HIGH-VOLTAGE CAPACITOR FAILURE ON A DOWNHOLE OILFIELD PCB

摘要

Often in technical discussions within the failure analysis community, passive components are overlooked in favor of novel analysis methods or emergent challenges to semiconductor reliability. However, passive components still occupy a vast amount of real estate in today's circuit designs and are not poised to disappear anytime soon. With that in mind, this article presents a case study of a failed high-voltage leaded-ceramic-chip capacitor that met its demise through an unlikely failure mode, which highlights the importance of well-trained operators behind the inspection equipment deployed to prevent latent defects.