Exploring Failure Modes and Mechanisms in Electronics

Exploring Failure Modes
and Mechanisms
Randy Schueller, Ph.D.
11/16/17
9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

© 2004 – 2010
Definitions
o Failure mode
o The effect by which a failure is observed, perceived
or sensed.
o Failure mechanism
o The process (electrical, mechanical, physical, chemical ...
etc.) that causes failures.

2
Key PoF/RP Terms and Definitions
o Failure Site :
o The location of potential failures, typically the site of a designed in:
o stress concentrator,
o design weakness or
o material variation or defect.
o Knowledge Used to Identify and Prioritized Potential Failure Sites

and Risks in New Designs During PoF Design Reviews.
3 9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com
Constant & Rapid Evolution of E/E Technology - 1990’s vs
Today
1990’s Today
Resistors & Capacitors:
Transistors:
Integrated Circuits
Soldering: Tin-Lead Lead Free Solders

20 years later and we could fit all these things in our
pocket
1 Smart Phone =

Hope Is Not A Very Effective Strategy
The Supplier’s Prayer

Please Lord Let Us Be Lucky Enough
To Have Picked a Set of the “Good Parts” For Testing
So That We Can Get Past Validation and
Start Making Some Money In Production.
Durability Which Set of Parts
Bogey Were Selected For
Life Validation Testing?
Failures Goal
Failure
Distribution
Usage or Test Time

Design Product to Withstand Likely Stress
STRESS/
STRENGTH
Typical
Variation of Design’s Material
Deterministic
Strengths
(Nominal) - Related to Process Capabilities
Analysis
DESIGN MARGIN
How well 
4 3 SAFETY FACTOR
 2
do you |  UNRELIABILITY = Probability
|
Understand 9 9 |
& Design 9 that Load Exceed Strength
3 6
For % 9
%
Strengths t t %
t Stress Variation of Usage &
& Stresses? i i
l i Environments Loads &
l l
e e
Their Interactions
e FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE

Bathtub Curve & Classical Reliability
Reliability
Quality
Does not take “how thing fail” in to account!

PoF/RP – Three Failure Categories
GENERIC FAILURE CATEGORY TYP. FAILURE DETECTION
o Errors - Incorrect Operations & Quality Assurance
Variation Defects/Weaknesses. Immediate or
o Missing parts, incorrect assembly or process. Latent defects
o Process control errors (Torque, Heat treat).
o Design errors
o Missing functions,
o Inadequate performance.
o Inadequate strength.
Performance
o Overstress. Capability
o Overheating. Assessments
o Voltage/Current
o Electro static discharge.
o Immediate yield, buckling, crack.
o Wearout/Changes, Stress-Life
via Damage Accumulation. Durability
o Friction wear. Assessments
o Fatigue.
o Corrosion.
o Performance changes/parameter drift
Robust Design
o The foundation of a reliable product is a capable,

robust design.
o Adequate design margin
o Able to deal with environmental and usage noise and
variation
o Mitigates risk from defects
o Satisfies the customer
Design for Manufacturability
Design for Testability
Design for Reliability

Design for Manufacturability
o Design products so they are simple to manufacture

o As few of steps as possible
o Simple steps
o Design with wide margins when possible
o Have a clearly written SOP
o Design products for as much automated assembly as
possible
o Select robust materials
o Use the Toyota approach (use known-good parts and
processes as much as possible)

Design for Testability (and Inspectability)
o Design electronics so they can be tested easily at critical

stages of development
o Built in Self Test
o In Circuit Testing
o Design for inspection (automated inspection – not human
inspection)
o Design for Environmental Stress Screen (for mission
critical products)
o ESS is stressing the product prior to release to find quality
defects

Design for Reliability
o Understand the stresses on the product in manufacturing

and shipping, the use environment, and the intended
useful life
o Understand the potential failure mechanisms
o Understand how failures will manifest themselves (the
Modes) – the customer experience
o Test products to failure using stressors that are realistic
to the use environment
o Not just industry standard tests
o Not test to pass (get a Weibull curve)

