Experimental Study of Dye Penetration in Plastic Encapsulated Microcircuit

A potential reliability problem in plastic encapsulated microcircuits (PEMs) is moisture absorption and chemical ingress, which caused by the micro-crack or delamination of lead frame in the device. This paper describes the fluorescent dye penetration experimental setup that is used to reveals the leak pathways or the micro-crack in the PEM device. The visual evidence of the suspected defect can be seen by fluorescence under ultraviolet light. Experimental results are then presented - which show that the penetrant got into the inside of the sample only along the interface between the different materials. It indicates that the fluorescence dye penetration experiment is efficient in the detection of the delamination and cavity for the PEMS.