THERMAL LABORATORY
Our thermal laboratory is equipped with a thermal chamber, clima chamber, glow wire tester, needle flame tester, thermal camera, hot winding ohmeter, and many more devices. In the hands of our professional engineers, such equipment can easily check the thermal performance of products and provide a large number of tests and measurements.
Temperature cycling is used to determine the resistance of components to sudden exposure to extreme changes of temperature. The test procedure consists of subjecting the device under test to a specified low temperature and then to a specified high temperature, a cycle that is repeated a set number of times using a piece of equipment called a Temperature Cycle Chamber. The alternating high and low temperature extremes induce mechanical stress such as solder joint cracking, warpage of materials and damage to electronic components. Temperature cycling conditions, including high and low temperature values, the number of cycles, soak times, transfer times and ramp rates, vary based on the item to be tested and can be specifically determined. Test method: JEDEC standard JESD22.
Mechanical stress caused by temperature fluctuations can have a profound effect on a product’s reliability and lifetime, and although the operation of a product will not normally undergo extreme changes in temperature, it is always a possibility. It is important to understand the effects of that mechanical stress in order to verify and, if necessary, improve the design of the final product.
Any product can fail due to unforeseen circumstances or simply due to minor or hidden faults in components or even operation. However, even though failure rates are an inevitable parameter, we try to keep them to a minimum. By measuring the failure rate of a product, standardly expressed as a percentage, it is possible to assess its robustness and maybe find faults in the design at earlier stages, making the resolution easier, faster and more cost effective.
Under standard operational conditions, devices are switched on and off many times throughout their lifetime. Power cycling is used to predict the fatigue lifecycle of a device, and can be used in combination with electrical, heat and stress analysis to predict the lifetime of a product. The power cycling test procedure consists of turning the power to the device under test on and off repeatedly under a specified and constant ambient temperature. Power cycling is also important in the determining of electronic device reliability. The repeated active heating of the device under test by the load current in combination with the subsequent cooling phase subjects the assembly and packaging of the device to thermo-mechanical stress and aging. The number of cycles passed by the item before it fulfills failure criteria is a critical qualifier of its reliability.
Test method: JEDEC standard JESD22
We all want quality products, and a mark of their quality is their predicted lifetime. Lifetimes are also important when it comes to designing a device, or using a device in a larger system, as it affects the final outcome. A product’s lifetime is calculated based on the determination of material deterioration and durability, literally, how long the product can last before it is worn out or deemed no longer effective.
For reasons of safety, it is essential to understand the behaviour of components and materials when exposed to open fire or conditions that can cause ignition, such as unexpected heat from surrounding components or even from operation at high temperatures.
There are many tests that a product must undergo to quantify and evaluate its quality and robustness. One of the most basic tests is that which determines the inherent resistance of the device under test to prolonged operational stress, including both electrical and thermal stress.
Steady state operation lifetime
In most areas of the world, the average ambient temperature varies between a maximum of +45 °C and a minimum of -30 °C. Steady state operation lifetime testing is used to precisely assess and verify a product’s performance under such high and low temperature conditions by subjecting the device under test to electrical stress at a specified high and low temperature over a defined extended period of time.
Test method: JESD22-A108D
Intrinsic reliability of integrated circuits
There are many tests that a product must undergo to quantify and evaluate its quality and robustness. One of the most basic tests is that which determines the inherent resistance of the device under test to prolonged operational stress, including both electrical and thermal stress.
High/low temperature storage lifetime
Temperature storage tests are used to determine the effects of long-term storage at high or low temperatures on devices. The test procedure involves measuring the resistance of the device under test to storage in a simulated storage environment with no electrical stress applied.
Test methods: JESD22-A119 and JESD22-A103D
The effect of storage conditions
Every product needs to be stored at some point, and it is inevitable that storage and the conditions of that storage affect the product. It is important to understand the effects of various storage conditions on products, specifically on the materials used, which will degrade over time. This test helps us to know how best to protect the items from unnecessary damage and degradation during storage and to define ideal storage conditions.
Material degradation
All materials degrade over time due to a myriad of external factors. It is therefore important to assess the stability of the materials used to construct a product and their resistance to environmental conditions. This test goes on to act as the base for shelf life predictions.
Shelf life prediction
It is important to know how long a product can be stored before it becomes unsuitable for use. In the case of food, this is an obvious and vitally important parameter. However, it is no less important for any other kind of product as it impacts on all stages of a product’s life, from production to its ability to be stored.
Radiation is one of the heat transfer mechanisms in which electromagnetic radiation is emitted by a heated surface. Heat transferred by radiation does not depend on contact and can be transmitted through empty space. Examples of radiation are heat from the sun or the heat emitted by the filament of a light bulb. Thermography, or thermal imaging, measures the thermal radiation of an object and produces easy to understand visualisations of radiated heat energy: the higher the temperature, the higher the radiated energy. Advantages of using thermography include its ability to capture real time temperature states, produce a picture of temperature over a large area and measure inaccessible areas, as well as the fact that it is a nondestructive procedure.
Real time capture of infrared images
Thermography enables us to measure temperatures in applications where conventional sensors cannot be used. This is especially the case when dealing with the measurement of moving objects or where contact-free measurement is required due to the risk of contamination or hazardous occurrences.
Due to human misapplication, overcurrent or short circuit, components may reach a temperature that can unduly affect or even ignite items nearby. Glow wire testing is used to evaluate the fire hazard components pose and the fire protection and flammability of materials used within a device.
Evaluation of flammability and fire resistance
For reasons of safety it is essential to understand the behaviour of components and materials when exposed to open fire or conditions that can cause ignition, such as unexpected heat from surrounding components or even from operation at high temperatures.
The analysis of a fluid (a liquid or gas) within a device is very complex as it is based on heat transfer, mixing and unsteady and compressible flows. To predict the impact of fluid flow on a product can be both time consuming and very costly without appropriate simulation tools.
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis enables the quick and efficient simulation of both fluid flow and heat transfer in order to calculate fluid forces and understand the impact of a liquid or gas on product performance.
By performing robustness predictions for an untested idea, fluid dynamics helps us to place true design innovation within reach. Fluid dynamics and building physics, for instance, work together to enable the creation of the highest performance and sustainable designs that are both affordable and buildable.