Component integrity is becoming a key issue in the electronic industry. The follow example illustrates the challenges faced by manufacturers, OEMs, and distributors in determining whether or not an older component is what it was represented to be.

Example: a high failure rate occurred during production testing and troubleshooting indicated that the problem was related to a particular integrated circuit (IC). The JGAR Lab’s initial focus was to determine if these ICs had been damaged during manufacturing process or during handling. JGAR Labs' root cause analysis team determined by decapsulation, metallurgical, and material engineering if components were from an IC manufacturer’s approved lot.

Product failure can be caused by a range of different factors, often outside typical issues such as:

• defects related to assembly process control

• ESD protection practices

• component handling and storage practices in the assembly facility.

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