Accelerating the life of transistors

Choosing small and medium power switching transistors of the NPN type in a 3DK set as the study object, the test of accelerating life is conducted in constant temperature and humidity, and then the data are statistically analyzed with software developed by ourselves. According to degradations of such sensitive parameters as the reverse leakage current of transistors, the lifetime order of transistors is about more than 104 at 100 °C and 100% relative humidity (RH) conditions. By corrosion fracture of transistor outer leads and other failure modes, with the failure truncated testing, the average lifetime rank of transistors in different distributions is extrapolated about 103. Failure mechanism analyses of degradation of electrical parameters, outer lead fracture and other reasons that affect transistor lifetime are conducted. The findings show that the impact of external stress of outer leads on transistor reliability is more serious than that of parameter degradation. (semiconductor devices)