List of Failure Modes Prepared by ESPEC CORP. List of Failure Modes About this list Failure modes are classified from various perspectives that are determined by the different standpoints of engineers working in different fields, and by the frequency with which they are encountered. Examples of typical anticipated failure phenomena are classified here mainly from the perspective of electronics mounting reliability. They are drawn from Espec's experience and past reported cases. We plan to update this list in future to reflect member feedback and the latest information. Category Sub-category 1 Sub-category 2 Failure phenomenon Applicable component or material Insulation deterioration Plastic materials, adhesives, coating resin Strength deterioration Plastic materials, coating resin, PCBs Combined acceleration conditions Main test conditions Example reference material Pressure cooker test 110 to 130ºC, 85%, 300 hours Kazuhiro Nakamura, 'Print Haisenban no Taishitsusei Hyōka ni Okeru Kasokusei Shikenhō no Kadai’ [‘Problems With Accelerated Test Methods for PCB Moisture Resistance Evaluations’] 16th Academic Meeting of Japan Institute of Electronics Packaging (2008) Kanji Mori, ‘Tomaku no Kōsoku Taikōsei Shiken Hōhō no Kaihatsu’ [‘A New Weatherability Test Method for Coatings with Acceleration Factor of 100’] Materials Life Society (2001) Thermal breakdown Thermal deterioration Oxidation Oxide film formation Contact materials (contact failure) Heat + Moisture UV irradiation in 40ºC hydrogen peroxide Thermal diffusion Strength deterioration Soldered joints, plating or connecting portions of different metal type Heat + Stress Yasushi Yamada, ‘Power Handōtai Device Jissōyō Bi-Kei Handa (II) Setsugōtai no Hot/cold cycle test: Reinetsu Cycle Shinraisei’ [‘Hot/Cold Cycle Reliability of Bismuth-Based Solder (II) -40/105ºC, –40/200ºC, –40/250ºC (20 Joints for Mounting Power Semiconductor Devices’] 16th Microelectronics minutes each) Symposium (2006) Low-temperature fragility Strength deterioration Tin, solder Thermal stress Thermal fatigue Strength Soldered joints, PCBs, chip capacitors, joint interfaces deterioration, fatigue between different material types cracks Heat + Strain Temperature cycle test (*1) –40/100ºC (30 minutes each) for 1,000 cycles Strength test conditions: Shear velocity of 20, 10, 5, 0.5 mm/min *1: Yo Yoshida, ‘Oi Handa to Sōnyū Buhin no Setsugō Shinraisei ni Tsuite’ [‘Joint Reliability of Resoldered Locations and Inserted Parts’] 11th Microelectronics Symposium (2001) *2: Masahiko Furuno, ‘Hyōmen Jissō Buhin ni Okeru Namari-Free Handa Setsugō Temperature cycle test (*2) –40/125ºC (30 minutes each) for 100, bu no Sendan Kyōdo’ [‘Shear Strength of Lead-Free Soldered Joints in SurfaceMounted Parts’] 15th Microelectronics Symposium (2005) 500, 1,000 cycles Thermal cycling Temperature cycle test –65 to 150ºC, –55 to 85ºC (*1) Thermal-stress-driven whisker growth Insulation failure, short-circuiting Lead frames, connectors, plating of component electrodes, soldered joints Heat + Strain Temperature cycle test –40 to 125ºC, 100 cycles (*2) Temperature cycle test –40 to 130ºC (2 hours per cycle), 3,000 cycles (*3) *1: Yoshikuni Nakadaira, 'Growth of tin whiskers for lead-free plated leadframe packages in high humid environments and during thermal cycling' Microelectronics Reliability (2007) *2: Keun-soo Kim, ‘Sn Whisker Bōshiyō Hyōmen Nanomekki no Shinraisei Hyōka’, [‘Reliability of surface coated Sn plating’] 18th Microelectronics Symposium (2008) *3: Koichiro Kuribayashi, ‘Pb-Free Mekki no Himaku Hyōka Oyobi Whisker Yokusei Gijutsu no Kaihatsu’ [‘Lead-Free Plating Film Evaluation and Whisker Inhibition Technology Development’] 17th Academic Meeting of Japan Institute of Electronics