HALT/reliability testing uses modeling and simulation to design reliability into products by discovering margins between theoretical design limits and real-world capabilities. The testing subjects products to stresses like temperature extremes, vibration, and voltage/power levels to intentionally cause failures and uncover weak points. Different failure mechanisms have characteristic exponential relationships to stresses. HALT combines multiple stress tests to rapidly uncover potential failures through physics of failures modeling and simulations.

1. HALT/Reliability Testing
Evaluating The Uncertainty Gap
By Joel Mandel
Jan 2007

2. Uncertainty Gap Problem
How far is our theoretical design from real
capabilities?

3. HALT Margin Discovery
Stress
Upper
Destruct
Limit
Lower
Destruct
Limit
Upper
Operating
Limit
Lower
Operating
Limit
Product
Specs
Margin Margin
OperatingOperating
Destruct Margin Destruct Margin

4. The Million Dollar question

5. is a science-based approach to reliability that uses
modeling and Simulation to design-in reliability. This
approach models the root causes of failure such as
fatigue, fracture, wear, and corrosion ..
Physics Of Failures

6. Physics Of Failures

7. Thermodynamics

8. Design Objective
• Any system will fail so the objective is delay the failures
or to weed out the first failures./or the weak parts of the
system

9. Correct Answer
We must test to cause failures not to test to
demonstrate successful achievement

10. Physics of Failures Models
• Exponential Model
Ae-Bx
film resistors ceramic capacitors life temperature dependence
• Power model
AV-b
Voltage
• Arrhenius
(A)1/T e-c/T
temperture dependent processes including diffusion and corrosion

12. Every stress source and failure
mechanism has a different characteristic
exponential relationship

14. High Accelerated Life Testing
Halt
Temp-High
Low
Temp Rapid
Cycling
Vibration
Combines
testing
Power

16. Vibration Testing Logic

19. Four Corner Voltage
Temperature Halt Test