Failure Analysis
Our vast inventory of lab equipment and scientific techniques enables us to verify device parameters, identify fault locations, determine failure modes and root-cause of failures in printed circuit boards, discrete components in a wide range of technologies.
By classifying Failure Analysis in three broad categories by degree of complexity, this allows us to detect failures as quickly and efficiently as possible. The results of each level of analysis are recorded in an appropriate report.
Level 1
We quickly pinpoint the defect using non-invasive microscopy techniques.
X-Ray
Scanning Acoustic Microscopy (C-SAM)
Decapsulation and package opening
Visual inspection including optical microscopy and Laser Scanning Microscopy (LSM)
Level 2
When the defect is hidden, we localize it by using more advanced techniques to actually reproduce the failure in the lab.
Pin testing
Static DC biasing
Liquid crystal fault isolation
Emission Microscopy (EMMI)
Optical Beam Induced Current (OBIC)
Level 3
We determine root-cause by open-ended analysis, to gain understanding of the nature of the failure and its relationship to observed faults or defects. MuAnalysis undertakes each step in this Level 3 analysis only with approval of our customer.
Backside emission microscopy
Various optical techniques for fault isolation
Delayering or cross-sectioning
Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
Microprobing, with picoprobes
BGA layer by layer construction analysis