Two case-studies on uncommon metals whiskers, performed at the Reliability Analysis Laboratory (RAL) of Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, are presented. The components analyzed are an Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator (OCXO) and an Electromechanical Relay. Investigative techniques were used to determine the chemical and physical makeup of the metal whiskers and develop an understanding of the underlying effects and mechanisms that caused the conditions conducive to whisker growth.

electromechanical relay, metal whiskers, oven controlled crystal oscillator, SEM/EDS characterization, whisker growth
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Copyright © 2018 ASM International. All rights reserved.
2018
ASM International
Topics
Semiconductor wafer fabrication Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
Issue Section:
Failure Analysis for Space Applications
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