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Reliability Analysis of Electrotechnical Devices

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Mechanical Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2022) | Viewed by 36232

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Prof. Dr. Cher Ming Tan

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Guest Editor

Center of Reliability Sciences and Technologies, Chang Gung University, Wenhua 1st Rd., Guishan Dist., Taoyuan City 33302, Taiwan
Interests: reliability modeling; reliability statistics; failure analysis; prognosis and health management; reliability simulation
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The smart world involves complex electrotechnical systems and devices, which have improved our lives significantly. Consequently, we are heavily dependent on them, and their reliability has become crucial. However, ensuring the reliability of complex systems and devices can be challenging, especially in a cost-effective manner. This Special Issue focusses on various methods and examples to improve, evaluate, and predict the reliability of electrotechnical systems and devices that constitute smart systems and the smart world.

Topics of interest to be covered by the Special Issue include but are not limited to reliability and its related topics of the following electrotechnical systems and devices :

Electron devices;
Electro-optical devices;
Batteries and packs;
MEMS and NEMS;
Vacuum devices;
Renewable energy devices and systems;
Bio-medical electronic devices;
Wearable devices and systems;
Automotive electronic devices;
Electrical energy system;
Engineering system maintenance;
Nano-electronic devices and systems.

Prof. Dr. Cher Ming Tan
Guest Editor

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Keywords

Reliability
Durability
Maintenance
Availability
Risk
Safety
Electron devices
Electro-optical devices
Batteries and packs
MEMS and NEMS
Vacuum devices
Renewable energy devices and systems
Bio-medical electronic devices
Wearable devices and systems
Automotive electronic devices
Electrical energy system
Engineering system maintenance
Nano-electronic devices and systems

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

6 pages, 383 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Editorial for Special Issue on Reliability Analysis of Electrotechnical Devices

by Cher-Ming Tan

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(8), 4086; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12084086 - 18 Apr 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1462

Abstract

Advancement in electrotechnical devices has indeed revolutionize our daily lives [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reliability Analysis of Electrotechnical Devices)

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Research

Jump to: Editorial

13 pages, 10761 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Root Cause Analysis of a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Failure in a Public Transport Communication System

by Cher-Ming Tan, Hsiao-Hi Chen, Jing-Ping Wu, Vivek Sangwan, Kun-Yen Tsai and Wen-Chun Huang

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(2), 640; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12020640 - 10 Jan 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 7533

Abstract

A printed circuit board (PCB) is an essential element for practical circuit applications and its failure can inflict large financial costs and even safety concerns, especially if the PCB failure occurs prematurely and unexpectedly. Understanding the failure modes and even the failure mechanisms of a PCB failure are not sufficient to ensure the same failure will not occur again in subsequent operations with different batches of PCBs. The identification of the root cause is crucial to prevent the reoccurrence of the same failure. In this work, a step-by-step approach from customer returned and inventory reproduced boards to the root cause identification is described for an actual industry case where the failure is a PCB burn-out. The failure mechanism is found to be a conductive anodic filament (CAF) even though the PCB is CAF-resistant. The root cause is due to PCB de-penalization. A reliability verification to assure the effectiveness of the corrective action according to the identified root cause is shown to complete the case study. This work shows that a CAF-resistant PCB does not necessarily guarantee no CAF and PCB processes can render its CAF resistance ineffective. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reliability Analysis of Electrotechnical Devices)

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13 pages, 4641 KiB

Open AccessArticle

GaN-Based Readout Circuit System for Reliable Prompt Gamma Imaging in Proton Therapy

by Vimal Kant Pandey, Cherming Tan and Vivek Sangwan

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(12), 5606; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11125606 - 17 Jun 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1819

Abstract

Prompt gamma imaging is one of the emerging techniques used in proton therapy for in-vivo range verification. Prompt gamma signals are generated during therapy due to the nuclear interaction between beam particles and nuclei of the tissue that is detected and processed in order to obtain the position and energy of the event so that the benefits of Bragg’s peak can be fully utilized. This work aims to develop a gallium nitride (GaN)-based readout system for position-sensitive detectors. An operational amplifier is the module most used in such a system to process the detector signal, and a GaN-based operational amplifier (OPA) is designed and simulated in LTSpice. The designed circuit had an open-loop gain of 70 dB and a unity gain frequency of 34 MHz. The slew rate of OPA was 20 V/μs and common mode rejection ratio was 84.2 dB. A simulation model of the readout circuit system using the GaN-based operational amplifier was also designed, and the result showed that the system can successfully process the prompt gamma signals. Due to the radiation hardness of GaN devices, the readout circuit system is expected to be more reliable than its silicon counterpart. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reliability Analysis of Electrotechnical Devices)

