Simulation Based Reliability Estimation of PCB Designs

PCBs have a large number of components and a fair degree of interrelationships and interdependencies between components' making accurate estimation of reliability a challenge. In this work, a three-step methodology is proposed to estimate the reliability of complex PCB designs. The first step involves architecting the design into functional blocks, where components are synthesized and assigned based on the function they are part of. In the second step, the failure rate of each component is computed using the FIDES standard, which considers the environmental conditions, manufacturing quality, and the electrical, mechanical, and thermal stresses each component is subjected to. Subsequently, the failure rate of the block is computed using the failure rates of the components that constitute the block. In the third step, a reliability block diagram of the design using cut sets is drawn, and the reliability of the PCB design is estimated using Monte Carlo simulations. A 5G design was analyzed, and the simulation results were found to be close to the reliability estimated using analytical methods.