Counterfeit Analysis for Semiconductor Products
Counterfeit electronic components are electronic parts that are misrepresented as to their origins or Quality. Counterfeiting of electronic components can infringe the legitimate producer’s trademark rights. Because counterfeit parts often have inferior specifications and quality, they may represent a hazard if incorporated into critical systems such as aircraft navigation, life support, military equipment, or space vehicles. The marketing of electronic components has been commoditized, making it easier for the counterfeiter to introduce substandard and counterfeit devices into the supply chain. The Counterfeit semiconductor market has reached $75 billion according to Industry Week. Meanwhile, Havocscope estimates that $169 billion in counterfeit parts are currently circulating in the marketplace.
Although the routine inspection methods such as Xray or Decap can detect counterfeit devices, however it’s becoming increasingly more difficult as the counterfeiters are getting smarter. As a one stop lab, we can perform the routine initial counterfeit inspection and additional sophisticated analysis by using state of the art equipment and techniques to identify the irregularities and the more sophisticated counterfeited components including:
- Visual external inspection for signs of resurfacing
- Visual microscopic inspection of encapsulant finish and lead surfaces
- X-Ray inspection
- X-RF Inspection
- Mechanical and Chemical Decapsulation
- SAM (scanning acoustic microscopy)
- Parametric testing a.k.a. curve tracing
- High resolution SEM inspection,
- IC FIB cross sectioning
- High resolution imaging
- EDS quantitative analysis and
- Gate Level Nano-probing.
If mission-critical hardware has a counterfeit part within the system, massive time and money can be spent trying to recover from the losses caused by failure, and lives may be put at risk.
If the counterfeit is not detected by the company being copied, those losses are transferred to the supposed supplier. Let Sage Analytical Laboratories aid you in determining whether or not the failing parts returned are genuine with our fast counterfeit analysis services. We’ll inspect for the telltale signs of counterfeits such as mismatching revision codes, blacktopping, re-bonding, etc.
With our sophisticated suite of tools we are able to image and inspect all nuances of a package and IC and compare it to a real sample. By using x-ray, probing, basic DC testing, visual inspection, and various other techniques, we can provide a detailed picture of the part to be scrutinized. Decapsulation and optical inspection provide us real images of how the suspected counterfeit device compares to the datasheet, or a control sample.
If incongruities are marked, liability may be shifted to the purchaser, ensuring they procure from the proper channels. This saves time and money for both parties, and removes future counterfeit products from the systems. Suppliers or discontinued parts may find this specifically challenging, as they are a target for counterfeiters. Older technologies, legacy systems, and high reliability markets are notorious for being susceptible to fakes. By simply putting a few parts through counterfeit analysis from a lot or reel, huge issues may be avoided, and your products can be trusted with a much greater confidence.
Click here to read more about counterfeit analysis on our blog post.