Appendix 3
Microelectronic Failure Rates
Earlier editions of this book have presented tables giving ranges of microelectronic failure rate data. Over the years failure rates have improved and recent studies by the author have shown:
• In general, failure rates (microelectronic, passive and discrete) have reduced by c50% in the last 20 years.
• The distribution of failure rates (i.e. spread from maximum to minimum of the quotes rates) has tightened but it still approaches an order of magnitude.
• The lower failure rates in each range are probably little changed. This is author-opinion but is suggested by data indicating rates only slightly above the left hand column of the ranges.
• The higher failure rates in each range are an order of magnitude ...