failure analysis

Failure Analysis

Failure analysis is a critical aspect in the world of manufacturing and technology that deals with the identification, assessment and prevention of damage to materials, products or systems. This discipline plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality, safety and long-term reliability of a wide range of products.
The main aim of failure analysis is to understand the causes of damage and derive preventive measures. This ranges from small components to complex industrial systems. By systematically investigating damage, potential risks can be minimized and the service life of products extended.

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Optical inspection with microscope and microendoscope

Microscope
  • Bright field
  • Dark field
  • Interference contrast
  • Polarization
  • UV light

Laser topography

Laser topography
  • optical surface scanning
  • Roughness measurement
  • Specimen size up to 300 x 300 mm
  • Resolution up to 10 nm

Metallographic preparation techniques

metallographic preparation
  • Specimen dimension up to 160 x 30 mm grinding surface

Dye and Pry Test

Dye
  • Detection of cracks (microcracks) in BGA solder joints

Light Optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)

SEM
  • SEM inspection + analysis by energy or wavelength dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX/WDX)

X-ray and ultrasound microscopy

X-Ray
  • Specimen dimension up to 500 x 500 mm, resolution up to 5 µm

X-ray fluorescence (XRF/XRF)

XRF
  • Qualitative and quantitative determination of the elemental composition and layer thickness determination of a sample

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)

FTIR
  • Identification of organic substances (polymers, adhesives, fluxes...)

Tension/compression test

pull test
  • Mechanical tests, such as tension, compression, bending, shear and pull tests, as well as the determination of insertion, extraction and retention forces.

Ionic contamination measurement (J-STD-0001 / IPC-TM-650)

ionic contamination
  • Detection of ionogenic contaminants (e.g. process residues from PCB production, flux residues, etc.) on assemblies
  • Adaptation of the process to customer-specific requirements

Hardness tests

hardness test
  • according to Shore, Knoop, Rockwell, Vickers, Brinell

Consulting

Consulting
  • Failure mechanisms of solder joints
  • Failure mechanisms of components (e.g. ceramic capacitors)
  • Failure mechanisms of printed circuit boards (keyword: black pad)
  • Evidence reliability of test methods
  • Evaluation of supplier agreements for technical relevance and feasibility
  • Empirical determination of MTBF data