Packaging (2003) Swelling Diffusion Hydrolysis Insulation failure, short-circuiting Plastic packaging, PCBs, adhesives, plastic materials Discoloration, Plastic materials, adhesives strength deterioration Heat + Moisture Heat + Moisture 130ºC/85%, 130ºC/100% Nobuyuki Kawayoshi, ‘Jōki Osen ga Pressure Cooker Shiken ni Oyobosu Eikyō’, [The effect of steam pollution on the pressure cocker test’] 19th JUSE R&M Symposium (1989) Heat + Moisture Constant-temperature/constanthumidity test 85ºC/85%, applied voltage of 10 kV/mm (24 hours) + 15 KV/mm (32 hours) (*1) 85ºC/85%, 50 V, 1,000 hours (*2) *1: Kenji Okamoto, ‘Kōon Kōshitsu Bias Shiken ni Okeru Jushi Zetsuensō no Zetsuen Rekka Genshō’ [‘Deterioration Phenomenon of Insulation Layers of High Temperature High Humidity Bias Tests’] 20th Academic Meeting of Japan Institute of Electronics Packaging (2006) *2: Yoichi Shinba, ’20 μm Pitch Flexible Kairo Kiban no Kaihatsu’ [’Development of a 20 μm-Pitch Flexible Circuit Board’] 19th Academic Meeting of Japan Institute of Electronics Packaging (2005) Moisture absorption Breathing Insulation failure, short-circuiting Resin films, sealed parts, temperature fuses Constant-temperature/constanthumidity test 60ºC/93%, 85°C/85% (*1) Oxide-growth (internal stress) whiskers Humidity stress Corrosion Lead-free (tin/silver) solder plating, joints Thermal cycling + Moisture Pressure cooker test 110ºC/85%, 85°C85%, 60°C/93%, room temperature (0, 500, 1,000, 4,500 hours) (*3) Constant-temperature/constanthumidity test 85ºC/85% (3 000 h ) (*4) THB test (85ºC/85% RH) Minoru Tomoike, ‘COB no Taishitsusei Shiken ni Okeru Kasokusei’ [‘Acceleration Unsaturated pressure cooker bias test In Humidity Testing for COB’] Fujitsu Access Review (1999) (120ºC/85% RH) Galvanic corrosion Resistance value Resistors, semiconductors, heat-radiating parts, etc. increase, wire breaks Moisture + DC electric fields + Heat Gap corrosion Corrosive deterioration Moisture + electrolytic substances 85ºC/85%, 64%, 43% (1,000 hours) Moisture + DC electric fields + Heat *1: Ikuo Yanase, ‘Flexible Kiban no Migration Shiken’ [‘Migration test of flexible 85ºC/85%, 85ºC/75%, 85ºC/65%, 75º substrate’] Electronic Device Reliability Symposium (2004) C/85%, 65ºC/85%, 50 VDC (*1) *2: Sachiko Kitamura, ‘Ion Migration Rekka ni Yoru Print Haisenban no Jumyō Hyō ka ni Kansuru Ichi Kōsatsu’ [‘An Examination of PCB Life Evaluations by Means of 85ºC/85%, 60ºC/90%, 40ºC/90%; 50, Ion Migration Deterioration’] 25, 12.5 VDC (*2) 36th JUSE Symposium on Reliability and Maintainability (2006) Vibrations + Heat Acceleration: 9.8 m/s2; resonance frequency: ± 5 Hz; sweep time: 10 minutes (48 hours) Metal material connection terminals, gap portions PCBs (main electrode materials: Silver, copper, lead, tin) Laminated ceramic capacitors, flax, coating materials Jiangjun Xiang, ‘Sn-Zn-Kei Teion Handa no Kōon Kōshitsu ni Okeru Sanka Kyodō’ [‘Oxidation of Sn-Zn solder under high-temperature and high-humidity conditions’] 16th Microelectronics Symposium (2006) Ion migration (dendrites, CAFs) Insulation failure, short-circuiting Vibrations Fatigue cracks Solder joints, structural parts (metal, plastic), joint interfaces between different material types Shock, drop impact Fatigue cracks Solder joints, structural parts (metal, plastic), joint interfaces between different material types Wear Contact resistance increases Sliding components, components with rotating parts Repetitive bend fatigue Fatigue cracks Soldered joints, structural parts (metal, plastic) Creep Strength deterioration Soldered joints, metal materials, plastics Stress + Time + Heat External stress whiskers Insulation failure, short-circuiting Tin plated connectors, lead frames Stress + Time Current density Electromigration