A printed circuit board (PCB), also called a printed wiring board (PWB), holds electronic parts and connects them with copper traces, pads and plated through holes. Boards are inspected and classified to IPC standards, and Class 3 is the highest class. Each class sets limits for manufacturing defects.
PCB problems can come from the bare board or from assembly. Common failure modes include voids in plated through holes that cause opens, contamination that causes leakage or corrosion, and solder joint defects such as voiding in ball grid arrays (BGAs). Flexing during depanelization can also crack parts. Overheating and fires, and tin whiskers that cause shorts, are other cases.
The case studies in this category include a board with an open plated through hole and a board with a short caused by tin whisker growth in the solder mask. Others show BGA voiding, and flex damage to ceramic capacitors.
The lab uses X-ray radiography to look inside solder joints and vias. We use cross-sectioning with optical microscopy to check plating and layers. FTIR and scanning electron microscopy help to identify contamination.
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BGA Failure Analysis on Static Transfer Switch
Gideon Analytical Laboratories received one static transfer switch (STS) Main Logic printed circuit board (PCB) assembly with two chips …
March 31, 2013Capacitor Terminal Crack
Gideon Analytical Laboratories received 19 multilayered ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). MLCCs have a ceramic dielectric, a ceramic or lacquered …
March 31, 2013PCB Failure Analysis
Gideon Analytical Laboratories received the main PCB that had a fire in one section of the board. The objective was to find the cause in an …
November 27, 2012BGA Voiding
X-Ray Radiography Inspection This report contains images taken of the BGAs on the two boards provided. There are no significant defects …
November 21, 2012PCB Overheating Due to Design Flaw
Gideon Analytical Laboratories received several SVAA-3V25 relays for failure analysis. These solid state relays have a control voltage range …
August 29, 2011Fire on Multilayer PCB
Gideon Analytical Laboratories received a PCB that had a fire in one section of the board. These PCBs can provide high-performance 10G …
June 30, 2010Environmental Contamination of PCBs
Gideon Analytical Laboratories received three central air conditioner hubs. These air conditioners can are built for commercial or …
March 8, 2010Manufacturing Failure
Gideon Analytical Laboratories received several PCB that opened up on several of the I/O metal dome pads. The three black circles are the …
July 25, 2009Process Contamination
Gideon Analytical Laboratories performed failure analysis on one opened splitter module LPF-200 PCB encapsulated in the black urethane …
December 4, 2007Printed Circuit Board Flexing During Depanelization
Gideon Analytical Laboratories received two printed circuit boards (PCB) with the questionable failure of multilayer ceramic capacitors in …
March 10, 2005Solder Joint Strain Failures
Gideon Analytical Laboratories performed failure analysis on two printed circuit board assemblies (PCB) with fractured solder joints on the …
November 12, 2004Premature Discharge of Ansul IQ-396X Fire Circuitry
Gideon Analytical Laboratories performed failure analysis on one Ansul IQ-396X, which was submitted for possible failure due to an …
June 20, 2003
