Technical Papers

Silver Corrosion in Electronics

A 9-page technical paper on sulfur attack, contamination-assisted leakage, electromigration, and plating exposure in silver-bearing electronic features.

• Price: $45
• Best fit: silver-bearing resistors, terminations, conductors, and plated features
• Reference for separating corrosion, migration, and contamination-driven pathways
• Includes practical evidence checks for SEM/EDS interpretation

Vibration-Induced Failures in Electronic Hardware

An 11-page, case-based paper on vibration fatigue, solder-joint fracture, fretting, structural damage, and the evidence used to distinguish these mechanisms.

• Price: $55
• Best fit: leads, pins, solder joints, connectors, and vibration-test failures
• Practical guidance for linking fracture morphology with mechanical history

Failure Mechanisms in Semiconductor Diodes

An 11-page, case-based paper on diode failure mechanisms and the electrical, optical, and physical evidence used to distinguish them.

• Price: $55
• Best fit: diode failures, junction damage, leakage, shorts, and opens
• Practical reference for connecting electrical symptoms with physical evidence

Forward-Voltage Signatures in Electronic Component Failure Analysis

A 5-page paper on using forward-voltage measurements as a screening and interpretation tool during electronic-component failure analysis.

• Price: $25
• Best fit: junction behavior, comparative electrical screening, and fault isolation
• Helps connect measured signatures with the next appropriate analysis step

MLCC Bending and Flexure Fracture Failure Mechanisms

A 9-page paper on flexure cracking in multilayer ceramic capacitors, including fracture patterns, assembly stresses, evidence interpretation, and prevention.

• Price: $45
• Best fit: cracked MLCCs, board bending, handling damage, and assembly strain
• Reference for separating flexure damage from electrical and thermal causes

Intermetallics in Solder Joints

A stand-alone PDF on solder-joint intermetallic compounds, including Cu-Sn, Ni-Sn, Au-Sn, and Ag-Sn systems, with practical discussion of interfacial microstructure and gold embrittlement.

• Approximate length: 9 pages
• Best fit: solder-joint and IMC interpretation
• Reference for manufacturing, reliability, and failure-analysis work

Failure Analysis of LEDs

A stand-alone PDF summarizing recurring LED failure modes, including lens de-bonding, die attach failure, die cracking, wedge bond failure, and ball bond failure, with emphasis on mechanical and thermo-mechanical stress.

• Best fit: LED and package-failure interpretation
• Reference for intermittent, flicker, and no-light symptom review
• Reference for thermo-mechanical stress effects in LED construction

Failure Analysis of BGAs

A stand-alone PDF covering recurring BGA failure modes and practical analysis approaches using limited tools such as DMM screening, microsectioning, and SEM/EDS, while also noting when more advanced methods are required.

• Best fit: BGA and area-array interconnect problems
• Reference for opens, shorts, intermittent faults, and packaging-related review
• Helps define when limited tools are enough and when deeper analysis is needed

Gold Embrittlement of Solder Joints

A 30-page, case-based paper on gold inventory, Au-Sn intermetallic morphology, measurement, and fracture evidence across tin-lead and lead-free solder systems.

• Price: $150
• Best fit: brittle joints, high-gold plating, AuSn4, SN62, Sn-Ag, and SAC305
• Includes SEM/EDS, image analysis, mass-balance calculations, aging, and diagnostic limits

Failure Analysis of PCBAs

A stand-alone PDF describing the practical PCBA failure-analysis process, including documentation review, microscope examination, electrical verification, cross-sectioning, decapsulation, SEM/EDS, and handling guidance that helps preserve root-cause evidence.

• Best fit: assembly-level failure-analysis planning
• Reference for contamination, corrosion, solder-joint, and PWB-related cases
• Guidance for preserving evidence before analysis begins

Diffusion Barrier Plating in Electronics

A stand-alone PDF on why diffusion barriers matter in electronics manufacturing, with example-driven discussion of barrier-layer use, process quality, and the effect of plating choices on solder-joint reliability.

• Best fit: plating, metallurgy, and reliability questions
• Reference for process-selection and microstructural review
• Strong companion paper to solder-joint and intermetallic topics

Images of Failures in Microelectronics Packaging

A stand-alone PDF collecting multiple packaging failure examples, including gold embrittlement, mechanical damage, solder-joint failure, black pad syndrome, and other packaging-related failure mechanisms.

