all capacitors being used. Almost every
capacitor manufacturer in the world uses SAM equipment in a failure analysis or process control role.
Inspection can be performed on board mounted, loose or over-molded capacitors. Semi or fully automated
inspection is possible with throughput in the 1000s.

Package Types:


Ceramic monolithic multi-layered chip capacitors

Discoidial ceramic capacitors

0805 sized capacitors or larger

Inspection Standards or Certifications:


MIL-C-123, EIA RS-469

Failure Types Commonly Detected:


Delaminations
Micro-delaminations
Termination
delaminations
Knit-line
delaminations
Voids
Elongated
voids
Cracks
Chip
outs
Micro-porosity
Images:


This is a pulse-echo mode
image using a 75MHz 12mm
focal length. This peak
amplitude image utilizes a
material scan technique to
display information regarding
the integrity of the entire
capacitor. A color palatte
adjustment was made so
defects appear as red in the
image. Delaminations within
the dielectric layers appear as
large red areas. A elongated
void which is likely caused by
the baking out of a fiberous or
dust particle contaminate can
be seen as a curved red object.
Voids or any other type of air
gap that crosses several
dielectric layers can cause an
electrical short within the part.
Typically acoustic inspection
is performed to determine
long term capacitor reliability
by culling devices with
delaminations, large voids,
cracks and so forth.






These are pulse-echo (reflected) mode C-scan images using a material scan imaging technique. A 75MHz
12mm focal length transducer was used to create both image. Same as before, the material scan displays
information regarding the integrity of the entire capacitor. Both images are of the same capacitor pre and
post-stressing. The image on the left was taken at time 0. The image on the right shows significant
delamination after 50 hours of electrical and temperature stressing. The dark band down the middle of the
capacitor is the result of an area were the alternating dielectric layers within the capacitor overlap. A
separation of dielectric layers within the capacitor can seriously impact the electrical reliability of the unit.