Failure Analysis Archives - ASM International

Innovative Circuits Engineering, Inc. unveils ‘eM808 bHAST’ system with advanced in-situ monitoring capabilities

Innovative Circuits Engineering Inc., San Jose, Calif., a leader in semiconductor reliability testing solutions, launched its latest innovation: the eM808 bHAST system—now enhanced with in-situ monitoring capabilities previously available only on high temperature operating life systems.

Failure analysis hardware enables system-level debug for 3D ICs

Researchers from Google, Mountain View, Calif., and Delft University of Technology, Netherlands, have developed a novel failure analysis hardware and sample preparation solution that enables system-level failure analysis on mobile 3D integrated circuits.

PerkinElmer and Covalent announce strategic partnership

PerkinElmer, Shelton, Conn., and Covalent, Sunnyvale, Calif., announced a strategic collaboration to advance failure analysis and materials characterization for semiconductor, electronics, and battery industries.

The biggest problem with solid-state batteries may finally be solved

An interdisciplinary team at the Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials, Germany, has identified exactly how dendrites grow and pierce ceramic electrolytes to trigger fractures that ultimately lead to battery failure.

QuantumDiamonds deploys failure analysis technology at Taiwan semiconductor test house

QuantumDiamonds GmbH, Germany, deployed its QDm.1 quantum sensing system at Integrated Service Technology (iST) in Taiwan, marking its first installation in Asia and a step toward adoption in high-volume semiconductor failure analysis.

Materials modeling improved by giving atoms freedom

Researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Calif., created a new model for crystal defects at realistic temperatures. As most materials, especially metals and ceramics, are crystals, their atoms are arranged in three-dimensional lattices that repeat the same exact pattern, over and over again. But there’s a well-known saying in materials science: “Crystals are like people. It is the defects that tend to make them interesting.”

Backblaze publishes 2025 Drive Stats Report: 13 years of data show a growing, healthier drive fleet

Backblaze, Inc., San Mateo, Calif., published its 2025 Year-End Drive Stats report that analyzes the performance of 344,196 hard drives across 30 models and found the annual failure rate drops to 1.36% across 344,000+ drives and high-capacity models are on the rise as first 26TB drives enter service.

Advantest and Tokyo Seimitsu announce joint development of die-level prober

Advantest Corporation, Japan, and Tokyo Seimitsu Co., Ltd. announce plans to co-develop a new die-level prober, designed for the testing of high-performance computing devices.

Detecting ‘hidden defects’ that degrade semiconductor performance with 1,000X higher sensitivity

A joint research team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, N.Y., has developed a new analysis method that can detect “hidden defects” in semiconductors, electronic traps that interfere with electrical flow, with approximately 1,000 times higher sensitivity than existing techniques.

Acoustic machine learning for ball bearing fault detection

Researchers at Manipal Institute of Technology, India, developed a machine learning-based approach to detect faults in ball bearings through acoustic signals, proving that this innovative methodology could revolutionize predictive maintenance strategies.

Video measuring software gains automated edge-setting function

The Industrial Metrology Business Unit of Nikon Corporation, Japan, has enhanced its long-trusted AutoMeasure software—used for over 30 years with Nikon’s NEXIV video measuring machines—by adding automated edge finding to make precise dimensional measurement programming even more efficient.

3D-Micromac introduces next-generation laser sample preparation platform for whole semiconductor wafer and system-level failure analysis

3D-Micromac AG, Germany, introduced microPREP L, a laser-based sample prep system that supports up to whole 12-inch wafers and system-level boards, enabling fast, precise, reproducible, and non-destructive material removal for semiconductor failure analysis and quality assurance.

Analysis of 6,276 connectors for rooftop PV systems

Sandia National Labs researchers have created a new dataset on the rates and types of rooftop photovoltaic connector failures and published the first large-scale investigation of harvested PV connectors, drawing from a dataset of 6276 connectors from residential rooftop solar systems across the United States.

New inspeXio 7000 microfocus X-ray CT system delivers advanced imaging, powerful filters, and support for large components across multiple fields

Shimadzu Corporation, Japan, launched the inspeXio 7000 microfocus X-ray CT system, a high-end industrial model that builds on the high-resolution, high-contrast imaging capabilities of its predecessor while offering improved image quality through new scanning modes and a larger maximum sample capacity.

