Failure analysis

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Failure analysis is the process of collecting and analyzing data to determine the cause of a failure. It is an important discipline in many branches of manufacturing industry, such as the electronics industry, where it is a vital tool used in the development of new products and for the improvement of existing products. It relies on collecting failed components for subsequent examination of the cause or causes of failure using a wide array of methods, especially microscopy and spectroscopy. The NDT or nondestructive testing methods are valuable because the failed products are unaffected by analysis, so inspection always starts using these methods.

Forensic investigation

Forensic inquiry into the failed process or product is the starting point of failure analysis. Such inquiry is conducted using scientific analytical methods such as electrical and mechanical measurements, or by analysing failure data such as product reject reports or examples of previous failures of the same kind. The methods of forensic engineering are especially valuable in tracing product defects and flaws. They may include fatigue cracks, brittle cracks produced by stress corrosion cracking or environmental stress cracking for example. Witness statements can be valuable for reconstructing the likely sequence of events and hence the chain of cause and effect. Human factors can also be assessed when the cause of the failure is determined. There are several useful methods to prevent product failures occurring in the first place, including FMEA and FTA, methods which can be used during prototyping to analyse failures before a product is marketed.

Failure theories can only be constructed on such data, but when corrective action is needed quickly, the precautionary principle demands that measures be put in place. In aircraft accidents for example, all planes of the type involved can be grounded immediately pending the outcome of the inquiry.

Another interesting aspect of failure analysis is associated with No Fault Found (NFF) which is a term used in the field of failure analysis to describe a situation where an originally reported mode of failure can't be duplicated by the evaluating technician and therefore the potential defect can't be fixed.

NFF can be attributed to oxidation, defective connections of electrical components, temporary shorts or opens in the circuits, software bugs, temporary environmental factors, but also to the operator error. Large number of devices that are reported as NFF during the first troubleshooting session often return to the failure analysis lab with the same NFF symptoms or a permanent mode of failure.

The term Failure analysis also applies to other fields such as business management and military strategy.

Methods of analysis

The failure analysis of many different products involves the use of the following tools and techniques:

Microscopes

• Optical microscope
  • Liquid crystal
• Scanning acoustic microscope (SAM)
• Scanning Acoustic Tomography (SCAT)
• Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)
• Stereomicroscope
• Photo emission microscope (PEM)
• X-ray microscope
• Infra-red microscope
• Scanning SQUID microscope

Sample Preparation

• Jet-etcher
• Plasma etcher
• Back Side Thinning Tools
  • Mechanical Back Side Thinning
  • Laser Chemical Back Side Etching

Spectroscopic Analysis

• Transmission line pulse spectroscopy (TLPS)
• Auger electron spectroscopy
• Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS)

Device Modification

• Focused ion beam etching (FIB)

Surface Analysis

• Dye penetrant inspection

Scanning Electron Microscopy

• Scanning electron microscope (SEM)
  • Electron beam induced current (EBIC) in SEM
  • Charge Induced Voltage Alteration (CIVA) in SEM
  • Voltage contrast in SEM
  • Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in SEM
  • Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) in SEM
• Transmission electron microscope (TEM)

Laser Signal Injection Microscopy (LSIM)

• Photo carrier stimulation
  • Static
    • Optial beam induced current (OBIC)
    • Light Induced Voltage Alteration (LIVA)
  • Dynamic
    • Laser Assisted Device Alteration (LADA)
• Thermal Laser Stimulation (TLS)
  • Static
    • Optical Beam Induced Resistance Change (OBIRCH)
    • Thermally Induced Voltage Alteration (TIVA)
    • External Induced Voltage Alteration (XIVA)
    • Seebeck Effect Imaging (SEI)
  • Dynamic
    • Soft Defect Localization (SDL)

Semiconductor Probing

• Mechanical Probe Station
• Electron Beam Prober
• Laser Voltage Prober
• Time-Resolved Photon Emission Prober (TRPE)

Software Based Fault Location Techniques

• CAD Navigation
• Automatic Test Pattern Generation (ATPG)

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

See also

• Acronyms in microscopy
• Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)
• Failure rate
• Forensic electrical engineering
• Forensic engineering
• Forensic materials engineering
• Forensic polymer engineering
• Forensic science
• Microscope
• Material science
• Sample Preparation Equipment
• Accident Analysis
• Characterization (materials science)
• Failure Reporting, Analysis and Corrective Action Systems (Failure Data Collection)
• American Engineering Group Providing Failure Analysis Solutions

References

Failure analysis of integrated circuits
Subject reference
Reference to the terminology
Article on the subject at IEEE archive
Finite Element Implementation of Advanced Failure Criteria for Composites

Bibliography

• Martin, Perry L., Electronic Failure Analysis Handbook, McGraw-Hill Professional; 1st edition (February 28, 1999) ISBN 0-07-041044-5.
• Microelectronics Failure Analysis, ASM International; Fifth Edition (2004) ISBN 0-87170-804-3
• Article from MATERIALS WORLD Journal discussing the various sample preparation disciplines that allow for failure analysis of electronic materials and components
• Article discussing Liquid Crystal Hot-spot detection techniques

External links

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• Failure Analysis Methods and Tools Overview