Reliability Evaluation of ECL Integrated Circuits

An evaluation study has been completed on ECL circuits of various circuit complexities. The study consisted of electrical and physical characterization, step stress and accelerated long term testing, failure analysis and failure rate determination. 575 devices from four different manufacturers were studied. Four failure modes were identified and shown to be caused by electromigration phenomena. The results of this study indicate that the devices evaluated can reliably operate at the military specified ambient temperature of 125°C provided the termination is 100¿ as specified in MIL-M-38510/60. Reliable operation is possible into a 50¿ termination for an ambient temperature of 85°C.