The Search for the Elusive EOS Monster

Electrical overstress (EOS) is a common failure cause for many of the electronic circuits today. The Failure Analyst has no difficulty identifying EOS as the cause of the failure. The difficulty comes from determining the source of the EOS event so it can be eliminated. This paper describes two case studies looking a gross EOS damage and very mild EOS damage. Close cooperation between the customer and vendor was required to determine the source of the EOS events.