Why do EOS and ESD cause product failure?
During the assembly process of electronic devices, integrated circuit failures caused by EOS (Electrical Over Stress) and ESD (Electrical Static Discharge) account for about 50% of the total number of failed devices on site, and are usually accompanied by high defect rates and potential reliability issues.
Is the failure of the production line caused by EOS or ESD?
Confirming the failure mechanism and root cause is the first and crucial step in improving yield. Usually, when distinguishing between EOS and ESD, we first use failure analysis techniques to explore the physical failure phenomena of ICs, and then distinguish them based on the phenomena.
Common physical failure manifestations of ESD include substrate breakdown, polycrystalline silicon melting, GOX pin hole, contact melted, metal melted, etc. (see Figure 1), while common physical failure manifestations of EOS include large-area melting of oxide layer and metal layer, and carbonization of package body (see Figure 2).
Figure 1: Common ESD physical failure phenomena
Figure 2: Common EOS Physical Failure Phenomena