Does space effect reliability? In design we are given requirements and often the space we use in the design is well defined. Sometimes it is the size of the mechanical packaging, often a circuit card has given dimension or the device design requires that it fit inside something like the palm of a human hand. So how do these spatial constraints effect the reliability of the design and eventually the product? Once the physical envelope is defined, the ability of the reliability engineer to impact the robustness of design is limited. The size and design margins of the components are restricted by the dimensional envelope provided. As an example an electronic component will need to be smaller to fit the design space available which results in higher power stress ratios. A simple …