Over the course of a failure analyst’s career, they will be exposed to an extensive and varied array of devices. No matter the technology – whether they be nanoscopic silicon sensors with moving parts so small as to defy belief
Continued from Failure Is The First Step on the Road To Success, Part 1 Non-destructive testing overlaps to a certain degree with the next step in the process, wherein an analyst attempts to isolate the failure to as small of an area as
It is an inexorable fact of life that all electronic assemblies – from the most complex, densely interconnected systems to the cheapest mass-produced consumer devices – will eventually fail. Such devices may be victims of various forms of abuse at
If one were able to take a modern printed circuit board and examine the vast network of metal traces, completely unobscured by dielectric materials, one would find an intricate, three-dimensional lacework of finely interwoven metal threads. Thin filaments of copper,
Modern printed circuit assemblies are vastly complex labyrinths of interconnected devices, comprising many hundreds of components and thousands of individual signals being routed through the networks of metal, silicon, and dielectric material. While the individual integrated circuits on an assembly
The focused ion beam (FIP) is a powerful tool in the hands of a skilled electronics failure analysis engineer. In this post, we use the metaphor of a surgeon wielding a scalpel to help explain the power and versatility of
The culminating moment of triumph for any failure analysis project is when a defect is captured in all its glory – that instant where the noisy tangle of data and observations are crystallized into a coherent analysis due to the
At Spirit, we constantly strive to provide our customers with accurate, reliable data. We realize that our contribution to a given project may have far-reaching ramifications that continue long after we’ve sent our reports and finished our analyses. As the
Modern consumer electronics devices must withstand all manner of harsh environments. They may operate in areas where humidity is extremely high, providing ample amounts of ambient moisture that can be detrimental to the operation of sensitive circuits. Many dirty environments
Part of the inherent nature of failure analysis is the fact that no two jobs will ever be quite the same. Failure modes, environmental conditions, device applications – all these parameters shape the circumstances of a given failure analysis project. Managing