Just how reliable are plastic encapsulated semiconductors for military applications and how can the maximum reliability be obtained
Abstract A very large proportion of semiconductor devices are now encapsulated in plastics enabling them to be produced more cheaply than devices in hermetically sealed packages. They also have some technical advantages. There has been a progressive improvement in their reliability over the years, but the long term reliability of such devices is a matter of concern for military applications. The paper briefly describes the constructional features of the devices and points out the main failure mechanisms that occur with aluminium metallised devices, citing corrosion of the interconnections leading to open circuit as almost inevitable. The difficulties encountered by users with possible ways to improve the situation are then described along with some reported failure rate figures. Finally some official policies and views on the use and reliability of plastic encapsulated semiconductor devices are given. Twelve references are listed.