Ansys Sherlock Overview STRUCTURES

Ansys Sherlock Automated Design Analysis software revolutionized electronics design and
reliability by empowering designers to simulate real-world conditions and accurately model
printed circuit boards (PCBs) and assemblies to predict product failure early in the design process.

As the only tool that uses a reliability physics approach, Sherlock continues to innovate and offer enhancements that allow
users to manage complex analyses on circuit boards, components and systems that are required more and more in today’s
electronics products. With Sherlock you will:

Make better design Take the guesswork out Save development and Identify potential failures more
decisions in less time of your what-if analyses validation time efficiently and effectively

/L
 ibraries – Embedded Databases / Sherlock is Your Solution
Easily Expanded by Users No matter what your role is in the product
development cycle — mechanical analysis, design
Parts Library - Electronic parts. Tracks manufacturer, part number,
engineering, product manufacturing and testing
technology type, electrical ratings, temperature ratings and
or reliability engineering, Sherlock can solve your
packaging information.
design challenges.

Packages Library - Includes package types for semiconductor and

• Translates ECAD to CAE files
discrete and passive electronic parts. Includes BGAs, QFNs, SOIC,
QFP, EIA case sizes, axial, radial, etc. • Predicts product failure

• Designs for manufacturability

Materials Library - Electronic materials, including encapsulants,
• Optimizes the design process
underfills, thermal interface materials, staking compounds,
conformal coatings and potting materials. • Analyzes failure mode effects

Laminates Library - Approximately 800 laminate materials from 24

different manufacturers. Includes CEM1, FR4, BT, CE, polyimide,
high-temperature and flex.

Solders Library - Includes nine solder materials, including SnPb,

SAC305, SN100C, 90Pb10Sn, Innolot*, MaxRel*, SACm*, 90iSC*
(*available upon request) and M794.

Glass Style Library - Approximately 100 glass styles common to the

PCB industry.

STRUCTURES / Sherlock Overview // 1

 CAPABILITIES

Determines if any post-soldering processes could induce excessive flexure that would
FLEXURE/BENDING
cause component cracking, pad cratering or solder fracture.

CONFORMAL COATING/ Allows the user to evaluate the effect of staking compounds, underfills, conformal
POTTING coatings and potting materials on the reliability of electronic hardware.

CAE INTERFACE Import to and export from finite element analysis (FEA) solvers.

Flags devices being used outside of the specified operation or storage temperature
THERMAL DERATING
range.

Allows the user to explicitly model all PCB features over the entire circuit board or in a
TRACE MODELING
particular region. Can be exported for current density, thermal or structural analysis.

CERAMIC CAPACITOR
Predicts time to failure for ceramic capacitors (MLCC).
WEAROUT

ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITOR
Predicts time to failure for aluminum liquid electrolytic capacitors.
WEAROUT

Predicts failure rate and end of life of integrated circuits using degradation algorithms
INTEGRATED CIRCUIT
for electromigration, time-dependent dielectric breakdown, hot carrier injection and
WEAROUT
negative bias temperature instability.

Create pin- and fin-based heatsinks using fill-in fields and drop-down menus and attach
HEATSINK EDITOR
them to components or PCBs.

Allows the user to semi-automate the creation of a component-level DFMEA. Can be

DFMEA
exported into any form/spreadsheet, including SAE J1739.

Predicts solder fatigue reliability under thermomechanical and mechanical

SOLDER FATIGUE 1D,
environments for all electronic parts (die attach, BGA, QFN, TSOP, chip resistor, through
BOARD-LEVEL
hole, etc.).

SOLDER FATIGUE, 3D, Incorporates the effect of system-level mechanical elements (chassis, module, housing,
SYSTEM-LEVEL connectors, etc.) on solder fatigue analysis.

SHOCK AND VIBRATION Predicts the natural frequency, displacement, strain and reliability under shock and
ANALYSIS vibration over a range of temperatures (-55 C to 125 C).

PLATED THROUGH-HOLE (PTH) Predicts fatigue of plated through holes/vias in circuit boards using IPC TR-579
FATIGUE calculations.

CONDUCTIVE ANODIC Sherlock benchmarks the printed board design and quality processes to industry best
FILAMENT (CAF) practices to identify risk of CAF failures.

Captures stackup from output files (Gerber, ODB++, IPC-2581). Automatically calculates
PCB/BGA SUBSTRATE STACKUP weight, density and in-plane and out-of-plane modulus, coefficient of thermal
expansion and thermal conductivity.

ANSYS, Inc.
www.ansys.com
[email protected]
866.267.9724
© 2020 ANSYS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

STRUCTURES / Sherlock Overview // 2