Advanced root cause investigation, stress margin validation, and corrective hardware redesign to reduce field failures and improve long-term MTBF of power electronic systems.
✉ Request Technical ConsultationAt Infigrace, reliability engineering begins with physical failure mechanisms — not assumptions. We analyse stress interactions across semiconductor devices, magnetics, passives, and PCB structures to determine why a product failed under real operating conditions.
Our approach integrates electrical transient modelling, thermal gradient mapping, component derating validation, and environmental stress replication. The objective is not temporary correction, but permanent elimination of recurrence through structured redesign and margin reinforcement.
Three core investigation pillars covering electrical, thermal, and field data dimensions for complete failure characterisation.
Switching transient capture and analysis, voltage overshoot investigation, inrush current profiling, MOSFET avalanche stress testing, and snubber network validation under worst-case loading conditions.
Junction temperature estimation under field load profiles, thermal runaway scenario analysis, heat dissipation path mapping, heatsink validation, and PCB copper plane thermal resistance measurement.
Failure pattern clustering from field return data, MTBF evaluation and estimation, duty cycle mapping, environmental condition impact analysis, and correlation with manufacturing batch variation.
Dynamic stress mapping ensures operational loads remain within defined derating margins — preventing premature component degradation, SOA violations, and field failures under peak load conditions.
Structured failure investigation methodology combining statistical analysis and deep hardware diagnostics to eliminate recurrence and reduce field return rates.
Dominant failure modes — field return analysis
Initial field analysis revealed the switching device operating at ~95% rated voltage under peak load. Following corrective redesign — snubber optimisation, parasitic inductance reduction, and enhanced thermal dissipation — stress was reduced to ~70% of rated limit.
Structural redesign actions implemented after root cause identification to prevent recurrence and extend product life.
Recalculation of operating margins across all critical components, stress reduction redesign, and updated derating guidelines to maintain 70% or below rated stress under worst-case conditions.
RC snubber network tuning for switching transient suppression, TVS selection and placement, surge mitigation refinement, and gate drive impedance optimisation for reduced dV/dt.
Heatsink geometry optimisation, airflow path redesign, PCB copper redistribution for reduced thermal resistance, and thermal interface material selection for improved junction-to-ambient performance.
PCB layout revision to reduce parasitic inductance in switching loops, improved decoupling placement, ground plane continuity, and copper pour strategy for reduced common-mode noise.
Revised design validation test plan incorporating worst-case temperature, voltage, and load scenarios identified during failure investigation — closing the gaps that allowed the failure to reach the field.
Pre-compliance EMI/EMC testing, documentation preparation, and liaison with test labs for BIS, CE, and UL certification — ensuring corrective redesigns meet all applicable standards.
Engage Infigrace to diagnose, redesign, and stabilise your power electronic systems — permanently.
✉ Request Technical Consultation