FMEA (Failure Modes Effects Analysis)
o A classical FMEA is a great exercise to help

identify possible failure modes and the risks
associated with them
o Start with a Cause/Effect Matrix or Fishbone to
identify potential failure mechanisms

FMEA
o Failure mechanisms, modes, and causes are identified

and ranked in order of severity and probability of
occurrance

PoF100
Reliability Modeling
Software is now available that
enables modeling of a design before
samples have been built
 fully 3D elemental FEA for the
PCB, components and mount
pts
 User environment can be
simulated
 Numerous failure
mechanisms can be predicted
 Virtual reliability testing can
be performed

Revision number 1.1.1 ©2017 DfR Solutions, LLC
Limits of PoF Modeling - Errors & Excessive Variation
Can Not Model Probability of Manufacturing Defects, But Can Model the Outcome
 PoF/RP can Provide Knowledge for Optimizing or Error Proofing Manufacturing

Processes or Determining if Parts are built right.
 5 Most Common E/E Device Manufacturing Issues:
6 Sigma
ASSEMBLY & SOLDERING PROCESS In Process Board Flexure

(Related to up to 60% of E/E Assembly Issues) Cracked & Missing Components.
(Related to up to 15% Of E/E Assembly Issues).
RE-HEAT,
REWORK &
REPAIRS
Ionic Contaminate Electro Static Discharge Rework & Repair

(Circuit Board Cleanliness to Prevent (ESD) Latent Rework & Handling
Humidity Related Short Circuit Growths) (Component Damage) Damage (% Varies)
(Up to 20% Of E/E Assembly Issues). (% Varies Often Related To Spills)
Examples
o A well-manufactured and screened product (‘box’) will

Toyota Break Issue
have no defects?
Possible mechanical sticking of
the accelerator pedal causing unintended
acceleration, referred to as Sticking
Accelerator Pedal by Toyota.
o A well-designed product will not experience wearout

during its operational lifetime?
GALILEO, PFR #52012, Command
Data Subsystem: Intermittent failure in
solder joints at flat pack lead
attachment to the printed wiring board

Reliability Wearout Process PoF100
3. Strain :
Instantaneous changes
(materials\structural) due
to loading, different loads
2. Stress interact to contribute to a
The distribution/ single type of strain.
transmission of Knowledge of how/ which
loading forces “Key Loads” act & interact
throughout is essential for “efficiently”
the device. developing good products,
processes & evaluations.
1. Loads 6. Time to 1st Failure:
Elect. Chem. (Damage Accumulation verses Yield Strength
Thermal, Mech... A Function of: Stress Intensity, Material 4. Damage
Individual or Properties, & Stress Exposure Cycles/Duration]. Accumulation
combined, from 7. Rate of Failure (Fall out) (or Stress Aging):
environment & A function of variation in; Usage, Device Strength Permanent change
usage act on & Process Quality Control (i.e. latent defects). degradation retained
materials & 5. Failure Site & Type: after loads are removed.
structure. Typically due to a designed in: stress concentrator , From small incremental
design weakness, material/process variation or defect. damage, accumulated
during periods/cycles
of stress exposure.

Revision number 1.1.1 ©2017 DfR Solutions, LLC
How Things Break

Failure Inducing Loads
• Radiation damage
o Temperature Cycling
• Electrical Loads
o Tmax, Tmin, dwell, ramp times
• Voltage, current, current density
o Mechanical shock
• Static and transient
o G, wave form, # of events
• Electrical Noise
o Sustained Temperature
• Mechanical Bending (Static and Cyclic)
o T and exposure time
• Board-level strain
o Humidity
• Random Vibration
o Controlled, condensation
• PSD, exposure time, kurtosis
o Interdiffusion
• Harmonic Vibration
o Mechanical wear • G and frequency
o Mechanical fatigue
o Corrosion
o Salt, corrosive gases (Cl2, etc.)
o Power cycling
o Duty cycles, power dissipation

