Up-Screening
Customer-centric Up-Screening,
QRT is with you from start to finish.
QRT goes beyond simple test outsourcing.
We perform the entire flow Consulting → Board Design → Testing and reporting
fully in-house for speed and quality.
Based on ESCC, MIL, JEDEC and other standards,
we tailor the process to your environment and requirements
to secure both reliability and efficiency—
delivering consistently high customer satisfaction.
What Is Up-Screening?
Up-Screening is the process of selecting and characterizing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components to a high-reliability level that meets your mission needs. Through evaluations representative of real use—high/low temperature, vibration, electrical stress, and radiation—we verify performance and stability in advance. This enables you to confidently deploy cost-effective industrial-grade parts instead of expensive military/space parts, reducing cost and lead time without compromising reliability.
External Visual Inspection
External Visual Inspection is a basic check for cosmetic anomalies on the body, markings, and leads.
Following ESCC 2055000 and 2059000, we inspect 10 samples and record any defects observed.
X-ray
X-ray provides non-destructive inspection of internal structures and is performed on 100% of parts.
Tests follow MIL-STD-750 and MIL-STD-883, and exposure is controlled to avoid any reliability impact.
Solderability
This test evaluates how well solder forms reliable joints with a component’s leads and terminations—especially after long-term storage.
Surface degradation on leads/terminations can reduce overall soldering quality during assembly and,
in turn, become a root cause of failures in the field.
Our solderability evaluation checks wetting behavior and joint formation using representative solders and profiles, helping you verify incoming stock, maintain process quality, and prevent reliability escapes.
Our solderability evaluation checks wetting behavior and joint formation using representative solders and profiles, helping you verify incoming stock, maintain process quality, and prevent reliability escapes.
C-SAM
C-SAM is a non-destructive scan used to detect delamination and voids in plastic packages. In line with
JEDEC J-STD-020, it is performed after electrical tests and before preconditioning.
Electrical Test
Electrical testing verifies that device function and parameters are within specification before and after
reliability stress. We test all parts at 25 °C, recording key quantitative values for comparison with
post-stress results.
Internal Visual Inspection
Internal Visual Inspection is a destructive analysis step to directly assess internal structures (die,
bonding, leadframe, etc.) for build quality and anomalies. It is a core element of DPA (Destructive
Physical Analysis) used for reliability assurance and counterfeit screening. Specimens require careful
decapsulation to expose the die without damaging wires or pads. QRT supports decapsulation not only for EMC
but also glass and metal-encapsulated devices.
Die & Bond Shear Test
These tests evaluate the durability of joints against shear stresses that may occur during manufacturing,
handling, testing, transport, and use. Wire bond shear and pull are performed after decapsulation. Solder
ball shear applies to all SMT packages except flip-chip and is conducted prior to PCB assembly. We shear
individual balls, capturing shear strength and failure modes for analysis.
SEM Inspection
SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) provides high-resolution imaging for DPA and quality analyses. Typical
checks include wire-to-lead connections (cracks, lifts, contamination), the integrity of the surface
passivation (glassivation) layer, and interconnect condition (cracks, deformation, porosity).
Passivation (Glassivation) Integrity
This test verifies the quality of the dielectric protective layer over metal lines. Through controlled
chemical etch, we confirm clean exposure of metal without damage—assessing both passivation condition and
etch process suitability.
Lead Finish Analysis & Pure-Tin Identification
We identify the metallization of leads (e.g., Sn, Pb, Ni, Au, Cu combinations) and assess RoHS compliance.
Pure tin finishes can grow conductive whiskers over time, risking shorts; therefore, detecting pure-Sn is
crucial for high-reliability applications in space/aviation/defense.
PIND (Particle Impact Noise Detection) Test
PIND detects loose particles (metal/ceramic debris) inside hermetic cavity packages (metal cans, ceramic
DIP/CLCC, hermetic BGA, etc.). The device is subjected to vibration/impact pulses, and an acoustic/velocity
transducer captures signals generated as particles strike the case walls. We currently offer this via
partner labs, with in-house capability planned for 2026.
PIND Test
Mechanical Shocks
This test evaluates a component’s ability to withstand mechanical shocks from drops, handling, and
transportation without physical damage. The specimen does not impact a surface; instead, we apply rapid
acceleration changes to induce stress (e.g., the transient acceleration transmitted to door-mounted
components when a door slams).
