| Chip Aging and Lifetime Test

A complete range of chip product aging and lifetime testing programs is provided to assist clients in meeting international reliability standards such as JEDEC and MIL-STD.

A complete range of chip product aging and lifetime testing programs is provided, encompassing technology integration consulting, experimental design planning, hardware design and fabrication, reliability testing, and lifetime estimation. This one-stop service assists clients in meeting international reliability standards such as JEDEC, MIL-STD, and AEC-Q.

| Service Background

Semiconductor products are the core of the electronics industry, and one of the most critical reliability testing programs focuses on chip aging and lifetime. The most widely adopted experimental protocols are based on JEDEC 47 or MIL-STD 883. According to JEDEC 47 recommendations, samples shall be taken from three non-consecutive production lots to simulate production stability. Additionally, the Family concept may be applied to appropriately reduce the number of tests and samples required.

For most aging and lifetime tests, burn-in boards are essential as the interface between the testing equipment and the chips. The burn-in board is the core of the entire experiment, and its stability shall be ensured to avoid generating additional issues.

| Testing Item

1). High / Low Temperature Lifetime Test

Chips undergo high and low temperature lifetime testing to simulate accelerated aging under varying temperature conditions. Commonly applied acceleration factors include voltage, current, temperature, and humidity. The temperature specifications for high/low temperature lifetime testing are referenced to the chip junction temperature (Tj). For high-temperature testing, 125 °C is generally applied to consumer-grade and industrial-grade products, while for low-temperature testing, 50 °C is typically used. The testing time for lifetime tests is based on 1000 hours, but the actual duration shall be estimated according to the customer product’s warranty period by applying lifetime prediction formulas. Lifetime testing is a dynamic process. In addition to the aforementioned acceleration factors, specific programs are typically run to ensure that chips exhibit no abnormal or out-of-spec behavior in dynamic environments, thereby making the test conditions closer to real-world usage. The figure below shows the architecture diagram of the aging test equipment.

2). Early Failure Rate Test

The purpose of the early failure rate test is to conduct large-scale observations on specific or special products, such as automotive-grade devices. Another important purpose of the early failure rate test is to estimate the product’s in-field lifetime after shipment, ensuring product stability and determining the necessary quantity of spare units to prepare for subsequent RMA needs. The experimental conditions are the same as those of the actual lifetime test, but with a shorter testing duration. Products that show no abnormalities after testing may be released for shipment. The figure below illustrates the early failure region of the bathtub curve. It can be observed that early failures arise from insufficient manufacturing quality and inadequate testing or screening, leading to defective products entering the field. This makes it a critical testing method for monitoring production yield, rather than relying solely on functional test (FT) results.

3). High-Temperature Storage Lifetime Test

4). Non-Volatile Memory Lifetime Test

5). Aging Board Hardware Design and Fabrication

The design and fabrication of the aging board is the key element of the entire lifetime testing process. For different product categories and applications, factors such as frequency, transmission speed, signal integrity, thermal effects, and impedance matching shall all be taken into account, making the design, material selection, and structural considerations of the aging board relatively complex.

| Sample Level

The sampling method for reliability lifetime testing adopts the Lot Tolerance Percent Defective (LTPD) approach, with the confidence level typically set at 90%. The choice of sample size and confidence level directly affects the estimated value of product lifetime, and therefore shall be handled with great care.

| MTT Advantages

1. Professional Team: A team of highly experienced testing engineers and technical experts.

2. Advanced Equipment: Equipped with internationally leading testing instruments to ensure accuracy and reliability of results.

3. Efficient Service: Rapidly respond to customer needs and provide one-stop, high-efficiency inspection services.

4. Authoritative Certification: The laboratory is certified by ISO/IEC 17025, ensuring that test reports have international credibility.