Certain device failures are especially difficult to analyze since they can only be reproduced under high speed and high power conditions, while also requiring the removal of standard heat dissipating packaging to get visual access to the chip. In addition to the challenge of heat generation density of devices increasing year by year, small hot spots in actual usage generate heat far in excess of the average, and heat dissipation performance needs to be more efficient and highly uniform. In addition, it is desirable to implement a cooling system that does not overly restrict the number and types of lenses that can be used, such as high and low magnification air gap lenses as well as a solid-immersion lens, which has been one of the challenges of existing systems. This paper reports on the development of a cooling system to address these challenges and to enable failure analysis on a device running at 200 W.

Despite modern battery management systems, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries can be subjected to varying levels of overdischarge during transport, storage and use in the field. While the general degradation risks associated with overdischarge are well documented, there are not widely accepted cell voltages at which the onset of such degradation processes occur. In this work, reference electrode testing is performed to study a variety of commercial lithium-ion cells during varying levels of overdischarge. Common trends between different types of lithium-ion cells are first identified, and the resulting implications are discussed.

Root cause failure analysis of lithium-ion batteries provides important feedback for cell design, manufacture, and use. As batteries are being produced with larger form factors and higher energy densities, failure analysis techniques must be adapted to characteristics of the specific batteries. This paper will discuss the significance of melted copper in lithium-ion battery cells that have experienced thermal runaway and how the interpretation of such evidence has evolved over time. Specialized testing techniques that may prove helpful in determining the root cause of battery failures will also be described.

This article describes a method that combines Analog Signature Analysis (ASA) with IR based Direct Current Injection (IRDCI) for printed circuit board assembly failure analysis. The integration of ASA extends the diagnostic capability of IRDCI from shorted power rails to any measurement location that shows signature differences. It also facilitates the detection of electrical breakdown or degradation without having to remove suspected faulty components from the board.

This paper presents a failure analysis to determine the origin of the failure on the soldered balls of one BGA soldered to a Printed circuit board, presenting Intermittency on the soldered joints, by Visual inspection, X ray inspection, Computed Tomography(CT), Cross-section analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Energy dispersive spectroscopy, determined the failure located on soldered balls of the BGA was caused by cracks that run along the Intermetallic layer formed between the solder balls and the copper pads of the printed circuit board, that were located near the BGA corners. With X ray computed Tomography we can analyze all the soldered balls of the BGA, by "virtual" cross-sections on the soldered joints without damage on the sample.