Applications of X-Ray Energy Dispersive Analysis to Semiconductor Plastic Packages

The plastic used in semiconductor packages can be readily characterized for filler and fire retardant content by X-ray-ED analysis. The technique can be used to monitor lot to lot process variations as well as uniformity of molded parts. It can be applied in incoming quality control as a quality indicator of the non polymerized plastic or the finished product. Reliability test failures can be analyzed to insure their identification, to measure the degree of surface contamination, or to perform correlation studies.