Vibrations
We confirm structural and functional robustness under vibrations encountered during transport and normal
equipment operation. An electrodynamic shaker generates the required amplitude, frequency, and acceleration.
Sine vibration is used to identify resonances; random vibration reproduces real-world profiles.
Constant Acceleration
Constant Acceleration evaluates how cavity-type semiconductor packages tolerate centrifugal stress. It helps
reveal structural and mechanical weaknesses that may not surface in shock or vibration. Depending on stress
level, it can be used as a destructive limit test to determine mechanical margins, or as a screen to remove
units with below-normal mechanical strength.
Thermal Shock
Thermal Shock evaluates 1) whether parts tolerate extreme hot/cold conditions and 2) how repeated exposure
to those extremes affects them. Failures driven by repetitive thermo-mechanical loads fall under fatigue,
and thermal cycling accelerates such mechanisms. In practice, TC uses air as the medium; TS uses liquid
baths—hence the difference in stress severity and response.
Seal Test
For space, aviation, and defense missions, long-term stability requires robust hermeticity to keep moisture
and contaminants out. Seal Test quantifies hermetic quality. We first screen out large leaks (Gross Leak)
using immersion/heating/pressurization, then measure down to very small leak rates (Fine Leak) with helium
mass spectrometry against the specified acceptance limit (LR). Conditions are calculated from
internal volume and mission reliability needs. We offer this via partner labs today and plan in-house
capability in 2026.
Seal Test
Preconditioning
Preconditioning reproduces handling, storage, and reflow steps prior to PCB assembly to ensure devices
remain fully functional after soldering. In short, it screens for issues that may arise during board-level
manufacturing before shipment of the final product.
Highly Accelerated Stress Test
Electronics frequently operate in hot and humid conditions. When hermeticity is insufficient, internal
metals can corrode or suffer ionic migration. HAST/THB evaluate a device’s robustness to these mechanisms.
After preconditioning, we perform either 96 hours HAST or 1000 hours THB, and verify no functional
failures before/after stress.
Thermal Cycling
Thermal Cycling validates survivability under repeated extremes (–55 °C to +125 °C). It is used to
uncover defects caused by differential expansion and contraction in real applications. Preconditioning is
required. We check for physical/functional anomalies with electrical tests at 25 °C over 500 cycles.
Life Test, Burn-in
Life Test operates devices at elevated temperature for 2000+ hours to ensure long-term functionality and
performance stability. It is essential for lifetime prediction and is accompanied by MIL-standard electrical
characterization.
Burn-in applies thermal and electrical stress to precipitate and remove infant-mortality failures. Typical conditions are 125 °C/240 h, 105 °C/445 h, or 85 °C/885 h per MIL-STD-750/883. Limits (including activation energy assumptions) must respect device specifications. Post burn-in anti-oxidation handling is also required.
Burn-in applies thermal and electrical stress to precipitate and remove infant-mortality failures. Typical conditions are 125 °C/240 h, 105 °C/445 h, or 85 °C/885 h per MIL-STD-750/883. Limits (including activation energy assumptions) must respect device specifications. Post burn-in anti-oxidation handling is also required.
Total Ionizing Dose
TID is the total energy absorbed when a device is exposed to radiation (gamma, X-ray, electron, etc.) over
time. Accumulation can gradually shift parameters or impair function. QRT performs TID testing using
domestic gamma-ray facilities.
Displacement Damage Dose
Unlike TID (largely a surface/interface phenomenon), Displacement Damage is bulk damage that degrades
electrical, optical, and thermal properties across the device volume. QRT conducts DD testing at domestic
proton facilities.
Single Event Effects - Pulsed Laser
Pulsed-laser SEE testing (PLSEE) uses a femtosecond pulsed laser to emulate how space radiation perturbs
semiconductor devices, providing a rapid, high-resolution alternative/complement to conventional beam tests.
With years of hands-on experience, QRT supports both SPA (single-photon absorption) and TPA (two-photon
absorption) modes, enabling device-level SEE screening and design verification.
Single Event Effects - Heavy Ion
SEEs occur when radiation (protons, neutrons, heavy ions, gamma, etc.) ionizes the medium as it passes
through a device. If the generated charge reaches a sensitive region with sufficient magnitude to change
state, an error occurs. Most SEEs are non-destructive and temporary; normal operation resumes after a
reset or power cycle.
Discover more test systems and solutions—
see them firsthand at QRT.