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18 pages, 734 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reliability Analysis Based on a Gamma-Gaussian Deconvolution Degradation Modeling with Measurement Error

by Luis Alberto Rodríguez-Picón, Luis Carlos Méndez-González, Roberto Romero-López, Iván J. C. Pérez-Olguín, Manuel Iván Rodríguez-Borbón and Delia Julieta Valles-Rosales

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 4133; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11094133 - 30 Apr 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1824

Abstract

In most degradation tests, the measuring processes is affected by several conditions that may cause variation in the observed measures. As the measuring process is inherent to the degradation testing, it is important to establish schemes that define a certain level of permissible measurement error such that a robust reliability estimation can be obtained. In this article, an approach to deal with measurement error in degradation processes is proposed, the method focuses on studying the effect of such error in the reliability assessment. This approach considers that the true degradation is a function of the observed degradation and the measurement error. As the true degradation is not directly observed it is proposed to obtain an estimate based on a deconvolution operation, which considers the subtraction of random variables such as the observed degradation and the measurement error. Given that the true degradation is free of measurement error, the first-passage time distribution will be different from the observed degradation. For the establishment of a control mechanism, these two distributions are compared using different indices, which account to describe the differences between the observed and true degradation. By defining critical levels of these indices, the reliability assessment may be obtained under a known level of measurement error. An illustrative example based on a fatigue-crack growth dataset is presented to illustrate the applicability of the proposed scheme, the reliability assessment is developed, and some important insights are provided. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reliability Analysis of Electrotechnical Devices)

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12 pages, 1599 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lineal Energy of Proton in Silicon by a Microdosimetry Simulation

by Yueh Chiang, Cher Ming Tan, Chuan-Jong Tung, Chung-Chi Lee and Tsi-Chian Chao

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 1113; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11031113 - 26 Jan 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2916

Abstract

Single event upset, or Single Event Effect (SEE) is increasingly important as semiconductor devices are entering into nano-meter scale. The Linear Energy Transfer (LET) concept is commonly used to estimate the rate of SEE. The SEE, however, should be related to energy deposition of each stochastic event, but not LET which is a non-stochastic quantity. Instead, microdosimetry, which uses a lineal calculation of energy lost per step for each specific track, should be used to replace LET to predict microelectronic failure from SEEs. Monte Carlo simulation is used for the demonstration, and there are several parameters needed to optimise for SEE simulation, such as the target size, physical models and scoring techniques. We also show the thickness of the sensitive volume, which also correspond to the size of a device, will change the spectra of lineal energy. With a more comprehensive Monte Carlo simulation performed in this work, we also show and explain the differences in our results and the reported results such as those from Hiemstra et al. which are commonly used in semiconductor industry for the prediction of SEE in devices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reliability Analysis of Electrotechnical Devices)

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16 pages, 4748 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Accurate Real Time On-Line Estimation of State-of-Health and Remaining Useful Life of Li ion Batteries

by Cher Ming Tan, Preetpal Singh and Che Chen

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(21), 7836; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10217836 - 5 Nov 2020

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3178

Abstract

Inaccurate state-of-health (SoH) estimation of battery can lead to over-discharge as the actual depth of discharge will be deeper, or a more-than-necessary number of charges as the calculated SoC will be underestimated, depending on whether the inaccuracy in the maximum stored charge is over or under estimated. Both can lead to increased degradation of a battery. Inaccurate SoH can also lead to the continuous use of battery below 80% actual SoH that could lead to catastrophic failures. Therefore, an accurate and rapid on-line SoH estimation method for lithium ion batteries, under different operating conditions such as varying ambient temperatures and discharge rates, is important. This work develops a method for this purpose, and the method combines the electrochemistry-based electrical model and semi-empirical capacity fading model on a discharge curve of a lithium-ion battery for the estimation of its maximum stored charge capacity, and thus its state of health. The method developed produces a close form that relates SoH with the number of charge-discharge cycles as well as operating temperatures and currents, and its inverse application allows us to estimate the remaining useful life of lithium ion batteries (LiB) for a given SoH threshold level. The estimation time is less than 5 s as the combined model is a closed-form model, and hence it is suitable for real time and on-line applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reliability Analysis of Electrotechnical Devices)

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23 pages, 10293 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reconstruction of Pressureless Sintered Micron Silver Joints and Simulation Analysis of Elasticity Degradation in Deep Space Environment

by Wendi Guo, Guicui Fu, Bo Wan and Ming Zhu

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(18), 6368; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10186368 - 12 Sep 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2445