Wearout
o Examples of components susceptible to long-term

degradation in electronic designs?
o Integrated Circuits
o Ceramic Capacitors (oxygen vacancy migration)
o Memory Devices (limited write cycles, read times)
o Electrolytic Capacitors (electrolyte evaporation, dielectric dissolution)
o Printed Circuit Boards
o Plated through holes
o Solder joints
o Resistors (if improperly derated)
o Silver-Based Platings (if exposed to corrosive environments)
o Relays and other Electromechanical Components
o Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and Laser Diodes
o Connectors (if improperly specified and designed)
o Tin Whiskers*
o Integrated Circuits (EM, TDDB, HCI, NBTI)
o Interconnects (Creep, Fatigue)
Industry-accepted models exist
22
Decreasing Scaling Size of IC Die Features Raises Concerns
for ICs Semiconductor Wearout Failure Mechanisms
Moore’s Law – Number of Components on
an IC Die Doubles Every 18 months
IC Scaling (65→45→32→22nm→…)
Smaller Feature Sizes & Isolation Spacing
Projected to Increase
Semiconductor Failure Rated and
Shorten Service Lifetimes
Temperature
Dependent Hot Carrier
Dielectric Breakdown Injection
1000
Reliability Airplanes
100 Gap Telecom
Mean Medical
Service 10
Computers Electromigration Neg. Bias Temp.
life, yrs.
laptop/palm Instability
1.0 cell phones
Technology
0.5 m 0.25 m 130 nm 65 nm 25 nm
0.1
1995 2005 2015
Year produced

Solid State Failure Mechanism Inherent to CMOS IC

Electrolytic Capacitors
o Common Failure Mechanisms

o Leakage of fluid out of the bung (poor material
choices – incompatibility with electrolyte)
o Pitting or corrosion of Al layers from halide attack
o Common Stressors
o High temperature
o (life reduces 2x with +10C)

o Over voltage

Printed Circuit Board (and assemblies)

o Via fracture
o Shorting
o Corrosion
o Solder joint failure
o Decomposition/degradation
o Common Stressors
o Heat
o Shock/Vibration
o Thermal cycling
o Moisture
o Contaminants

LEDs

o Wire bond failure
o Die attach failure
o Corrosion
o Epoxy/Silicone degradation
o Common Stressors Sulfur Corrosion of Silver Pad
o Heat Silicone Epoxy Cover

o Thermal cycling
o Moisture
o Contaminants

Connectors
o Connectors are often an overlooked component that often

times is the first component to fail
o This problem is only expected to get worse as electronics are
used in increasingly challenging environments.
o Electronics are now more exposed to:
o Moisture
o Pollution/contaminates
o Dust and debris
o Sweat or other body fluids
o High temperature
o Low temperature
o Mechanical shock and/or vibration
o Examples include wearables, automotive, smart meters,
drones, etc
Connectors

o Loss of normal force
o Contacts jammed or bent (taken beyond yield strength)
o Stress relaxation of contacts over time at elevated temperature.
o Contamination
o Particulates can become embedded under the contact when vibration occurs.
o Corrosion/oxidation occurs that prevents metal-metal contact (fretting is one
example)
o Excessive Wear
o Noble metal is worn away exposing oxidizing metal
o Common Stressors
o Heat
o Vibration
o Moisture
o Contaminants
o Mating cycles
Some Connector Best Practices
o Ensure appropriate insertion/withdrawal force for the

application.
o Use locking mechanism when appropriate
o Use a key for proper mating
o Have lead-in for blind mating
o Use appropriate materials for contact finish and base metal
o Address tin whiskers when necessary
o Ensure some amount of wipe
o Ensure mechanical robustness of the connector to board
attach (SMT can be risky).

