Failure Analysis Services | NEXTY Electronics Quality and Analysis Support | NEXTY Electronics, a trading company for electronic components and semiconductors.

What is Failure Analysis?

Semiconductor Failure Physical Analysis is the process of investigating and identifying the root cause of semiconductor device failures from a physical perspective.
Failure analysis is essential for understanding failure mechanisms and improving device reliability.
At NEXTY Electronics, we follow standard failure analysis methods commonly used by semiconductor manufacturers to determine the cause of failures.

NEXTY Electronics Failure Analysis Services

Among the various types of semiconductor device failures, those caused by EOS (Electrical Overstress) and ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) are frequently observed.
Each device manufacturer specifies an Absolute Maximum Rating in the datasheet, which represents the maximum voltage or current that must never be exceeded, even momentarily. When these limits are surpassed, the device may be damaged, resulting in EOS/ESD failures.
Because EOS/ESD failures occur under stress conditions outside the manufacturer’s warranty, analysis requests are often declined by the manufacturer.
In such cases, NEXTY Electronics performs EOS/ESD failure analysis using standard methods and equipment employed by semiconductor manufacturers.
In addition to EOS/ESD failures, we also infer possible root causes based on findings obtained through failure analysis. (See the list of analysis items below.)

Failure Analysis Items

Analysis Item	What Can Be Identified
Visual Inspection	Scratches (depth), cracks, corrosion, discoloration, burn marks, foreign material adhesion
X-ray Inspection	Wire breakage, wire edge touch, foreign material, frame deformation, burn marks
VI Characteristic Measurement	Short between terminals, open circuit, leakage
SAT Inspection	Chip, inner lead, delamination at die pad interface, chip-to-die pad delamination, voids
Chip Surface Observation	Burn marks, corrosion, disconnection, foreign material
OBIRCH Observation *Backside observation available	Identification of burn damage not exposed on the chip surface *For backside observation, mold resin, die pad, and die attach material are removed, and OBIRCH observation is performed from the backside of the Si chip. For details, please refer to backside polishing for OBIRCH observation.

Failure Analysis Process

Visual Inspection

Inspect Package Appearance for Abnormalities

After receiving the sample, we first check for external abnormalities such as scratches, cracks, discoloration, or foreign material contamination.
Package dimension measurement is also available.

Equipment: Microscope KEYENCE VHX-5000

Package surface inspection
Package dimensional measurement
Foreign material between leads

Equipment: Laser Microscope KEYENCE VK-X200

We support surface profile measurement and also roughness measurement using a laser microscope.
1.Bulging detected at the center of the package and measured with the laser microscope.
2.The bulge on the package visualized as a 3D image, confirming the deformation at the center.

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X-ray Inspection

Observation of internal package abnormalities

X-ray inspection enables non-destructive confirmation of internal defects. This method allows detection of issues such as wire sweep, burning, wire breakage, wire cracks, edge touch, and foreign material contamination—defects that cannot be seen from the outside of the package.

Equipment: X-ray System Nordson DAGE QUADRA5

EOS-induced damage: Chip burning and wire breakage
Wire sweep: Wire contacting adjacent wire
Wire crack: Crack occurring at the neck, causing disconnection

Wire Deformation: Wire is deformed and touches the chip edge Foreign Object Contamination: Metallic fragment observed directly beneath the aluminum electrolytic capacitor

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Electrical Characteristic Measurements

VI Characteristic Measurement/Resistance Measurement/Capacitance Measurement/Inductance Measurement

In VI characteristic measurement, a source meter is used to measure the voltage-current characteristics between terminals. This allows for the identification of leakage, short circuits, and open circuits.

Equipment: Source Meter KEITHLEY 2601B

VI Characteristic Measurement Diagram:Voltage applied to the target pin / Current measurement
VI characteristic measurement waveform results:For good products, diode characteristics can be confirmed, whereas defective products exhibit short-circuit characteristics, indicating failure.

WAYNE KERR/3260B
Example: Capacitor Capacitance Measurement Result

LCR Meter: For resistors, capacitors, and inductors, an LCR meter is used to measure resistance, capacitance, and inductance, and to check for deviations from standard values.

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SAT (Scanning Acoustic Tomography)

Observation of delamination inside the package

Reflection Method

When the sample to be analyzed is placed in water and exposed to ultrasonic waves, reflected waves return from the sample.
The magnitude of the reflected wave depends on the difference in acoustic impedance (the ease with which sound propagates) between materials—the greater the difference, the stronger the reflection.
Since the sample consists of multiple materials, differences in acoustic impedance occur at the interfaces between these materials.
The reflection method utilizes this property to observe delamination at material interfaces.

Equipment: INSIGHT / INSIGHT-300 Available probes: 25 MHz / 50 MHz / 75 MHz

Video: During equipment operation

Example: Delamination Observation Using SAT
Imaging of internal package interfaces (die pad interface)

In a typical IC package structure, the following interfaces are observed using the reflection method:
①Mold / Lead Frame Interface②Mold / Chip Interface③Mold / Die Pad Interface

Reflection waveform:No delamination: M-shaped
Reflection waveform:With delamination: W-shaped

Observation between chip and die pad (to check for delamination of die attach material) is performed using the transmission method.

