Elk Grove Village IL March 28, 2005—The need for highly automated electronic production, along with higher expectations for product reliability, are driving the demand for automated acoustic imaging of flip chips and plastic integrated circuit packages, Sonoscan, Inc., the maker of acoustic microscope systems, has reported.
Integrating acoustic inspection into production lines makes it more feasible to monitor flip chips and IC packages for latent packaging defects that may initiate mass field failures,” noted Dr. Lawrence W. Kessler, president of Sonoscan.
Automated systems nondestructively image and analyze internal delaminations, cracks, voids and other package-related defects. The accuracy, high throughput and adaptability of the systems give assemblers a reliability advantage in globally competitive markets.
We are also seeing that automated acoustic imaging is being used with progressively lower-cost products. Economies of scale and the 24/7 capabilities of Sonoscan’s automated FACTS2™ systems make this type of screening cost-effective,” Dr. Kessler said.
Manufacturers recognize that internal package defects frequently have no immediate electrical impact, but that these defects may expand in service, causing a failure. Existing test methods cannot identify these latent defects, which - if not found acoustically—can result in unpredictable numbers of field failures.”
Automated inspection of components, usually in trays, also integrates well with new part-tracking methods, including linear barcodes and 2-d matrix IDs, and RF-IDs, being introduced by some manufacturers. Data is easily transferred to the user’s factory SPC (statistical process control) software to monitor lots of components or individual components.
For more information, contact:
Steve Martell, technical marketing manager
Sonoscan, Inc.
2149 East Pratt Blvd.
Elk Grove Village IL 60007
Phone 847 437-6400
E-mail: info@sonoscan.com
www.sonoscan.com
Photo: Sonoscan Model DS-2200 FACTS2™ integrated, automated acoustic-microscopy inspection system for electronic components. Shown here with magazine loaders on input and output sides of the system.
About Sonoscan: Sonoscan is the leading developer and manufacturer of acoustic microscopy systems, widely used for non-destructive imaging and analysis of internal features. For over 30 years, Sonoscan’s constant attention to customer needs and investment in R&D has created systems that set industry standards for accuracy. Key products include C-SAM® systems for off-line and laboratory work, and FACTS2™ for automated production inspection. Sonoscan engineers, with a total of more than two centuries’ experience in acoustic microscopy, conduct frequent workshops and seminars. SonoLab™, a division of Sonoscan, operates applications laboratories in 5 global locations.
