Rapid Assessment Testing of Polymer Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors in Elevated Temperature–Humidity Environments

Aluminum electrolytic capacitors with polymer electrolytes were developed to obtain lower equivalent series resistance (ESR) than that is achievable with liquid electrolytes. Replacement of the liquid electrolyte with a solid conductive polymer also overcomes the propensity of the liquid to evaporate over time, which leads to a reduction in capacitance and an increase in ESR values. However, capacitor manufacturers acknowledge that humidity can degrade the polymer, thereby having an adverse effect on the reliability of polymer aluminum (PA) capacitors. In the current study, surface mount and thru-hole PA capacitors from two different manufacturers were subjected to highly accelerated stress testing (110 °C, 85% RH) and elevated temperature–humidity (85 °C, 85% RH) conditions for rapid assessment. The polymer electrolyte in the capacitors was poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene). Failure analysis was performed to determine the observed failure modes and the underlying failure mechanisms. The dominant failure modes observed were an increase in leakage current and an increase in ESR.     

Failure analysis of miniaturized multilayer ceramic capacitors in surface mount printed circuit board assemblies

New failure analysis results of miniaturized multilayer ceramic capacitors (sizes 0402, 0603, 0805 and 1206) which have been subjected to various degrees of thermal shock up to 450°C by ice-water or dry ice quenching are reported. The thermal shock resistance of 0402 multilayer ceramic capacitors was found to be about 400°C and considerably better than those of the larger ones. Microstructural and layer-by-layer insulation resistance analyses have clearly identified the physical locations responsible for the electrical leakage of defective capacitors. Further, no evidence of silver migration as a dominant failure mechanism has been observed for any of the defective capacitors under usual operating stresses. Comparisons ofI–V characteristics for multilayer ceramic capacitors quenched by ice-water and dry ice confirm that water plays a significant role in causing electrical failure at nominal bias. Comparisons with results obtained from practical surface mount printed circuit board assembly of mobile telephones is discussed. From these, failure mechanisms are proposed to explain the failure of miniaturized multilayer ceramic capacitors under normal service conditions.     

Counterfeit capacitors in the supply chain

Counterfeit electronic components have become a significant concern in the electronic parts supply chain. Original equipment manufacturers in particular are concerned about counterfeit components as there have been several recent reports of counterfeit parts entering the supply chain of the US military. This paper presents a case study of multilayer ceramic capacitors for use in a printed circuit assembly in an electronic system on a military aircraft. The capacitors failed during a high temperature screening test. Upon failure analysis it was revealed that the capacitors were not made to the correct specifications and were suspected to be counterfeit and not the authentic military grade capacitors manufactured by Kemet. Further investigation revealed that the suspect multilayered ceramic capacitors had entered into the electronics parts supply chain and were sold as authentic Kemet capacitors that met the higher military-specified requirements. The manufacturing and distribution of the counterfeit capacitors were traced to locations where, according to Kemet, its authentic capacitors are neither manufactured nor distributed.     

Lead zirconate titanate thin film capacitors on electroless nickel coated copper foils for embedded passive applications

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT, 52/48) thin film capacitors were prepared on electroless Ni coated Cu foil by chemical solution deposition for printed wiring board embedded capacitor applications. Phase development, dielectric properties, and leakage characteristics of capacitors were investigated, in particular as a function of the process temperature. Dielectric properties of the capacitors were dependent on the crystallization temperature, and capacitance densities of more than 350 nF/cm² and loss tangent of less than 0.03 were measured for capacitors crystallized below 600 °C. Lowest leakage current densities (around 2 × 10^− 7 A/cm² at 10 V direct current (DC)) and highest breakdown fields could be obtained for capacitors crystallized at 650 °C.Capacitors with different thickness and a two-layer capacitor model were used in analyzing the interface layer between PZT and the underlying electroless Ni. From the capacitance and leakage measurements, it is suggested that the interface reaction layer has low permittivity (K around 30) and high defect concentration, which has an important effect on the electrical properties of capacitors. This interface is from the reaction of the electroless nickel layer with the adjacent PZT, and may specifically be moderated by the nickel phosphide (Ni-P) phase, transformed from amorphous Ni during the annealing step.The results have significant implications for embedded capacitors in printed wiring boards. They demonstrate that the process can be tuned to produce either voltage independent capacitors with low leakage and high breakdown fields (above 30 V DC), or the more usual hysteretic, switching, ferroelectric capacitors with higher capacitance densities.     

