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Why do electronics systems stop working? What kind of parts are almost certain to fail after a certain amount of use? Can some keep going for centuries? In data sheets I don't think I've ever seen an estimated lifespan with the exception of LEDs, rechargeable batteries and mechanical switches. I presume the common reasons for failure are mechanical damage, overheating, oxidation/other chemical deteriorations, and damaging surges from static, EMI and other external factors such as power supplies. Is it more often the quality of the manufacturing of the system (e.g. PCB quality, mounting and enclosures) rather than of the individual parts that results in the significant failure rates? I appreciate this is a lengthy topic, but any general principles, pertinent statistics or resources for further reading would be appreciated.

Jodes
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    You forgot one of the most likely culprits of dying electronics: Electrolytic capacitors. Those are needed practically everywhere, yet they all have a very limited lifespan compared to most other parts. (Data sheets usually mention that lifespan.) – us2012 Aug 06 '13 at 13:51
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    slightly relevant: http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/67933/how-do-unused-electronic-components-age/67934#67934 – pjc50 Aug 06 '13 at 13:55
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    I'll also add electromigration in ICs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromigration and "tin whiskers" from lead-free soldering to your list of failure origins. – pjc50 Aug 06 '13 at 13:58
  • Isn't it obvious? EE's design these things to fail so you'll have to replace them over and over again! :) –  Aug 06 '13 at 14:33
  • Electrons lose all their energy after just one trip through a device, and have to be replaced continuously with fresh ones. – Kaz Aug 06 '13 at 15:22
  • I have kicked this off with a community wiki answer. I have little hope that I can finish it myself, but I laid the basic structure down as a starting point. – travisbartley Aug 07 '13 at 06:50

2 Answers2

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The one sentence summary of electronics failure causes is Murphy's law, "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."

The failure types are categorized as:

M: Can be caused by manufacturing

U: Can occur when unused

N: Can occur by normal use of component

A: Can occur by abuse of component

Packaging Failures

The purpose of packaging is to protect electronics from the many hazards of its environment. When packaging fails, the electronics can be exposed to such hazards, leading to unwanted behavior and possibly damage.

  • Material fatigue from the thermal expansion caused by heating cycles (U, N, A)
  • Mechanical stress and shock can crack or fracture packaging (A)
  • Humidity and chemicals can cause corrosion (U, N, A)
  • Material defects introduced during manufacturing and processing (M)
  • Electrical faults introduced during encapsulation (bonding wire short and open circuits) (M)
  • Migration of contaminants through the packaging onto the semiconductor die (U, N, A)

Contact Failures

PCB Failures

Relay Failures

Semiconductor Failures

Passive Element Failures

MEMS Failures

Sources

Failure modes of electronics

travisbartley
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0

Just like trav1s mentioned, there are many failure modes to electronics. In general, IC vendors typically build catalog devices to last 5-10 years, or at least commensurate to their intended usage.

For instance, a USB car charger may only be design to last 2 years because the consumer market has so much turnover, you will likely just buy another one when you get a new Iphone/Ipad/Android/etc. Why design it to last 10 years when it will only sell for $10?

Custom products tend to be specified for much longer lifetimes. The HDD motor drivers are usually specified for 10 years of severe service life, regardless of whether they see it.

Another thread of interest: What are the failure mechanisms in an integrated circuit?

Whistle1560
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