Connector Failure Analysis Approach
o Check for fretting

o Check for excessively worn gold
o Signs of Corrosion
o Check for particles/fibers that are interrupting the
connection.
o Make sure all contacts are free moving and not stuck.
o Make sure normal force is sufficient
o Check for cracking or damage to connector body

Tin Whisker Drivers
Sn whiskers occur on tin

primarily due to
compressive stress
which can be caused
by:
o Stress during plating of Sn
o Intermetallic formation with Cu
o Mechanical or CTE mismatch
stress
Cu6Sn5 requires
more volume than
independent Cu &
Sn

Main Actions to Reduce Tin Whisker Risk
o Don’t use bright tin (connector shells

and mechanical parts).
o Ensure nickel underplate is used, OR
tin is heat annealed after plating.
o Use gold plating on pressure
contacts to flex circuits.
o Enforce whisker testing on fine pitch
components (get data from
suppliers).
o Don’t use tin on iron or brass
(mechanical parts) since these
whiskers can grow very long.

Identify Field Environment
o Based on actual measurements of similar products in

similar environments
o Determine average and realistic worst-case
o Identify all failure-inducing loads
o Include all environments
o Manufacturing
o Transportation
o Storage
o Field

Protection
o Provide proper protection from the environment

o Moisture/Contaminants
o Encapsulants (epoxy, urethane, silicone, acrylics)
o Non-wetting coatings
o Vibration/Shock
o Dampening elastomers
o Heat
o Thermal management
o Voltage
o Proper derating of components
o Surge protectors
Failure Analysis Approaches – 8D
o Identify a team
o Define the issue
o Deal with containment
o Define root cause
o Determine corrective
action (short term and
long term)
o System prevention –
incorporate corrective
action into processes
o Celebrate
TESTING
o Many field failures that we find are only a surprise due to

incomplete testing
o It is difficult to determine how your product will be used
o It is difficult to design for all environmental conditions (from
rain forest to the Arctic)
o It’s impossible to design for everything and test for
everything
o The 80/20 rule comes in handy (20% of the tests will
provide 80% of the necessary information)
o It’s our responsibility to determine which reliability tests to
use
o Test to failure and perform FA for to understand weaknesses
Summary
o Understand the stresses your product will experience

o Design for reliability (using available tools), testability,
and manufacturability
o Use modeling tools such as Sherlock
o Protect sensitive components from the environment

o Design the appropriate reliability tests
o Perform FA after testing so failures are understood

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Exploring Failure Modes

9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

o material variation or defect.

o Knowledge Used to Identify and Prioritized Potential Failure Sites

Soldering: Tin-Lead Lead Free Solders

4 9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

The Supplier’s Prayer

Usage or Test Time

7 9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

Does not take “how thing fail” in to account!

o The foundation of a reliable product is a capable,

10 9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

o Design products so they are simple to manufacture

11 9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

o Design electronics so they can be tested easily at critical

12 9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

o Understand the stresses on the product in manufacturing

13 9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

o A classical FMEA is a great exercise to help

14 9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

o Failure mechanisms, modes, and causes are identified

15 9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

 PoF/RP can Provide Knowledge for Optimizing or Error Proofing Manufacturing

ASSEMBLY & SOLDERING PROCESS In Process Board Flexure

Ionic Contaminate Electro Static Discharge Rework & Repair

o A well-manufactured and screened product (‘box’) will

o A well-designed product will not experience wearout

18 9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

20 9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

o Examples of components susceptible to long-term

23 9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

24 9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

o Common Failure Mechanisms

o (life reduces 2x with +10C)

25 9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

o Common Failure Mechanisms

26 9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

o Common Failure Mechanisms

o Heat Silicone Epoxy Cover

27 9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

o Connectors are often an overlooked component that often

o Common Failure Mechanisms

o Ensure appropriate insertion/withdrawal force for the

9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

o Check for fretting

9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

Sn whiskers occur on tin

9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

o Don’t use bright tin (connector shells

9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

o Based on actual measurements of similar products in

o Identify all failure-inducing loads

o Include all environments

9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

o Provide proper protection from the environment

o Many field failures that we find are only a surprise due to

o Understand the stresses your product will experience

o Protect sensitive components from the environment

38 9000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com