Reliability

Which pair correctly names "failures in which function is suddenly and completely lost" and "failures in which characteristics gradually drift out of specification"?

  1. ACatastrophic (sudden) failures and degradation failures
  2. BEarly failures and random failures
  3. CDesign failures and manufacturing failures
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Answer: A. Catastrophic (sudden) failures and degradation failures

Catastrophic (sudden) failures abruptly lose function, for example through broken wires or insulator breakdown. Degradation failures gradually change characteristics, such as threshold voltage shifts or rising leakage, until they fall out of specification. Because countermeasures and evaluation methods differ, they are treated separately.

  • A. Correct. Sudden loss of function versus gradual degradation.
  • B. Early and random failures are classified by when they occur.
  • C. Design and manufacturing are classifications by cause.
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More Reliability questions

  1. For typical consumer semiconductor products, which is closest to the usage period commonly assumed in reliability design?
  2. For the same kind of semiconductor, which correctly describes the reliability levels required for consumer and automotive use?
  3. Based on the rule of thumb often used for chemical reactions and degradation, that "reaction speed roughly doubles for every 10 °C rise", how does lifetime change when the operating temperature is lowered by 10 °C?
  4. What is the main purpose of collecting and analyzing information on failures of products in use in the market (field failures)?
  5. Among ESD (electrostatic discharge) test models, which pair correctly names "discharge when a charged person touches an IC pin" and "discharge when the IC itself is charged and a pin touches metal"?