NIST finds Florida condo collapse started in pool deck

Flaws in the pool deck are thought to be the preliminary cause of the devastating collapse of a condominium in Surfside, Florida, that killed 98. Recent test results by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the agency leading the investigation of the 2021 tragedy, reinforces the theory that the failure started in the pool deck area rather than in the tower itself. NIST released new findings this week.

Texas Tech to earn $14M for advanced semiconductor power devices program

Texas Tech University’s Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering, Lubbock, Texas, will earn $14 million from the U.S. Department of Defense Army Research Laboratory for an Advanced Semiconductor Power Devices Program that will develop reliable, high-performance and power electronic devices with wide and ultrawide bandgap semiconductors.

High-resolution 3D x-ray inspection for advanced packaging: insights from HBM micro-bump analysis

Dragonfly, a brand of Comet Group, Switzerland, applied high-resolution 3D X-ray imaging to inspect 20 µm micro-bumps in HBM stacks, where sub-micron voids and cracks can critically affect performance and yield.

Counterfeit electronics reports reach nine-year high amid expanding target base

A sharp uptick in reported counterfeit and nonconforming electronic components in 2024 has underscored a widening threat to component authenticity, according to the latest ERAI Annual Report.

‘Soft-touch’ approach advances nondestructive testing for micro-LED wafers

Scientists at Tianjin University, China, have developed a pioneering nondestructive testing technology for micro-LED wafers, offering a much-needed solution to a long-standing industry challenge through a novel “soft-touch” approach.

Binghamton electronics research center gets $1M annual boost from N.Y.

The Integrated Electronics Engineering Center at Binghamton University research that partners with industry to advance electronics manufacturing has been re-designated by New York state as a Center for Advanced Technology, receiving $1 million in annual funding for the next decade.

Seeing inside next-generation microelectronics using X-rays

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy found two competing mechanisms that contribute to the deformation of nanosheet materials used in cutting-edge computer components.

Bearing failure analysis identifies lubrication issues at South African sugar refinery

SKF, Sweden, and Bearings Services Durban, South Africa, conducted a collaborative bearing failure analysis at Tongaat Hulett’s sugar refinery in Durban, South Africa, identifying inadequate lubrication as the root cause of rolling contact fatigue and providing corrective measures to prevent future failure.

ESi expands footprint with new office in New Jersey

Engineering Systems Inc., Aurora, Ill., expanded its Northeast presence by opening a new office in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, enhancing its ability to serve clients in the tri-state area with direct access to its nationwide network of experts and laboratories.

Lifetime of semiconductor processing equipment parts can be checked in real time

Researchers at the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science have developed a real-time diagnostic system for semiconductor plasma process parts which is expected to enhance yield, stability, and cost efficiency by preemptively preventing contaminant particles generated from component corrosion.

Andes Technology and proteanTecs partner to bring performance and reliability monitoring to RISC-V cores

Andes Technology Corporation, Taiwan, and proteanTecs, Israel, have partnered to integrate proteanTecs’ on-chip monitoring IP into Andes’ RISC-V processor cores, enabling customers to enhance performance and reliability monitoring in advanced electronics.

Hamamatsu Photonics Korea completes new factory to boost production of semiconductor failure analysis equipment

Hamamatsu Photonics Korea Co., Ltd., a Korean subsidiary of Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., has completed a new factory in Hwaseong-si, South Korea, which will enhance its production capacity for semiconductor failure analysis equipment and expand global sales.

Reducing TOPCon solar cell degradation via copper plating

Researchers at the University of New South Wales, Australia, have created a protective barrier on the front silver grid of a TOPCon solar cell using a 1 µm copper plating layer, which reduces corrosion susceptibility and significantly lowers contaminant-induced degradation compared to unprotected reference devices.

UKBIC opens new advanced battery development laboratory

The UK Battery Industrialization Center, United Kingdom, opened its new upgraded and extended Battery Development Laboratory, greatly increased the facility’s capabilities in key areas of battery materials characterization, cell analysis, and forensic activities.

JEOL USA introduces new broad ion beam milling, cross section polisher

JEOL USA, Peabody, Mass., released its new broad ion beam milling instruments, Cross Section Polisher and Cooling Cross Section Polisher, for preparing high quality, artifact-free cross sections for imaging and microanalysis by SEM, EPMA, or Auger.