A Comprehensive Study on Failure Modes and Mechanisms of Thin Film Chip Resistors
Sarat Kumar Dash1, Sandhya V. Kamat2
1Dr. Sarat Kumar Dash, Department of Space, U R Rao Satellite Center, Components Quality Control Group, Spacecraft Reliability and Quality Area, Bengaluru (Karnataka), India.
2Sandhya V. Kamat, Department of Space, U R Rao Satellite Center, Components Quality Control Group, Spacecraft Reliability and Quality Area, Bengaluru (Karnataka), India.
Manuscript received on 01 January 2024 | Revised Manuscript received on 10 January 2024 | Manuscript Accepted on 15 February 2024 | Manuscript published on 28 February 2024 | PP: 7-13 | Volume-13 Issue-3, February 2024 | Retrieval Number: 100.1/ijeat.C435513030224 | DOI: 10.35940/ijeat.C4355.13020224
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: Usually, resistors and capacitors populate the majority portion of a standard electrical circuit; hence, the miniaturisation drive of any package or subsystem starts with miniaturised resistors and capacitors. In this context, thin film chip resistors are the most sought-after components for any electronic or electrical circuit due to their small size, wide range of values, military temperature range, stringent tolerance, and low TCR value (recognised with PPM). The increased use of thin-film surfacemount chip resistors in military and space applications has led to a heightened awareness of their potential failure modes in harsh environments. Thin film resistors with lower TCR (5PPM, 10PPM, and 25PPM) are most preferable and widely used due to their very low temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and high resistivity, which makes them suitable for high-precision measurement applications. The low temperature coefficient characteristics of thin film resistors also make them stable and reliable. Due to their high-volume usage in recent times, failures in thin film resistors with lower TCR/PPM (Parts per Million) are also being seen more predominantly. In general, there are two types of thin film chip resistors: discrete type and die type, also known as wire bondable type. Discrete-type chip resistors are used directly on cards, whereas die-type or wire-bondable chip resistors are used in hermetically sealed HMC packages. The standard failure mode of a resistor is open mode or high resistance mode, whereas short mode failure has a very low probability. Hence, in this paper, the failure modes and mechanisms of both types of thin film chip resistors, concerning common failure causes such as EOS and ESD, are discussed, which is in continuation of the fabrication/workmanship-related failures addressed in our earlier technical paper. With this, all possible failure modes and mechanisms related to thin film chip resistors are explained. Discussion in totality always provides an in-depth analysis of a subject of concern, which in turn facilitates a reliability assessment of the component and, if necessary, corrective action.
Keywords: Electrical Overstress (EOS); Electrostatic Discharge (ESD); Temperature Co-Efficient of Resistance (TCR); Parts Per Million (PPM); Moisture Ingression; Corrosion, Hybrid Micro Circuit (HMC)
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