Reliability Analysis and Failure Mechanisms

Abstract

Device failure rates are very sensitive to the stresses applied. Stresses, which can be classified as environmental or self-generated, include:

The overall sum of these stresses can be pictured as constantly varying, with peaks and troughs, and superimposed on a distribution of strength levels for a group of devices. A failure is assumed to be the result of stress exceeding strength. The average strength of the group of devices will increase during the early failures period owing to the elimination, from the population, of the weaker items.