The "Bathtub Curve" is a common name used to describe a generic curve which represents instantaneous failure rates over time in semiconductor products. Although the actual failure rate curves for specific semiconductor products may vary considerably, this curve is a useful example of some common attributes. These are worst case #'s based on generic data. Please contact TI for any product specific data.
The Bathtub Curve represents three primary phases of semiconductor product lifetime:
- Early Life Failure Rate phase: This phase is characterized by a relatively higher initial failure rate which quickly declines, and may not be significant in all products. The failure rate during this phase is typically measured as "defective parts per million" (dppm).
- Steady State phase: This phase consists of a relatively constant failure rate which remains stable over the useful lifetime of the device. The failure rate is described in units of "FITs", or alternatively as a "Mean Time Between Failures" (MTBF) in hours.
- Wearout phase: This represents the point at which intrinsic wearout mechanisms begin to dominate and the failure rate begins increasing exponentially. The product lifetime is typically defined as the time from initial production until the onset of wearout.
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