ADVANCED RELIABILITY MODELS FOR COMMERCIAL ELECTRONICS IN HARSH OPERATING CONDITIONS

Since the 1990s, the use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) microelectronics in extreme applications – such as military, aerospace, and space missions – has grown significantly. This shift was initially driven by cost savings and rapid technological advancements, a trend that accelerated in the 2000s due to increasing demand for electronics in harsh environments. Over the past decade, industries such as automotive (e.g., autonomous vehicles) and space (e.g., low-earth orbit/LEO satellite constellations) have also adopted COTS electronics. However, reliability concerns persist, especially in complex chip-package-board interactions under extreme conditions. Operating environments, which include high radiation, temperature fluctuations, and moisture, present significant challenges. New failure modes have emerged, such as increased leakage current, mass loss from volatile components, and corrosion.

This thesis offers a system-level, physics-based approach to reliability modeling. It examines the combined impact of heat, moisture, charge, and radiation transport (e.g., high energy protons) in integrated circuits (ICs), packaging, and boards. We provide a detailed analysis of ion transport and charge injection in a system involving epoxy polymers and metal contacts (typical of packaging) under extreme dry and wet conditions. Furthermore, this thesis explores the reliability of plastic packages in radiation-intense and space environments. A generalized model for predicting corrosion failures in self-heated ICs is developed, considering global environmental variations such as temperature and humidity. The work also proposes real-time age monitoring of COTS components for critical high-security applications. In summary, this thesis introduces innovative reliability strategies for modern microelectronic systems, providing a comprehensive general framework to predict failures in harsh environments.