Modifications of the 85/85 test and the temperature cycling test for tantalum capacitors

Accelerated tests are commonly used to evaluate the reliability of electronic components and to detect failures caused by environmental conditions in field use. Many standard accelerated tests are available for evaluating the reliability in a commonly approved way. These tests form a good basis for reliability testing. However, sometimes standard accelerated tests may not be directly used to test the reliability of a certain component. Rather, such tests should be modified for each component, based on the component's structure and field use. The purpose of this paper was to modify two Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) standard accelerated tests: the steady‐state temperature humidity‐bias life test (the 85/85 test) and the temperature cycling test, for use in testing tantalum capacitors more efficiently.

The 85/85 test was first modified by adding a ripple voltage and then by adding a voltage off‐period. The temperature cycling test was modified by using applied voltage during the test and then by shortening the testing time.

Standard accelerated tests form a good basis for reliability testing, but accelerated tests should be carefully planned and tailored for each component type, based on structure and conditions of use. Results show that, with minor modifications, standard tests can be diversified into various types of tests.

Conclusions are mostly based on a literature review. More testing needs be undertaken in order to collect statistical data to validate the conclusions.

The objective in this paper was to produce more versatile tests for tantalum capacitors, based on two JEDEC standard accelerated tests. The developed tests can help detect failure mechanisms of tantalum capacitors faster and more accurately than standard accelerated tests.