Evidence previews
Each preview establishes relevance and method. Members and purchasers receive the complete evidence sequence, interpretation, alternatives, and limitations.
Case 2301 preview
Failed contacts contained a carbon-, oxygen-, and cadmium-rich surface product. The combined electrical, imaging, and chemical evidence supported accumulation of a nonconductive reaction product on Ag-CdO contacts rather than mechanical binding.
Case 2295 preview
The fracture evidence and construction comparison supported excessive power relative to the component's thermal capability, aggravated by a relatively poor heat-conduction path through ferrous leads and by heat-retaining staking material.
Case 2108 preview
Complementary fracture surfaces showed fatigue progression followed by final ductile shear. Surface, microstructure, and composition comparisons did not reveal a material-quality difference that explained the failures.
Case 2556 preview
X-ray and microsection evidence showed voids and fractures in both the heat-transfer adhesive and resistor enamel. These features increased thermal impedance and reduced design margin, but they were present in both passing and failing assemblies.
Case 2339 preview
Microsections showed encapsulant separating from the ceramic/thick-film substrate and lifting gold stitch bonds with it. A second mounting method and decapsulation evidence supported the same failure sequence.
Case 1861 preview
Electrical and construction comparisons linked the overheated condition to winding conductors that were substantially larger than those in a comparison design. The lower winding resistance was consistent with increased current and loss of thermal margin; dielectric breakdown between windings was not observed.
Case 2234 preview
The devices showed two credible contributors: mechanical damage at gate leads and associated wire bonds, and ionic residue containing calcium, sulfur, and phosphorus near device surfaces. No die-level electrical-overstress damage was identified.
Case 1695 preview
Lens fractures originating near metal posts created paths for moisture and ionic contamination. Corrosion and contamination within cracks could shunt the electrodes and suppress light output. No EOS or ESD damage was found on the examined die.
Case 2181 preview
Chloride in the electrolyte and corrosion product supported a cyclic aluminum-dissolution mechanism that generated hydrogen, increased leakage, and promoted bulging. Depolarizer depletion or low concentration may have aggravated the condition.
Case 2213 preview
Moisture-assisted reactivation of previously isolated dielectric defects was a plausible contributor, while underside corrosion residue, voltage margin, mechanical damage, and MnO2-layer variability represented additional risks. No single feature explained every failed unit.
Case 2015 preview
The evidence did not support internal or termination cracking as the cause of leakage. Electrical behavior and construction analysis were more consistent with premature degradation of X5R base-metal-electrode dielectric associated with material and fabrication details.
Case 2214 preview
Chloride-bearing residue, tin-oxide corrosion product, moisture, and electric field supported an electrochemical-migration short between power and ground beneath a connector. The resulting high-current event fused or vaporized pads, plated holes, and internal copper.
Case 1775 preview
A hemispherical primary breakdown site originated near the MnO2 and tantalum-slug interface, a morphology consistent with surge-current heating. Operating voltage above recommended derating likely increased susceptibility; no general fabrication defect explained the failure.
Case 2031 preview
Residual activated flux and incompletely rinsed detergent left chloride and surfactant material beneath connector bodies. Moisture converted these residues into conductive leakage paths and promoted corrosion of copper, solder, and connector metals.
Case 2712 preview
Microsections of three suspect capacitors contained no internal electrode plates. The most plausible manufacturing scenario was an electrode-free region of ceramic tape proceeding through singulation and termination, followed by inadequate final electrical screening.
Case 1774 preview
Tin-lead corrosion products containing significant chloride nearly bridged the space between capacitor terminals. Large voids in the mounting adhesive trapped activated flux and provided sheltered paths for corrosion and electromigration; no ceramic fracture or internal construction anomaly explained the behavior.
Case 873 preview
Elevated-temperature exposure produced post-cure shrinkage cracks and separation of the epoxy lens from the die and ceramic cup. Marginal adhesion allowed damage to progress from optical clouding to extensive fracture and complete lens loss, while steam exposure likely aggravated moisture ingress.
Case 2453 preview
Lens material debonded from the bottom of the LED cup, most likely during wave-solder thermal overstress. Potting voids and a nearby resistor reduced thermal margin; subsequent heating produced encapsulant fractures around the bond wire and apparent wire discontinuities that accelerated wear-out.
Case 1654 preview
Primary flexure fractures in both failed capacitors coincided with their electrical short sites. The fracture geometry supported PCBA bending stress, followed by electrical breakdown and extensive secondary cracking; comparison devices did not support defective capacitor manufacture as the primary cause.
Case 2383 preview
The joints failed by brittle interfacial fracture at the nickel-phosphorus/nickel-tin intermetallic interface under impulse bending or tensile overload. Excessive gold content, gold-tin intermetallic plates, and trapped flux and gas reduced process margin but were secondary to mechanical loading.