Failure Analysis of MLCC - Cracked Ceramic Capacitors

Gideon Analytical Laboratories received several switches with cracked ceramic capacitors (MLCC) for failure analysis. In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can break an electrical circuit, interrupting the current or diverting it from one conductor to another. A ceramic capacitor is a fixed value capacitor in which ceramic material acts as the dielectric. It is constructed of two or more alternating layers of ceramic and a metal layer acting as the electrodes. The composition of the ceramic material defines electrical behavior and therefore applications. The goal was to determine why the ceramic capacitors were cracked.

Failure analysis was performed on the ceramic capacitors. The bad capacitors were all cross-sectioned and inspected. They all had similar areas where the cracks appeared. There were no cracks around solder joints nor adjacent to the terminal. However, all of them had cracked, if only a hairline, on the component side of the capacitor. The cracks were all starting near position 12 on the capacitor as the hairline and then propagating and expanding across. This was the result of stress related to the heating gradient during the assembly process. In conclusion, in order to remedy this malady, steps need to be taken during the production process to alleviate the stress which is induced.

Think of all the money and time your company could save by figuring out why your electrical components are failing. With Gideon Analytical Laboratories, you receive a fast, accurate, verified, and confidential diagnosis of your failures. It is manufacturing? Design? Application in the field? Gideon Analytical Laboratories can give you answers. Payment for analysis pales in comparison to the money and time you can save by solving your failures. Save time. Save money. Rest assured and have peace of mind. Let Gideon Analytical Laboratories help your company. Give us a call today.