Conductive filament formation in printed circuit boards: effects of reflow conditions and flame retardants

Conductive filament formation, a major cause of failures in printed circuit boards, is an electrochemical process that involves the transport of a metal through or across a nonmetallic medium under the influence of an applied electric field. With an increasing potential to market “green” electronics, environmental and health legislations, and the advent of lead-free and halogen-free initiatives, newer types of printed circuit board materials are being exposed to ever higher temperatures during solder assembly. The higher temperatures can weaken the glass-fiber bonding, thus enhancing conductive filament formation. The effects of the inclusion of halogen-free flame retardants on conductive filament formation in printed circuit boards are not completely understood. Previous studies, along with analysis and examinations conducted on printed circuit boards with failure sites that were due to conductive filament formation, have shown that the conductive path is typically formed along the delaminated fiber glass and epoxy resin interfaces. This paper is a result of a year-long study on the effects of reflow temperatures, halogen-free flame retardants, glass reinforcement weave style, and conductor spacing on times to failure due to conductive filament formation.     

A simultaneous-mounting process for automated printed circuit board assembly

Current robotized printed circuit board assembly systems allow one component to be inserted onto the board at a time and the corresponding design usually causes complicated operation planning problems for plant engineers. This paper addresses an opportunity for productivity improvement in automated printed circuit board assembly through the design of a new assembly mechanism from plant engineer's viewpoint. The mechanism not only will allow simultaneous insertions of multiple components but also will simplify the component placement planning task.     

1/f noise of electrolytic capacitors as a reliability indicator

The electrical noise of capacitors and the relationship between typical imperfections in capacitors and their excess noise are described. It was assumed that a noisy capacitor is a poor-quality one. Investigations were aimed at the determination of a correlation between the inherent noise of capacitors and their reliability (time to failure) and also at the determination of an indicator to predict reliability. Investigations (noise measurements and reliability tests) were carried out on two samples of aluminium electrolytic capacitors. The method of reliability prediction for electrolytic capacitors based on their low-frequency noise is described. For reliability prediction the noise intensity G at a frequency of 2 Hz was used as a reliability indicator. It was found that the evaluated correlation coefficients between the noise parameter G and the time to failure, t, are statistically significant. It is concluded that it is possible to predict the lifetime of aluminium electrolytic capacitors on the basis of their 1/f noise. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electrolytic capacitors produced from deformation-processed two-phase alloys

Arc cast Cu-Ta and powder processed Al-Ta and Al-Nb composite alloys have been examined as potential materials for making electrolytic capacitors. These two phase alloys can be severely cold-worked, deformation-processed, to produce Ta surface areas considerably larger than those possible with the powder processing used in current Ta capacitors. The three alloys were deformation-processed into sheet and rod form and then processed through anodization, electrolyte formation and cathode fabrication steps to make prototype capacitors. The capacitors were tested for capacitance, effective series resistance and leakage. The figure of merit,CVg^–1, (capacitance × voltage per gram) values obtained closely approached those of currently manufactured capacitors but d.c. leakage values were unacceptably high using a solid electrolyte. To realize the full potential of this new method for fabricating Al-Ta capacitors further research is required to improve the deformation of the Ta powders and to find methods of anodization and solid-state electrolyte formation capable of maintaining oxide film integrity.     

