Electrical testing is a rather cut-and-dry concept, the parts work or they don’t. Physical criteria have significantly more tolerance – the end-user decides what is acceptable and unacceptable. The White Horse inspection processes identify non-conformances, using ‘new’ as the base condition. Professional, easy to follow reports with large digital photos and descriptions of non-conformances found allow you to communicate with end-user engineering to determine if the parts are in a physically acceptable condition.
White Horse has proudly developed an extensive profile of inspection services that has truly set the standard for thoroughness. Using existing international standards (JEDEC/IPC), AQL sampling plans, and rigid inspector training along with creative solutions proactively keep White Horse and our clients ahead of market attempts to mask the true condition of components.
If the parts do not meet the physical standards of the end-user, electrical testing is a mute point.
Visual Inspection – The first, and most essential, step for any component evaluation. We inspect the component and the packaging to identify non-conformances that tell us the true condition of the parts. New, used, usable, remarked, coplanarity problems, chips and cracks, improper packaging, potential solderability problems, etc. are all identified in the process.
Radiography (X-ray) – Take a look inside the component with this non-destructive analysis to examine component hardware (dice, wire bonds, leadframe configuration) to verify everything is intact and there are no significant voids. Voids can lead to device fracture as the air pocket expands and contracts when the parts is heated (during use and reflow oven when assembling component to the PCB). Broken wire bonds and cracked dice result in electrical failures, and counterfeit devices can be determined by comparing the hardware structure (skeleton) to a known-good part, they should be identical!
Decapsulation – This is probably the one inspection process that has the most names – decapsulation, decap, delidding, die verification, etc. It is a destructive test that removes the insulation material of the component to reveal the die. The die is then analyzed for markings (part number, manufacturer name or logo, lot numbers) and architecture to determine the authenticity of the device. As with X-ray analysis, use of a known-good part (golden sample) is beneficial in comparing to the unknown.
Solderability – Metal oxidizes, it’s that simple. On steel, we call it “rust”. On solder, it is referred to as oxidation . Other contaminants such as oil (as easily as from fingertips) and dust can cause the solder to not make a good connection between the component terminal and the printed circuit board (PCB). A bad solder connection has both mechanical and electrical implications, none of which are good. Testing for solderability is fast, inexpensive, and invaluable… particularly when the components come from hot, humid locations that accelerate the oxidation process.
Lead-free – What does it take to make a part lead-free? More than a “No PB” or “RoHS” label, that is for sure. The RoHS initiative has place content restrictions six heavy metals, including lead. These metals are poison to the environment, including humans. The RoHS standard stipulates what the maximum percentage content (measured in parts per million, or PPM) of the controlled substance. For lead, the requirement is approximately one half of one percent (0.05%). Standard solder has a lead content of 63%. White Horse offers two test solutions, the first we call our “Lead-free” test which detects if the terminals have higher than a 1% content of lead. This is a fast and cost effective solution. If you actually require the full material analysis, meaning a composition level report on the RoHS standard, this is also available.