Abstract

With excellent economy and properties, pressureless sintered micron silver has been regarded as an environmentally friendly interconnection material. In order to promote its reliable application in deep space exploration considering the porous microstructural evolution and its effect on macroscopic performance, simulation analysis based on the reconstruction of pressureless sintered micron silver joints was carried out. In this paper, the deep space environment was achieved by a test of 250 extreme thermal shocks of −170 °C~125 °C, and the microstructural evolution was observed by using SEM. Taking advantage of the morphology autocorrelation function, three-dimensional models of the random-distribution medium consistent with SEM images were reconstructed, and utilized in further Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of material effective elastic modulus through a transfer procedure. Compared with test results and two analytical models, the good consistency of the prediction results proves that the proposed method is reliable. Through analyzing the change in autocorrelation functions, the microstructural evolution with increasing shocks was quantitively characterized. Mechanical response characteristics in FEA were discussed. Moreover, the elasticity degradation was noticed and the mechanism in this special environment was clarified. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reliability Analysis of Electrotechnical Devices)

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14 pages, 2726 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigate the Equivalence of Neutrons and Protons in Single Event Effects Testing: A Geant4 Study

by Yueh Chiang, Cher Ming Tan, Tsi-Chian Chao, Chung-Chi Lee and Chuan-Jong Tung

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(9), 3234; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10093234 - 6 May 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3574

Abstract

Neutron radiation on advanced integrated circuits (ICs) is becoming important for their reliable operation. However, a neutron test on ICs is expensive and time-consuming. In this work, we employ Monte Carlo simulation to examine if a proton test can replace or even accelerate the neutron test, and we found that 200 MeV protons are the closest to resembling neutron radiation with five main differences. This 200 MeV concur with the suggestion from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, Washington, DC, USA). However, the impacts of the five differences on single event effects (SEEs) require future work for examination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reliability Analysis of Electrotechnical Devices)

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15 pages, 7002 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimization of a T-Shaped MIMO Antenna for Reduction of EMI

by Dipesh Kapoor, Vivek Sangwan, Cher Ming Tan, Vani Paliwal and Nirdosh Tanwar

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(9), 3117; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10093117 - 29 Apr 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3117

Abstract

In this paper, optimization of a miniaturized multiple-inputs multiple-outputs (MIMO) antenna was performed. This antenna was composed of a T-shape radiating element with stub and reduced ground plane and a compact size of 25 mm × 25 mm × 1.6 mm. The behavior of antenna was evaluated in terms of return loss (S-parameter < −10 dB), electromagnetic interference (EMI), and operation frequency. The antenna design is applicable to many applications. A 2^K factorial design combined with a genetic algorithm (GA) optimization technique were used to identify the key design parameters responsible for affecting the performance quality of the antenna. Optimization of the antenna design for EMI reduction was utilized, and the optimal design showed enhanced bandwidth of the antenna and reduced power consumption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reliability Analysis of Electrotechnical Devices)

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16 pages, 7539 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Failure Analysis of SAC305 Ball Grid Array Solder Joint at Extremely Cryogenic Temperature

by Yanruoyue Li, Guicui Fu, Bo Wan, Maogong Jiang, Weifang Zhang and Xiaojun Yan

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(6), 1951; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10061951 - 12 Mar 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3545

Abstract

To verify the reliability of a typical Pb-free circuit board applied for space exploration, five circuits were put into low temperature and shock test. However, after the test, memories on all five circuits were out of function. To investigate the cause of the failure, a series of methods for failure analysis was carried out, including X-ray detection, cross-section analysis, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis, and contrast test. Through failure analysis, the failure was located in the Pb-free (Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu) solder joint, and we confirmed that the failure occurred because of the low temperature and change of fracture characteristic of Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu (SAC305). A verification test was conducted to verify the failure mechanism. Through analyzing data and fracture surface morphology, the cause of failure was ascertained. At low temperature, the fracture characteristic of SAC305 changed from ductileness to brittleness. The crack occurred at solder joints because of stress loaded by shock test. When the crack reached a specific length, the failure occurred. The temperature of the material’s characteristic change was −70–−80 °C. It could be a reference for Pb-free circuit board use in a space environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reliability Analysis of Electrotechnical Devices)

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16 pages, 21990 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of the Potential Electromagnetic Interference in Vertically Stacked 3D Integrated Circuits

by Dipesh Kapoor, Cher Ming Tan and Vivek Sangwan

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(3), 748; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10030748 - 21 Jan 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3446

Abstract

Advancements in the functionalities and operating frequencies of integrated circuits (IC) have led to the necessity of measuring their electromagnetic Interference (EMI). Three-dimensional integrated circuit (3D-IC) represents the current advancements for multi-functionalities, high speed, high performance, and low-power IC technology. While the thermal challenges of 3D-IC have been studied extensively, the influence of EMI among the stacked dies has not been investigated. With the decreasing spacing between the stacked dies, this EMI can become more severe. This work demonstrates the potential of EMI within a 3D-IC numerically, and determines the minimum distance between stack dies to reduce the impact of EMI from one another before they are fabricated. The limitations of using near field measurement for the EMI study in stacked dies 3D-IC are also illustrated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reliability Analysis of Electrotechnical Devices)

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