Dangelmayer Associates LLC, Trusted ESD Programs Since 1978

Overview  |  Stress -2  |  Stress -5  |  Reconstruction  |  Susceptibility  |  Hybrid  |  Design  |  Process  |  FA

Dangelmayer Associates provides an array of Product Development Services:

Product Design Evaluations & Failure Analysis

• OVERVIEW: New Design Protection Analysis Techniques
  • We have new design protection analysis techniques that did not exist a few years ago. Many design teams are not aware of them and only a handful of people have the capability.
  • With this approach we have resolved highly complex problems for clients. For instance, one client had a history of field failures they were unable to resolve. We worked with their design team and were successful. They have since shipped 3 million devices without a single failure. The client told us that our expert, Jeff Dunnihoo, was “the most brilliant engineer he’d ever worked with”.
  • Figure 1 is an example of one of these new methods, current visualization scanning. The current visualization will display current as it propagates through the board. [Download a 1 page PowerPoint with the current visualization animation] This is not a simulation but rather measurements of the field response to current flow and, thus, a representation of actual current flow during injection of stress. It’s comparable to turning the lights on in a pitch black room. The input protection allowed leakage to pass current toward the ASIC. This disturbance caused the ethernet upset. The conductor path was relocated and that corrected the problem.

    Fig 1 - Current Visualization Scanning

  • We would be pleased to offer a complimentary conference call to go over this and the other new techniques. Contact Us.
• Current Reconstruction Scanning and Analysis (for Hard Failures and Damage)
  • With current reconstruction, a system need not be running, nor even operational. In this mode, the scanning probe is used much as it is with EMI scanning, except that an ESD–like current pulse is injected into nodes of interest to identify the path and intensity of the injected energy as it is directed and dissipated throughout the system. Current Reconstruction operates effectively on the reverse principle of the ESD susceptibility scanning technique.
  • At each point on the grid, a sample is measured from the repeated pulse from which the current through local traces can be inferred. This creates a moving map of discharge currents enabling the designer to “see” into a zap event as it affects the system.
• ESD Susceptibility Scanning and Analysis (for Soft Failures)
  • With EMI scanners, a running system's emissions are monitored with a spectrum analyzer and a near field probe and plotted on a 3D visualization grid. This helps compliance engineers analyze and debug shielding and RF emissions problems. ESD susceptibility scanning techniques build on these well known EMI scanning methodologies.
  • Rather than acting as a receiver, the scanning probe is driven by a special TLP pulser at each step over a running system or PCB. The intensity of the pulse is increased until a sufficient local noise pulse coupled into the system upsets the normal operation of the device, similar to the failure criteria defined for system level ESD testing (i.e. system resets, data loss, lockup, etc.) Plotting these values creates a “susceptibility map” which indicate areas of relative potential ESD susceptibility, or “hotspots.”
• Hybrid Scanning and Analysis (Interrelated Hard and Soft Failures)
  • Comparing Current Reconstruction scans with different components or different layout configurations can give quantitative design validation and margin enhancement characterization. Comparing Current Reconstruction maps to Susceptibility Scanning maps can provide early warnings of trouble where known ESD entry vectors channel energy into or near susceptible ESD “hotspots.” This hybridization of techniques can be included in Product Design Reviews, or to create custom Design Guidelines for Design Process Reviews.
• Product Design Review
  • We evaluate existing designed-in ESD protection strategies for ICs, Circuit Boards, Flat Panels and Systems to identify either enhancement opportunities or to help resolve design issues.   This is customized work done in collaboration with clients and industry experts as needed, and utilizing an array of scanning and analysis tools available to Dangelmayer clients.
• Design Process Reviews
  • Successful designed-in ESD protection requires timely planning, gathering of pertinent data and application appropriate testing.   When done correctly from day one, completed products are virtually immune to either ESD damage or ESD upsets due to ESD transients.  Additionally, the incremental cost of the end product is often minimal.   Whereas, retrofitting existing designs can be very costly or impossible to completely resolve.   We conduct thorough ESD reviews of the procedures for product development based on years of experience in R & D communities such as Bell Laboratories.  We provide recommendations to optimize the development process and ESD designed-in protection.
• Failure Analysis Support
  • Failure Analysis Report Analysis
    • We provide expert analysis of FA reports and determination of the cause of failure.  Differentiation among CDM, HBM, CBE and EOS failure modes is often possible.
  • Failure Replication
    • We develop customized stress tests to replicate IC failure signatures
  • Failure Root Cause Analysis
    • Customized application of the above techniques is use to isolate the root cause of product failures.   Our team achieves this as a result of years of experience, advanced expertise and collaboration with subject matter experts.