Active power decoupling with reduced converter stress for single-phase power conversion and interfacing

Single-phase DC–AC power electronic converters suffer from pulsating power at double the line frequency. The commonest practice to handle the issue is to provide a huge electrolytic capacitor for smoothening out the ripple. However, the electrolytic capacitors having short end of lifetime limit the overall lifetime of the converter. Another way of handling the ripple power is by active power decoupling (APD) using the storage devices and a set of semiconductor switches. Here, a novel topology has been proposed in implementing APD. The topology claims the benefit of (1) reduced stress on converter switches and (2) using smaller capacitance value, thus alleviating the use of electrolytic capacitor and in turn improving the lifetime of the converter. The circuit consists of a third leg, a storage capacitor and a storage inductor. The analysis and the simulation results are shown to prove the effectiveness of the topology.     

Process and production planning for circuit board assembly

Process planning output can be post-processed into criteria for job scheduling decisions in printed circuit board assembly using surface-mount technology (SMT). Artificial intelligence-based techniques used in computerized planning and scheduling systems in other industries can be extended to printed circuit board operations. These techniques include blackboard architectures, object-oriented programming systems, and nonmonotonic reasoning systems. These techniques were used to demonstrate a unique architecture of blackboard systems that communicate via object-oriented messages to arrive at a shop-floor process plan and production schedule. The methodology was specialized to the assembly of printed circuit boards using surface-mounted components in a high-variety/low-volume product mix. The assembly facility was represented as a hierarchical object of product, process, and organizational knowledge. The system of working heuristics was integrated within a prototype environment with the practitioners that assisted in its development. The end result is a good working methodology for system development, implementation, and maintenance by knowledge worker involvement.     

球栅阵列无铅焊点随机振动失效研究

通过非接触式激光全息激振方法对试件(电路板组件)进行试验模态分析,了解其动态特性;以其第一阶固有频率作为中心频率,分别进行了三种不同加速度功率谱密度幅值的窄带随机振动疲劳试验,并对失效焊点进行金相剖面分析,探究球栅阵列(BGA)无铅焊点在随机振动载荷下的失效机理。结果表明,三种加速度功率谱密度幅值的随机振动试验中BGA无铅焊点的失效机理不尽相同,随着功率谱密度幅值增加,焊点失效位置由靠近电路板(PCB)一侧向靠近封装一侧转变,分别是靠近PCB一侧的焊球体,焊点颈部以及靠近封装一侧的Ni/金属间化合物(IMC)界面处,相应的失效模式由疲劳断裂转为脆性断裂     

Reliability comparison of tantalum and niobium solid electrolytic capacitors

This paper deals with a comparative investigation of tantalum and niobium solid electrolytic capacitors. Nb is an attractive replacement for Ta in solid electrolytic capacitors because it is lighter and cheaper than Ta. Although these two metals have much in common in their crystalline structure and physical and chemical properties, the electrical properties of Ta and Nb capacitors are different. Particularly, most Nb capacitors are characterized by an increase in direct current leakage during life testing. This causes parametric failure of Nb capacitors. On the other hand, the direct current leakage of Ta capacitors does not change significantly for a long time, but then increases sharply for some samples. Hence occasional catastrophic failures are typical for Ta capacitors. Nevertheless, the properties of high-CV Ta capacitors with low and high rated voltage approach the properties of Nb capacitors. The physical nature of these phenomena is discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

电子雷管用电子控制模块的抗冲击性能研究

针对小断面爆破时电子雷管内电子控制模块易受冲击作用失效的问题,通过钢桶冲击实验,对工作状态的电子控制模块及其核心部件分别进行抗冲击性能研究。结果表明,电子控制模块受冲击作用后,相比于物理结构损坏,易出现内部储能电容失电现象。电子雷管用储能电容受冲击失电是固有特性。储能电容受冲击失电性能由强到弱的顺序为：固态铝电解电容、电解铝电容、固态钽电容。储能电容受冲击失电量与电容类型、受冲击强度以及管壳内部防护结构的设计相关。设计的钢桶冲击实验方案能定性研究电子控制模块及内部元器件的抗冲击性能,可用于生产实践中对雷管结构设计和元器件进行筛选,从根本上控制产品质量。     