Transmission Method

In the transmission method, ultrasonic waves passing through the material are detected to observe the presence of delamination or voids.
If there is an air layer such as delamination or voids, the density of the medium decreases significantly, causing the transmitted ultrasonic wave to attenuate greatly. This appears as a black area in the image.

Transmission Image Between Chip and Die Pad:

No delamination: No black shadow in chip area
With delamination: Black shadow extends to chip and die pad areas

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Package Opening & Chip Surface Observation

Resin is dissolved using chemicals.

First, the mold resin is thinned by laser processing, then the package resin is dissolved with chemicals to expose the chip surface.
The exposed chip surface is observed using a microscope or SEM to check for abnormalities such as burn marks, passivation cracks, wiring corrosion, and bonding shape defects.

QFP Cu Wire Package Opening
Note: Cu/Ag wires dissolve with conventional chemical treatment alone. To observe wires, unnecessary resin is removed by laser processing beforehand, and the contact time between chemicals and wires is minimized to reduce wire damage during opening.

Laser Opening
Chemical Opening

Chip burn-out caused by EOS (Electrical Overstress)
Passivation layer cracks

Opening of a quartz crystal oscillator
Mechanical opening of metal packages in addition to mold resin

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IR-OBIRCH Analysis

Identifying Defective Areas on the Chip

Electrical abnormalities such as short circuits, leakage, or high resistance may be confirmed, but no abnormalities are visible on the chip surface. In such cases, defects may exist in the lower layers beneath the surface.
IR-OBIRCH scans the chip with a 1.3 μm wavelength laser while applying a constant voltage.
Defective areas exhibit significant resistance changes due to laser heating compared to normal areas.
These resistance changes are detected as current values, and by synchronizing laser scanning with current measurements, defective areas are identified.

Equipment: IR-OBIRCH System – HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS　 PHEMOS-1000

During OBIRCH Operation:
Defect localization using IR-OBIRCH: Observation from the backside of the Si substrate

Equipment: Backside Polisher – ULTRA TEC

When the top metal wiring layer is too thick or multilayered, making it difficult for laser heat to reach lower wiring or circuit elements, backside polishing is used to expose the Si substrate.
Laser heating and observation are then performed from the backside, as 1.3 μm wavelength light can penetrate Si.

After Backside Polishing – Package

From the backside of the package, the die pad is thinned to expose the backside of the Si substrate.
In some cases, due to the thickness of the top metal wiring or multilayer wiring, the laser cannot reach the lower wiring from the chip surface.

In such cases, the Si substrate is polished from the backside to allow the laser to penetrate the Si substrate, enabling observation from the backside.

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Report Submission

Request Process

Inquiries and quotations are free of charge.
Our services are available for devices other than those handled by NEXTY Electronics.
Please feel free to contact us if you are interested.

1． Inquiry

Submit your request via the inquiry form, including details such as sample information, quantity, budget, and desired delivery date.
If you have related documents, please send them together. (Sample information and budget can be provided within the range you are comfortable sharing.)

2． Response and Quotation

A NEXTY Electronics representative will review your inquiry and confirm details during a hearing session.
We will check the analysis content, feasibility, and any additional requirements, then provide an estimate and delivery schedule.
After reviewing the analysis details, quotation, and delivery date, if you decide to proceed, we will send a formal quotation.

3．Order Placement and Shipment of Analysis Samples

Please send us your official order form. Upon receipt, we will begin the analysis process.
The shipping address for samples will be provided by NEXTY Electronics.

4． Analysis Execution

We will perform the requested analysis.
If you require interim results, we can provide a mid-term report upon request.
Examples:
Report before moving from non-destructive to destructive analysis
Early results for large-volume analysis

5．Report Delivery

The analysis results will be compiled into a report and sent to you.
If you have any questions or require clarification, please feel free to contact us.

6． Payment and Sample Return

After acceptance, NEXTY Electronics will return the samples along with the invoice, receipt, and delivery note.
Please proceed with payment accordingly.

Contact Us

We accept consultations, questions, and quotation requests via the button below.
Our services are available for devices other than those handled by NEXTY Electronics.
For quotation requests, including the following information will help us respond smoothly:
Even if the information is not listed, please feel free to contact us. Once confirmed, a representative will get back to you.

Required Information for Quotation Request：
Request details：
Sample information：
Quantity：
Budget：
Desired delivery date：

Request a Quote / Contact Us

Our Service Locations

Aichi OfficeTAQS（Toyotsu Automotive Quality Support Center)

Location	Toyotsu Logistics Services Bldg 4Fl. 1-3 Oonawa, Ozaki-cho, Anjyo, Aichi, 446-0004, Japan
Supported Services	Failure analysis, Good Product Analysis, Reliability Testing: Accelerated Testing, Cross-section analysis

NEXTY Electronics’ VA Center Division operates two locations to provide quality and analysis services to our customers: the VAC (Value Adding Center) in Tokyo and the TAQS (Toyotsu Automotive Quality Support Center) in Aichi Prefecture.
We will respond from the location that can deliver the services you require. If you have any requests, please contact us using the inquiry button below.

Key Points of Our Quality and Analysis Service Locations

At NEXTY Electronics’ VA Center Division, we provide reliable quality and analysis services you can rely on, supported by a comprehensive framework as outlined below.