In this article, 4 Star Electronics explains how rigorous inspection protocols and evolving test technologies are maintaining the integrity of electronic components.
Procuring electronic components—especially end-of-life or obsolete components—is a difficult task, made more difficult by the proliferation of counterfeit parts. Counterfeit components pose significant risks to product performance and can also lead to substantial economic losses and potential safety hazards. Independent distributors employ a variety of test and inspection techniques to identify and prevent counterfeit components, to ensure integrity and reliability for their customers.
Counterfeiters employ various tactics to introduce inauthentic components into the supply chain, making it challenging to detect. Common methods include:
Part remarking: Counterfeiters sand-off or otherwise remove original markings from a component, replacing them with different part numbers or lot information. This is an attempt to pass off inferior or different components as -quality or performance parts.
Blacktopping: Counterfeiters cover a component’s original surface with an epoxy or polymer, then add new markings to
hide the component’s identity and origin.
Used or salvaged components: Counterfeiters harvest components from waste electronics and repackage them as new. These components may have been damaged or degraded, leading to potential future failures.
Die replacement: Counterfeiters remove an original die from a component and repackage it into another form to meet demand for higher specification parts such as military, automotive or space-rated parts. Repackaging is risky and the ‘new’ parts generally cannot meet the required specifications.
Cloning: Counterfeiters use or create unauthorized reproductions of electronic components that are designed to be functionally similar to genuine parts, without having legal rights or proper quality control measures in place.
It’s important for procurement and supply chain specialists to be aware of these risks and work with independent distributors
or test labs who can help reduce the probability of receiving counterfeits. Luckily, as counterfeiting has gotten more sophisticated, the processes and tools required to combat it have also evolved:
Visual inspection: Inspection personnel examine the physical appearance of components, looking for discrepancies such as incorrect labeling, spelling errors, faded markings or signs of tampering. Visual inspection can detect obvious counterfeits but may not catch more sophisticated counterfeiting techniques.
Surface analysis and marking tests: Inspectors use acetone and other solvents to detect any blacktop or surface coatings as well as non-original markings.
X-ray inspection: X-ray imaging lets inspectors examine the internal structure of components. This can reveal inconsistencies in die size/placement, wire bonds and other internal features. It is especially useful for detecting components that have been tampered with or reworked.
Decapsulation: Decapsulation involves removing a component’s outer packaging to inspect the die and internal structure. It can reveal whether the die has been replaced or if the component has been tampered with.
Electrical testing: Electrical tests measure the performance characteristics of components and compare them to manufacturer specifications including resistance, capacitance, inductance or more complex tests to determine full electrical functionality. Electrical testing helps identify components not meeting required performance standards and can often detect the most sophisticated counterfeits.
By implementing these test and inspection techniques, independent distributors and test labs accredited to industry standards such as ISO 17025, AS6081 and AS6171 can significantly enhance their ability to identify and prevent counterfeit components from infiltrating the supply chain.
