BEM formulation for simulating heat dissipation in microelectronic packaging with point heat sources

This work presents a new and robust formulation for studying the effect of point heat sources on three-dimensional thermomechanical contact problems. The aim of this work is to accurately analyze heat dissipation in microchips with known heat sources. To achieve this, the Boundary Element Method (BEM) has been used to calculate the thermomechanical influence coefficients. The traditional BEM has been extended in the proposed formulation to account for the complex interactions between the microchip and heatsink, which result from the inclusion of point heat sources. This includes the effects of microcontacts, microgaps, and thermal contact resistance. To solve the problem’s inherent non-linearity, a dual iterative solution scheme has been proposed. The formulation is validated by a numerical example and is shown to be capable of accurately capturing traction variations in the contact zone and the influence of heat sources on the contact zone temperature. The formulation is then applied to study the thermomechanical behavior of microelectronic packages, particularly those with low heat dissipation, under the influence of simulated point heat sources. • Analysis of 3D thermomechanical contact problems focusing on point heat source effects. • The problem’s non-linearity was solved with a double iterative procedure. • The number and location of heat sources significantly affect thermomechanical contact variables. • The proposed formulation significantly improves the thermomechanical analysis of low temperature microchips.