Reliability Evaluation of Electronic Devices Under Considering the Actual Use Conditions Available to Purchase

Semiconductor component manufacturers supply to different product manufacturers in a wide range of market segments, for different end use applications. The goal of electronic component qualification is to demonstrate component reliability under operating conditions in the end product configuration. While a manufacturer may have successfully qualified an individual component, operating stresses due to surrounding components or the system can decrease individual component reliability. Not accounting for these operating stresses resulting from other components or the system will lead to lower life than anticipated. Using a case study, the authors demonstrate how the fatigue life of a chip component mounted on a PCB is affected by powered components on the board in close proximity.