Open ended microwave oven for packaging

A novel open waveguide cavity resonator is presented for the combined variable frequency microwave curing of bumps, underfills and encapsulants, as well as the alignment of devices for fast flip-chip assembly, direct chip attach (DCA) or wafer-scale level packaging (WSLP). This technology achieves radio frequency (RF) curing of adhesives used in microelectronics, optoelectronics and medical devices with potential simultaneous micron-scale alignment accuracy and bonding of devices. In principle, the open oven cavity can be fitted directly onto a flip-chip or wafer scale bonder and, as such, will allow for the bonding of devices through localised heating thus reducing the risk to thermally sensitive devices. Variable frequency microwave (VFM) heating and curing of an idealised polymer load is numerically simulated using a multi-physics approach. Electro-magnetic fields within a novel open ended microwave oven developed for use in micro-electronics manufacturing applications are solved using a dedicated Yee scheme finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) solver. Temperature distribution, degree of cure and thermal stresses are analysed using an Unstructured Finite Volume method (UFVM) multi-physics package. The polymer load was meshed for thermophysical analysis, whilst the microwave cavity - encompassing the polymer load - was meshed for microwave irradiation. The two solution domains are linked using a cross mapping routine. The principle of heating using the evanescent fringing fields within the open-end of the cavity is demonstrated. A closed loop feedback routine is established allowing the temperature within a lossy sample to be controlled. A distribution of the temperature within the lossy sample is obtained by using a thermal imaging camera.

Development of numerical techniques for near-field aeroacoustic computations

This work is concerned with the development of a numerical scheme capable of producing accurate simulations of sound propagation in the presence of a mean flow field. The method is based on the concept of variable decomposition, which leads to two separate sets of equations. These equations are the linearised Euler equations and the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations. This paper concentrates on the development of numerical schemes for the linearised Euler equations that leads to a computational aeroacoustics (CAA) code. The resulting CAA code is a non-diffusive, time- and space-staggered finite volume code for the acoustic perturbation, and it is validated against analytic results for pure 1D sound propagation and 2D benchmark problems involving sound scattering from a cylindrical obstacle. Predictions are also given for the case of prescribed source sound propagation in a laminar boundary layer as an illustration of the effects of mean convection. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

CFD approach for solid mechanics analysis

A cell-centred finite volume(CC-FV) solid mechanics formulation, based on a computational fluid dynamics(CFD) procedure, is presented. A CFD code is modified such that the velocity variable is used as to the displacement variable. Displacement and pressure fields are considered as unknown variables. The results are validated with finite element(FE) and cell-vertex finite volume(CV-FV) predictions based on discretisation of the equilibrium equations. The developed formulation is applicable for both compressible and incompressible solids behaviour. The method is general and can be extended for the simultaneous analysis of problems involving flow-thermal and stress effects.

Modelling the fluid dynamics and coupled phenomena in arc weld pools

A 3D model of melt pool created by a moving arc type heat sources has been developed. The model solves the equations of turbulent fluid flow, heat transfer and electromagnetic field to demonstrate the flow behaviour phase-change in the pool. The coupled effects of buoyancy, capillary (Marangoni) and electromagnetic (Lorentz) forces are included within an unstructured finite volume mesh environment. The movement of the welding arc along the workpiece is accomplished via a moving co-ordinator system. Additionally a method enabling movement of the weld pool surface by fluid convection is presented whereby the mesh in the liquid region is allowed to move through a free surface. The surface grid lines move to restore equilibrium at the end of each computational time step and interior grid points then adjust following the solution of a Laplace equation.

The application of free-surface techniques to metal forming processes

In this paper the use of free-surface techniques, within the framework of a finite volume methodology, are investigated for the simulation of metal forming processes. In such processes, for example extrusion and forging, a workpiece is subjected to large scale deformation to create the product's shape. The use of Eulerian free-surface techniques to predict this final shape offers the advantage, over the traditionally used Lagrangian finite element method, of not requiring remmeshing. Two free-surface techniques to predict this final shape offers the advantage, over the traditionally used Lagrangian finite element method, of not requiring remesingh. Two free-surface techniques are compared by modelling a typical example of this type of process - non-Newtonian extrusion of an aluminium workpiece through a conical die.

Details of an integrated approach to three-dimensional dynamic fluid structure interaction

Fluid structure interaction, as applied to flexible structures, has wide application in diverse areas such as flutter in aircraft, wind response of buildings, flows in elastic pipes and blood vessels. Numerical modelling of dynamic fluid-structure interaction (DFSI) involves the coupling of fluid flow and structural mechanics, two fields that are conventionally modelled using two dissimilar methods, thus a single comprehensive computational model of both phenomena is a considerable challenge and until recently work in this area focused on one phenomenon and represented the behaviour of the other more simply. A single, finite volume unstructured mesh (FV-UM) spatial discretisation method has been employed on a single mesh for the entire domain. The Navier Stokes equations for fluid flow are solved using a SIMPLE type procedure and the Newmark b algorithm is employed for solving the dynamic equilibrium equations for linear elastic solid mechanics and mesh movement is achieved using a spring based mesh procedure for dynamic mesh movement. In the paper we describe a number of additional computation issues for the efficient and accurate modelling of three-dimensional, dynamic fluid-structure interaction problems.

Evaluation of distortions in laser welded shipbuilding parts using local-global finite element approach

In recognition of the differences of scale between the welding pool and the heat affected zone along the welding line on one hand, and the overall size of the components being welded on the other, a local-global finite element approach was developed for the evaluation of distortions in laser welded shipbuilding parts. The approach involves the tandem use of a 'local' and a 'global' step. The local step involves a three-dimensional finite element model for the simulation of the laser welding process using the Sysweld finite element code, which takes into account thermal, metallurgical, and mechanical aspects. The simulation of the laser welding process was performed using a non-linear heat transfer analysis, based on a keyhole formation model, and a coupled transient thermomechanical analysis, which takes into account metallurgical transformations using the temperature dependent material properties and the continuous cooling transformation diagram. The size and shape of the keyhole used in the local finite element analysis was evaluated using a keyhole formation model and the Physica finite volume code. The global step involves the transfer of residual plastic strains and the stiffness of the weld obtained from the local model to the global analysis, which then provides the predicted distortions for the whole part. This newly developed methodology was applied to the evaluation of global distortions due to laser welding of stiffeners on a shipbuilding part. The approach has been proved reliable in comparison with experiments and of practical industrial use in terms of computing time and storage.

Turbulence model performance in continuous casting simulations

This paper concerns the development and validation (using an oil/water system) of a finite volume computer model of the continuous casting process for steel flat products. The emphasis is on hydrodynamic aspects and in particular the dynamic behaviour of the metal/slag interface. Instability and wave action encourage the entrainment of inclusions into the melt affecting product quality. To track the interface between oil and water a new implicit algorithm was developed, called the Counter Diffusion Method. To prevent excessive damping, a time-filtered version of the k-e model, was found necessary, with appropriate density stratification terms representing interface turbulence damping.

DRAMA: Dynamic re-allocation of meshes for parallel finite element applications

In many areas of simulation, a crucial component for efficient numerical computations is the use of solution-driven adaptive features: locally adapted meshing or re-meshing; dynamically changing computational tasks. The full advantages of high performance computing (HPC) technology will thus only be able to be exploited when efficient parallel adaptive solvers can be realised. The resulting requirement for HPC software is for dynamic load balancing, which for many mesh-based applications means dynamic mesh re-partitioning. The DRAMA project has been initiated to address this issue, with a particular focus being the requirements of industrial Finite Element codes, but codes using Finite Volume formulations will also be able to make use of the project results.