Reliability Lab Testing, Consulting, Training.

Ops a la Carte

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Email: info@OPSaLaCarte.com

Engineering Success with Reliable Products.

Electronics

The Power of Population in Semiconductor Device Reliability

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When we introduce a new chip, we plan and execute a comprehensive reliability qualification plan. This plan will be based on many different reliability stresses addressing infant mortality rate test, early life failure rate test, long term life test failure rate prediction based on a small population of samples pulled from early production lots . Due to the fact of limited device sample sizes, we are trying to assign a confidence level to our failure rate predictions using "industry standard" chi-square adjustment in the hope, our prediction will be closer to real field failure rates. This is a "standard" approach of the semiconductor industry because testing very large sample sizes of chips is economically not feasible, especially for small-and fabless semiconductor companies. IBM Corp.'s …

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Functional Safety: Reliability Prediction vs. Reliability Demonstration

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An adaption of the Functional Safety standards IEC 61508 and IEC 26262 by the European Union brought a new life into slowly fading activity of reliability prediction. Both reliability prediction and reliability demonstration are now key parts of many product development programs, however despite phonetic similarity those two have little in common as well as the result they generate.  While reliability prediction is an analytical activity often based on mathematical combination of reliabilities of parts or components comprising the system; reliability demonstration is based on product testing and is statistically driven by the test sample size.  Therefore the obtained results could drastically differ.  For example, a predicted system failure rate of 30 FIT (30 failures per billion (109) …

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Zener Diode Failure in a Clipper Application

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This is an application where two Zener diodes were placed in series, in a back to back configuration.  They were placed across the primary winding of a transformer used to apply modulation to an AM transmitter.  The modulation was in the form of a single frequency, and the modulation level was not to exceed 30% by specification. The modulation level showed some variation with temperature, so that the diodes were selected to limit the voltage across the transformer primary to ensure that the 30% modulation limit would not be exceeded. The drive for the transformer/limiter combination was from a low impedance source, adjusted to provide 30% modulation peaks during final test.  The pole mounted transmitter was required to operate in all weather, unsheltered conditions, at any airport in the …

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Printed Circuit Boards and Reliability

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Potting compounds are often used on printed circuit boards to improve reliability.  In spite of this added protection, adhesive failures, otherwise known as delamination, can occur and lead to substantial problems from moisture ingress.  Root causes of adhesive failures may be surface contaminants, inherently weak bonding between solder mask and potting material or thermal stresses that develop during temperature cycling. In an adhesion analysis a combination of chemical and mechanical tests is often needed to determine the root cause.  Chemical testing includes surface analyses such as XPS and SIMS; both reveal chemical groups available for bonding at the surface.   Contaminants may be revealed during these tests.  Basic tests such as FTIR, TGA and EDS provide information on the …

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OPS A La Carte, Engineering Success with Reliable Products. We are a leading reliability engineering consulting firm since 2001. We have helped many companies create robust products and elevate them to great success, even become the leader in their industry. We are known for providing the whole gamut of reliability lab testing, consulting, and training. With over 25 reliability engineer-experts around the world, with diverse backgrounds and experience, we serve both domestic and global businesses in all areas of reliability, in depth and width. Hi, my name is Jay Muns, owner and CEO. I have more than 30 years of experience in engineering and business operations.

OPS A La Carte have produced very high-quality results for us, with fast turnaround times. Their engineers are the best in their field, are a pleasure to work with, and their work is of the highest standards available. This has helped us obtain critical product approvals…” We help companies see from outside of their forest and understand what they didn’t know before. Companies come to us out of three scenarios: First, when their products fail. We help put out the fire by identifying problems and providing solutions. Second, after a product is designed, to check the box and move on with getting their product into the marketplace. The best is third: to get engaged early, by including reliability as a part of their initial product design goals. This will save time, money and energy. It is much better to have a worry-free product that addresses reliability issues upfront, than dealing with deficiencies after a product is developed, or worse, already manufactured and sold to the end users. Being proactive with reliability engineering will save a business tons of money and trouble. In all scenarios, you receive professional expertise with integrity and at a fair price. Many of our clients are repeat customers for years because of the value we consistently deliver.

Our ENGINEER-consultants each have over 20 years of experience and perform lab testing, consulting and training based on actual reliability science. They follow well established industry standards, such as “HALT” (highly accelerated life test,) and “HASS” (highly accelerated stress screen.) These engineers evaluate, make recommendations and validate results based on highly relevant lab data, co-relating to real world data. Whether your company has a reliability department or not, you can take advantage of our entire testing-consulting-training package, or any portion of it. We also offer Failure analysis and safety certification services such as UL, CE, and other environmental testing services, like solar, UV, SALT spray testing, ESD (electro-static discharge,) and EMC (electro-magnetic compatibility.)

“Ops A La Carte trained us to use HALT methodology as a proactive tool, to root out key failures in our early and advanced prototypes, and that made it possible for us to deliver dependability that our customers demand, in pilot and production units."“...OPS has played a key role in our evolution from a research company to a manufacturer of ‘mission-critical’ components.” A couple of companies describe our HALT/HASS training as “highly informative, engaging and exciting.” “The benefit far exceeds the price."

Our mission is to enable companies to create their happy customers, with a well-engineered product. By helping our clients understand the real problems and the real solutions, we help improve their careers and reputations. Achieving the win-win-win results for our clients and their customers is our ultimate satisfaction. We have a family-like company culture with positive energy and great teamwork. An improved and reliable product is our own small way to contribute to a better humanity and a slightly better world. Call us at (408) 654-0499, or email us at info@opsalacarte.com, or visit our website www.opsalacarte.com. Thank you!

A couple of our clients' testimonials:

"The expert team at OPS assisted us in evaluating the available reliability testing possibilities, and with their help, we crafted a customized test program precisely sized to meet the needs of our project. The resulting program proved to our team, our customers, and our regulatory auditors that our product was robust, met its reliability goals effectively, and satisfied all safety risk factors."

"...Ops A La Carte worked with us to develop a testing program based on HALT and HASS to effectively assess low-temperature operation capability and screen the boards for assembly and component defects. They then facilitated and supported the HALT and HASS testing effort. It was quicker and more efficient than we had expected. The boards for the first four strings have been delivered. We are looking forward to working with them through completion of the project."