EIA-4900
1
Introduction
Traditionally, industries that produce electronic equipment for rugged applications have
relied on the military specification system for semiconductor device standards; and upon
manufacturers of military-specified devices as device sources. This assured the availability
of semiconductor devices specified to operate over the temperature ranges required for
electronic equipment in rugged applications. Many device manufacturers have exited the
military market in recent years, resulting in decreased availability of devices specified to
operate over wide temperature ranges. Following are some typical temperature ranges at
which devices are marketed:
Military:
-55
°
C to +125
°
C
Automotive:
-40
°
C to +125
°
C
Industrial:
-40°C to +85°C
Commercial:
0
°
C to +70
°
C
If there are no reasonable or practical alternatives, then a potential response is for equipment
manufacturers to use devices in temperature ranges that are wider than those specified by the
device manufacturer. If properly documented and controlled, this practice may be used by
electronic equipment manufacturers to meet the design goals of their equipment.
This document prescribes practices and procedures to select semiconductor devices; to assess
their capability to operate; and to assure their intended quality in the wider temperature
ranges. It also prescribes the documentation of such usage. The intent of this document is to
describe processes for thermal uprating only.
1. Scope
This document prescribes processes for using semiconductor devices in wider temperature
ranges than those specified by the device manufacturer. It applies to any designer or
manufacturer of equipment intended to operate under conditions that require semiconductor
devices to function in temperature ranges beyond those for which the devices are marketed.
This document is intended for applications in which only the performance of the device is an
issue. Even though the device is used at wider temperatures, the wider temperatures will be
limited to those that do not compromise the system performance or application-specific
reliability of the device in the application. Specifically, this document is not intended for
applications that require the device to function at an operating or environmental stress level
that significantly increases the risk of catastrophic device failure, loss of equipment function,
or unstable operation of the device.
The use of devices outside the parameters specified by the device manufacturer is
discouraged; however, such usage may occur if other options prove to be impossible,
unreasonable, or impractical.
Note: Alternate means of thermal uprating may have been performed prior to the
implementation of this document by the equipment manufacturer. Rationale for decisions
made may have been valid considering the application, semiconductor market conditions,
experience with the particular component manufacturer, etc. at the times these decisions
were made. Field performance using these methods also may validate their use, however,