Research on failure mechanism of plastic encapsulated microcircuits

Plastic encapsulated microcircuit (PEM) had been invented in the 60s of the 20th century, with great advantages in size, weight, cost and performance. Nevertheless, there are still great differences between PEMs and high reliable devices and many problems cannot be ignored, such as corrosion, popcorn effect and low-temperature stratification. In this paper, common failure modes and their mechanisms of PEMs have been discussed according to some typical failure cases, which can provide an important basis for improving the process technology and enhancing the reliability of PEMs.