• Best fit: broad packaging-failure reference use
• Helps compare several failure mechanisms in one document
• Strong bridge between papers and the SEM image library

FTIR Analysis

A stand-alone PDF on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy as a practical technique for identifying polymer compositions and organic contaminants through spectral comparison and material fingerprinting.

• Best fit: contamination and materials-analysis questions
• Reference for polymer identification and organic-residue work
• Analytical-technique companion to contamination-focused content

Failure Analysis of Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors

A 21-page stand-alone PDF covering failure mechanisms in aluminum electrolytic capacitors and the analytical techniques used to identify them, based on long practical experience and including figures, equations, and graphs.

• Best fit: capacitor-failure and component-analysis questions
• For cases that need deeper stand-alone technical coverage
• Detailed treatment of a common component-failure class

Solder Joint Analysis

A stand-alone PDF covering solder-joint evaluation and failure analysis through metallurgical cross-sectioning, SEM/EDS, failure analysis, and computational metallurgical analysis.

• Best fit: solder-joint, metallurgy, and reliability questions
• Broader analytical framework, not just a single failure mode
• Strong anchor paper for the solder-joint side of the catalog

HASL Finish on PWBs

A stand-alone PDF focused on HASL finish on printed wiring boards, positioned as a practical reference for surface-finish evaluation, solderability, and process-related assembly questions.

• Best fit: PWB finish, solderability, and assembly-process questions
• For cases where finish condition may affect downstream solder-joint quality
• Good supporting paper for the manufacturing and process side of the catalog

Failure Analysis of PWBs

A stand-alone PDF covering common printed wiring board failure modes and the construction-analysis work used to verify board quality before those problems become larger reliability issues.

• Best fit: PWB failure analysis, fabrication quality, and construction-analysis questions
• Reference for PTH plating, CAF, lamination, corrosion, and inner-layer separation topics
• Strong anchor paper for the board-quality side of the catalog

BGA Assembly Verification

A stand-alone PDF covering BGA assembly verification through microsection and SEM analysis, with emphasis on optimizing assembly processes early and preventing production failures.

• Best fit: BGA assembly, solder-joint quality, and process-validation questions
• For assembly-quality review before release or volume production
• Good supporting paper for the preventive side of the BGA and solder-joint catalog

Solder Flux Residue - Part 1

A stand-alone PDF covering solder flux residue on printed circuit board assemblies, including its role in corrosion, electro-chemical migration, electrical leakage, and short-circuit faults.

• Best fit: contamination, corrosion, leakage, and ECM questions
• For residue cases where EDS interpretation is part of the problem
• Strong anchor paper for the contamination side of the catalog

Solder Flux Residue - Part 2

A stand-alone PDF focused on interpreting EDS data from solder flux residue by separating residue contribution from solder-mask contribution beneath thin residue layers.

• Best fit: contamination analysis and EDS-interpretation questions
• For residue cases where the main issue is what the data actually means
• Strong companion paper to Solder Flux Residue - Part 1

Start here

• Start with Solder Joint Analysis for broad solder-joint evaluation
• Use Failure Analysis of PWBs for board-quality and construction issues
• Use Solder Flux Residue - Part 1 for contamination, leakage, and corrosion questions
• Use Failure Mechanisms in Semiconductor Diodes for junction and diode-failure questions

Topic groups

• Solder joints and BGAs: Intermetallics, Gold Embrittlement, Solder Joint Analysis, BGA Assembly Verification, and Failure Analysis of BGAs
• PWBs and fabrication quality: HASL Finish on PWBs, Failure Analysis of PWBs, and Failure Analysis of PCBAs
• Contamination and interpretation: FTIR Analysis, Solder Flux Residue - Part 1, and Solder Flux Residue - Part 2
• Semiconductors and electrical signatures: Failure Mechanisms in Semiconductor Diodes and Forward-Voltage Signatures in Electronic Component Failure Analysis
• Component and package failures: Failure Analysis of LEDs, MLCC Bending and Flexure Fracture Failure Mechanisms, Failure Analysis of Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors, and Images of Failures in Microelectronics Packaging

Choose by technical question

• Use solder-joint papers for intermetallics, embrittlement, BGAs, and assembly verification
• Use PWB papers for board construction, plating, vias, residues, and process quality
• Use semiconductor papers for diode mechanisms, junction behavior, and forward-voltage signatures
• Use component papers for LEDs, MLCCs, electrolytic capacitors, packages, and failure mechanisms

About archive papers

• Some papers were written earlier in SEM Lab's history but still address recurring engineering problems
• Older examples remain relevant when the physical mechanism has not changed
• Archive papers are included when they still help with practical interpretation