Designing Reliablity into Solid-state Consumer Systems

The increased demand for semiconductors in the consumer market place has accelerated the need for improved product reliability. This need has been well recognized by the manufacturer and consumer. Often the consumer quality and reliability demands are tougher than required for military products --understandably so, when you consider the staggering cost of rework on line rejects, the repair of field failures (especially when warranties are involved), and the possibility of a bad reputation. Even though the price competition within the semiconductor industry has intensified, the manufacturer has to meet this challenge with good designed-in reliability and rigid process control. In addition, if a plastic encapsulant is used, it needs to exhibit a reliability approaching that of hermetic devices. Ultimately, the consumer can add to his system reliability by understanding the physical and electrical limitations of semiconductors, and recognizing the definite reliability improvements that can be achieved by integrating circuitry whenever possible.