Sage’s IC Failure Analysis Techniques and Services
Sage Analytical Lab has a dedicated focus to integrated circuit services and has found a growing demand over the years for fast-turn around, proper diagnosis, and beneficial reporting for all integrated circuit inquiries.
The integrated circuit is one of the most important components of modern electronic devices. Sage has found that without integrated circuit’s, many of today’s technologies that have become part of everyday life would be practically impossible to implement.
We have found that reliability and performance in an integrated circuit is therefore of the utmost importance – a malfunctioning IC can result in expensive costs as many of the products would need to be sent back to development.
At Sage, we complete IC failure analysis by taking the malfunctioning ICs and, through in-depth investigation, transforming it from a piece of scrap electronics into an invaluable source of actionable data which can be continuously improved.
The IC Failure Analysis Testing Process
We have found that there are four main phases of every IC failure analysis project and strive to include this within our diagnosis:
- Non-destructive testing – We utilize tools such as acoustic microscopy and x-ray imaging and apply them towards understanding as much about the sample without permanently altering it in any way.
- Fault verification – Sage’s analysts attempt to replicate the failing conditions reported by the customer.
- Fault isolation – Our Analysts identify a site for an in-depth destructive examination. The analyst might use tools like photoemission microscopy (PEM), laser induced voltage alteration (LIVA), or thermal imaging to locate various defects. In certain scenarios, microprobing of the die or a optical inspection of the die bonds can effectively identify the root cause of the failure.
- Destructive analysis and Sage’s documentation culminate all the data collection. Based on the results from the fault isolation testing, Sage’s engineers will perform deprocessing, a cross-section, or other destructive techniques to isolate the defect and most likely identify it’s cause.
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