Simulation of Interfacial Corner Cracks in Bimaterial Systems

A phenomenological model focused on modeling the shape of such interface cracks and calculating the critical stress for steady-state propagation has been developed. The crack propagation is investigated by estimating the fracture mechanics parameters that include the strain energy release rate, crack front profiles and the three-dimensional mode-mixity along the crack front. A numerical approach is then applied for coupling the far field solutions utilizing the capability of the Finite Element Method to the near field (crack tip) solutions based on the J-integral. The developed two-dimensional numerical approach for the calculation of fracture mechanical properties has been validated with three-dimensional models for varying crack front shapes. In this study, a custom quantitative approach was formulated based on the finite element method with iterative adjustment of the crack front to estimate the critical delamination stress as a function of the fracture criterion and corner angles. The implication of the results on the delamination is discussed in terms of crack front profiles and the critical stresses, which can then be used as the framework for modeling reliability of advanced interconnects system.