Part/Vendor Qualification

Microelectronic parts and their suppliers constantly need to be vetted in order to ensure the quality and reliability of the electronic systems making use of them. This is especially true for the military and aerospace industries. Their parts must be qualified at a higher level than that specified for the commercial applications those parts were originally intended to fulfill. Medical devices and their manufacturers may be subject also to Parts/Vendor Qualification, as may brokers and other test labs.

Parts/Vendor Qualification testing is conducted primarily for PEMs (plastic encapsulated microcircuits), such as TSSOPs, SOICs, PLCCs, MSOPs, PQFPs/TQFPs, CDIPs/PDIPs, BGAs/FBGAs, and SOTs. The qualification process typically subjects parts to a variety of stresses that replicate as accurately as possible the environment in which the parts are to function.

At AcousTech we offer a variety of services relative to Parts/Vendor Qualification. C-SAM® screening is particularly beneficial here. That’s because C-SAM® excels in recognizing – even before symptoms are obvious – internal defects and changes as parts are flowed through a process of different environmental stress tests. These typically include humidity testing, highly accelerated stress tests (HAST), and moisture sensitivity level (MSL) testing as well as vibration, pressure, temperature, and cycling tests. Specifically, C-SAM® helps determine just how much environmental stress a part can tolerate and still function as it was meant to do – which is helpful in identifying potential future problems. C-SAM® also proves exceptional in helping us compare the reliability of part types made by different vendors or suppliers.

The standards and specifications that most often apply to the C-SAM® process of Parts/Vendor Qualification testing are… 

X-Ray screening also is used to great effect in Parts/Vendor Qualification. It’s especially well-suited to finding differences in the construction of part types made by competing vendors or suppliers – differences in wire bonding patterns, paddle design, and die size, for instance. X-Rays also perform well in identifying defects that can lead to reduced reliability, such as wire-bond integrity problems and die-attach voiding.

The standards that apply to X-Ray screening of parts for qualification include… 

Our Parts/Vendor Qualification services also entail providing you with… 

  • a quick turnaround,
  • a detailed yet concise pass/fail report that notes all defects discovered,
  • a certificate of conformance, and
  • a CD that includes all images taken during the tests and/or the original X-Ray films. 

Beyond that, we offer you the same professional collaboration and competitive pricing that complete the benefits of partnership we extend to every AcousTech client.

Questions? Contact AcousTech. We’ll be happy to explain more about how our services can contribute to your Parts/Vendor Qualification initiatives. And when you’re ready, be sure to Request a Quote.

C-SAM® is a registered trademark of Sonoscan, Inc.