Analysis of Requirements in Reliability Physics

DISCUSSIONS of the role of reliability physics have begun to receive attention in the literature of reliability during recent years. Of principal concern has been the selection of a methodology and a determination of the areas of most needed research. In this study, an attempt is made to analyze the requirements of a "physics of failure" program. Categories of effort evaluated include electronic parts, materials, measurement techniques, and failure mechanisms. Parameters applied to these categories include part failure rates, part populations, present and proposed use, probability of improvement, and practical and economic considerations concerned with implementing the effort categories. Choice of parameters, weighting factors, and priorities is discussed. Needed areas of investigation and planning factors in failure mechanism studies are presented.