpage and solder ball fatigue life analysis: Simulates warpage caused by differences in thermal deformation among different materials and predicts fatigue damage to solder balls caused by thermal cycling.
• Web-based, cloud-enabled environment: Although the PCBA analysis platform incorporates solid mechanics and multiple simulation methods at its core, it operates through a web-based, cloud-enabled interface. Users can enter relevant parameters and material properties anytime and anywhere, after which the platform automatically performs the analysis and generates corresponding stress and deformation visualizations.

The PCBA platform is also highly customizable, allowing model input methods and functions to be adjusted according to specific requirements. A major semiconductor packaging company has already collaborated with NCHC to deploy the platform. In addition to strengthening its product R&D process, the collaboration has further validated the platform’s performance and practical applicability.

Looking ahead, NCHC will continue to promote the application of solid mechanics simulation technologies through cloud-based platforms and expand their use to a wider range of electronic components and packaging fields. These efforts will help academia, research institutions, and industry accelerate R&D and innovation, providing effective support for advanced manufacturing and design.