Reliability improvement of automotive electronics based on environmental stress screen methodology

• We evaluated the effectiveness of the standard ESS for detecting fault latency.
• To carry out ESS experiment, artificially fault injected specimens were prepared.
• The standard ESS method could not screen out the fault latency.
• An ESS condition, which can detect fault latency in ICs, must be developed.

The effectiveness of ESS method for detecting early failure was verified using semiconductor sample with fault latency. Analysis for field failure data based on Kaplan–Meier estimation and fault tree analysis revealed that the failure of semiconductor devices occurred in the early failure period. In order to carry out ESS experiment, artificially fault injected specimen, which had physical damages but performed main function, were prepared. Even though a thermal cycling test was performed to detect fault latency, it was concluded that fault latency was not screened out using the standard ESS method.