废PCB粉增强改性聚乙烯基木塑复合材料

通过裂解色谱-质谱、X射线荧光分析分析了废印刷电路板非金属粉末(简称废PCB粉)的基本性质,并研究了废PCB粉对废聚乙烯基木塑复合材料的增强改性效果。结果表明,废PCB粉中含有约33.99%的溴化环氧树脂、约61.26%的短玻璃纤维以及约1.29%的铜。适量的废PCB粉对聚乙烯基木塑复合材料的改性效果十分突出,当用20%的PCB粉取代木粉时,可明显改善木塑复合材料的热稳定性、加工性能及力学性能,在拉伸强度、弯曲性能基本保持不变的前提下,复合材料的冲击强度提高了31.5%。     

Performance of capacitors under DC bias at liquid nitrogen temperature

Several commercially available capacitors were evaluated at the liquid nitrogen temperature (77 K). Our primary interest was their performance under a bias voltage when used as DC link capacitors in cryogenic power electronics. In general, the performance of polymer capacitors and certain ceramic capacitors is almost independent of the temperature, DC bias, and frequency. On the other hand, ceramic capacitors based on high dielectric constant materials showed a strong dependence on the boundary conditions. Aluminum electrolytic capacitors showed a dramatic decrease of capacitance at 77 K, possibly due to the electrolyte being frozen and therefore losing its conductivity.     

A comparison of inventory cost reduction strategies in a JIT manufacturing system

Although many companies have found JIT manufacturing to be a very effective manufacturing strategy, few models have been developed which can help direct JIT efforts. This article discusses some of the problems with modelling JIT manufacturing, it describes some simple models of inventory costs in a JIT system and it uses these models to evaluate alternative inventory-cost reduction strategies in a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly system.     

Interface Stress-Induced Degradation of the Performance of Electrically Conductive Adhesives

Electrically conductive adhesives are of increasing importance as a powerful alternative to eutectic bonding. In the use of electrically conductive adhesives in soldering applications, a lack of conductivity of the adhesive bond between surface mounted devices (SMD) and the printed circuit board was frequently observed. This lack of conductivity caused failure of the unit because of an unacceptable series resistivity in the circuit. A failure analysis proved that the resistance of the contact between the adhesive and device depends on the stress situation in the bonded interface induced by the shrinkage of the adhesive during curing. Under stress, the formation of a resin segregation layer of low conductivity results. The outer shape of the electrical component as well as the SMD assembly process has strong influence on the electrical performance.     

表面自组装法制备高比容Al2O3/TiO2复合膜

通过提高工作介质氧化膜的介电常数来增加电容器的比容量, 是解决铝电解电容器小型化、轻量化常用的方法之一。本研究采用表面自组装法, 在铝箔表面引入磺酸基团使铝箔表面的荷电性质发生改变, 铝箔与二氧化钛前驱体胶粒间的静电斥力转变为静电引力, 从而增加了二氧化钛在铝箔表面的沉积量。经过热处理与阳极氧化后, 在铝箔表面形成了高介电常数Al₂O₃/TiO₂复合膜。相对未涂覆TiO₂的阳极铝箔, 采用表面自组装法制备的复合膜表面的钛含量增加了30倍, 其比容量在400 V耐压下提高了44.26%。本方法制备的大比容量阳极氧化铝箔在铝电解电容器行业有巨大的应用潜力。     

Combined effects of linear and angular errors in pc board assembly

Automated printed circuit board assembly is a complex process where accuracy is a critical issue. This paper discusses the quantitative effects of linear and angular errors present in such a system on the successful assembly of through-hole components that have been properly registered. Both additive and statistical error compounding methods are illustrated. Mathematical models developed in this study can be used to determine the relative effects of critical system parameters and tolerances on proper insertion of the component into the pc board. Optimal design and control specifications can therefore be obtained for an efficient and successful assembly system.