How can a business benefit from electrical failure analysis?

As you might (or might not ) be aware of, electrical failure analysis has been helping many companies in several industries for quite some time. In particular, the manufacturing as well as the retailer sectors - of various products - are the ones considered to be benefiting the most of the process.

What is electrical failure analysis? 

EFA, in a simple way of defining it, is a process of collecting and analyzing data to find the cause of a failure - usually applicable to examining electronic product defects. This approach is very useful in many branches of manufacturing as it allows the development of new products and the refinement of the existing ones. It is carried out by, first, collecting failed components for, second, evaluation using various methods.

Two most common method employed in electrical failure analysis:

• Microscopy - a process that uses microscopes to examine samples and objects that cannot be seen with the unaided eye.
• Spectroscopy - defined as a study of the interaction between matter and radiated energy; it pertains to the dispersion of an object's light into its component colors. (more of this can be found here)

Other methodologies employed in electrical failure analysis

• Curve-tracing - a method used to test the electrical paths of a device or package; a way of analyzing the current-voltage characteristics of an electrical path using a tool called curve tracer.
• Emission microscopy - considered to be one of the most efficient optical analysis techniques; it detects and localizes certain integrated circuit failures. It uses sensitive camera to view and capture optical emissions, which allows the detection and localization certain IC defects.
• Circuit edit FIB - using focused ion beams to remove and deposit materials with high precision - capabilities that can be used to cut and connect circuitry within a device.

So, how can a business benefit from electrical failure analysis?

A lot of businesses can benefit from this methodology, including those, as I have said, in the manufacturing sectors as well as other industrial facilities that play a vital role in our society such as those in the commercial and residential power distribution sectors, electro-mechanical machinery, electronics and appliance manufacturing and distribution sectors, HVAC systems, control systems - to name a few.

The determination of any failures within the facilities mentioned above is very essential for the improvement of their current systems or for the adaptation of new methodologies -- to produce a more improved products -- which are a key to achieving the common goal of all businesses - customer satisfaction and continued business growth.