Wire breaks (in aluminum or copper wiring) Semiconductor aluminum wiring, solder bump joints Current density + Heat Tin/silver/copper solder bumps Current density: 10 kA/cm2 Temperature: 180ºC Kimihiro Yamanaka, ‘Namari-Free Handa Bishō Setsugōbu no Electromigration ni Tsuite’ [‘A study on Pb-free solder electromigration in micro-joint system’] 16th Microelectronics Symposium (2006) Electric field strength Time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) Leak current increases Semiconductor insulation films Electric field strength + Heat Voltage: 3.7 V (NMOS), 4.1 V (PMOS) Temperature: 110ºC Tetsuji Uno, ‘HfSiOx Gate Zetsuenmaku no TDDB Tokusei ni Kansuru Ichi Kō satsu’ [‘An Examination of the TDDB Characteristic of HfSiOx Gate Insulating Film’] 18th Electronic Device Reliability Symposium (2008) Sulfide gas Contact failure (sulfide corrosion) Contact materials and metal materials (copper, silver), plating SO2 + Moisture + Heat (+ Nox) H2S + Moisture + Heat (+ Nitride gas Contact failure (nitride corrosion) Contact materials and metal materials Nox + Moisture + Heat Organic gas Siloxane gas Contact failure (formation of silicon Contact materials in relays, small motors, etc. oxide) Corrosion Chloride corrosion Ruse Metal materials, exteriors Saltwater spray test Plastics, solar cells Light irradiation test, outdoor exposure test PCBs, insulation materials Repetitive stress Mechanical stress Load stress Electrical stress Inorganic gases Gas stress Saltwater stress Short-circuiting, insulation failure Constant-temperature/constanthumidity test 55ºC/85% (96 hours) (*2) *1: Yoshikuni Nakadaira, ‘Growth of tin whiskers for lead-free plated leadframe packages in high humid environments and during thermal cycling’ Microelectronics Reliability (2007) *2: Keun-soo Kim, ‘Sn Whisker Bōshiyō Hyōmen Nanomekki no Shinraisei Hyōka’, [‘Reliability of surface coated Sn plating’] 18th Microelectronics Symposium (2008) *3: Kazuhiko Tanabe, ‘Namari-Free Handazukebu ni Okeru Whisker Hassei Yōin no Ichi Kōsatsu’ [‘An Examination of Whisker Generation Factors in Lead-Free Soldered Locations’] 20th Academic Meeting of Japan Institute of Electronics Packaging (2006) *4: Koichiro Kuribayashi, ‘Pb-Free Mekki no Himaku Hyōka Oyobi Whisker Yokusei Gijutsu no Kaihatsu’ [‘Lead-Free Plating Film Evaluation and Whisker Inhibition Technology Development’] 17th Academic Meeting of Japan Institute of Electronics Packaging (2003) Light stress UV Photolysis Strength deterioration, discoloration Dust stress Dust Adhering impurities (tracking) Insulation failure, short-circuiting Copyright(C)ESPEC CORP. All rights reserved. Toshiyuki Hamano et al., ‘Electronics Jissō Kiban no Shindō Fuka ni Okeru Hakai Mechanism’ [‘Destruction Mechanism for Vibration Load of Electronics Mounting Substrate’] Microjoining and Assembly Technology in Electronics (2003) JEITA-ET 7409/106: Test methods for solder joint of surface mount device — Part 106F: Cyclic drop test [in Japanese] Vibrations + Moisture JEITA-ET 7409/105: Test methods for solder joint of surface mount device — Part 105: Cyclic bending strength test [in Japanese] Siloxane + Heat 1 ppm H2S, 25ºC/75% (1,000 hours) Kishichi Sasaki, ‘Namari-Free Handa no Fushokusei no Kentō’ [‘A Study of the Corrosiveness of Lead-Free Solder’] 18th Electronic Device Reliability Symposium (2008) 1 ppm NO2, 25ºC/75% (1000 hours) 40ºC; siloxane concentration: 1 ppm, 11 pm Open/close count: 30,000; resistance load: 12 VDC, 10 mA Electric field + Moisture + Tracking test Electrolytic substances + Dust NH4Cl 0.1%, 600 V 1 IEC Publ. 112, ‘Method for determining the comparative and the proof tracking indices of solid insulating materials under moist conditions’ (1979) Test Navi [Test handbook]