Failure Analysis and Materials Characterization Services

 SAM Labs provides integrated inspection, failure analysis, and materials characterization services for electronic components, semiconductor packages, assemblies, and engineered materials. We help customers identify defects, understand failure mechanisms, validate manufacturing processes, and make informed quality and reliability decisions.   Beyond CSAM testing services, SAM Lab also provides these services.

Electronic failure analysis combines inspection, testing, and materials characterization to determine how and why a component or assembly failed. The analytical approach is tailored to the failure symptoms, device construction, operating history, and customer objectives. Techniques may include CSAM, X-ray inspection, cross-sectioning, decapsulation, optical microscopy, and elemental analysis to isolate defects and support root-cause determination.

Cross-sectional analysis reveals the internal construction of electronic components, packages, solder joints, coatings, and material interfaces. Samples are carefully sectioned, mounted, polished, and examined to identify cracking, voiding, delamination, intermetallic formation, layer thickness, dimensional variation, and other manufacturing or reliability concerns. Cross-sectioning can also be targeted using results from CSAM or X-ray inspection.

Decapsulation removes selected packaging material to expose the semiconductor die, wire bonds, lead frame, and other internal features for detailed examination. Chemical or mechanical techniques are selected based on the package construction and analytical objective. The exposed device can then be inspected for bond damage, corrosion, contamination, cracking, electrical overstress, and other evidence associated with component failure.

X-ray inspection provides a non-destructive view of internal structures that cannot be evaluated visually. Two-dimensional radiography can identify voiding, misalignment, damaged wire bonds, foreign material, solder-joint anomalies, and internal assembly defects. Three-dimensional X-ray computed tomography provides additional spatial detail for complex components, packages, assemblies, and material systems while preserving the sample for further analysis.

Scanning electron microscopy provides high-resolution imaging of surfaces, fracture features, particles, coatings, and microscopic defects. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy can be used with SEM imaging to identify the elemental composition of contamination, corrosion products, inclusions, residues, and material layers. Together, these techniques help characterize defects and provide evidence needed to understand manufacturing problems and failure mechanisms.