Umpire®41
A multitude of factors can affect electronic device reliability -
From miniaturization and design to the assembly process. As trace gaps and component geometries decrease, all of these elements in play means assessing the consequences of process residues during manufacturing are as important as ever. To do this, having additional tools or processes at your disposal, beyond visible inspection and periodic ROSE testing, becomes vital.
There is a way to get a better handle on reliability. We call this approach the Umpire®41 test system.
Overall, Umpire®41 measures active circuitry changes when exposed to environmental conditions. This test system targets assembly to assess reliability of a manufacturing process. By combining the value of Functional and SIR (surface insulation resistance) testing, Umpire®41 provides insight into data points not seen in other tests: the effects of process residues on sensitive parts of circuit boards.
Functional tests examine the entire assembly rather than individual components. The tests simulate the final electrical environment where the PCB will reside.
Assessing residues during manufacturing with SIR on the same assembly determines the interactive effects of the process. However, SIR testing has a limitation in that it does not test the effects on live hardware. When leakage currents are present there is no way to have a line of sight into the impact of corrosion on performance.
That’s why Umpire®41 combines the two types of tests. This combination of Functional plus SIR testing is a dynamic rather than static approach. The ability to test surface mount, selective, and manual soldering allows assemblers to obtain reproducible and repeatable results across multiple production lines. This approach provides a cost-effective way to catch defects related to problematic contamination.
With changes in the manufacturing process, now resulting in multiple assembly processes across the board, the task of mapping and specifying the residues has become more difficult.
By using Umpire®41, you can assess the process residues and the interactions of normal assembly processes—cleanliness and solder quality—to prove that a manufacturer’s process meets the high standards of performance criteria.