New equipment allows for more detailed materials characterisation, non-destructive evaluation and test, and surface analysis of electronic parts
Reliability Analysis Laboratory has expanded its electronic component analysis services to include more detailed investigations in the areas of materials characterisation, non-destructive evaluation and test (NDE/NDT), and surface analysis of microprocessors, discrete components, and printed circuit boards and assemblies.
The addition of a new real-time x-ray system allows the RAL to non-destructively test a wider variety of miniature parts.
Using the system, microelectronic components can be magnified to 200X, allowing for more detailed detection of faults in soldered leads, voids in substrates and die attaches, cracks in ceramics, and placement of internal components.
In addition, a new x-ray fluorescence system quickly and accurately measures the coating thickness and alloy composition of virtually any metal on printed circuit boards, connector contacts, and screws, including single, binary, and ternary alloy coatings, double coatings with one alloy layer, and triple coatings.
RAL's materials characterisation capabilities have been strengthened by the acquisition of a new PC-based, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) system.
Able to detect low atomic number elements with high energy resolution, the system provides improved peak overlap identification allowing faster and more accurate analysis of materials used during the component manufacturing process, including silver, tin, and lead. A new, advanced backscatter detector has been added to the RAL's field emission scanning electron microscope (SEM), allowing for more rapid identification of part problems.
Atomic number contrast is observable at easy-to-see TV rates and at SEM accelerating voltages as low as 1KeV.
This allows for easier detection of product failure areas in uncoated microelectronic devices, such as gallium arsenide ICs.
