Reliability and Physics-of-Healthy in Mechatronics

2Applied Engineering on Physics-of- Healthy and SHM of Microelectronic Equipment for Aeronautic, Space, Automotive and Transport Operations

Experience without theory is blind, but theory without experience is mere intellectual play.

Immanuel KANT (1724–1804)

2.1. Introduction

In reliability standards, the MTTF is related to random mechanisms which are supposed to reach failure sooner than the wearout MTTF. This is mainly because the considered technologies are rather mature and the applied mission stress conditions are low enough to push the limits of the wearout events.

Several end-user industries and institutions are very cautious about performing life tests so close to nominal conditions. Last year, automotive OEMs began demanding that electronic components last 18 years with zero failures.

Nevertheless, new technologies and innovative components have shown possible shorter lifetime occurrence (Condra et al. 2005) because of their immaturity. When procured as COTS but used in long-term mission applications or high-rel equipment, it is especially necessary to perform screening to eliminate freak distribution and run plenty of qualification customized programs adapted to the foreseen application. It is not easy and the simplest way is to ask the component manufacturer to help to quantify these parameters. Sometimes, manufacturers may provide information about the lifetime, which is generally based on cumulative failures observed during burn-in and qualification test sequences ...