- Choose only one technique
and use that technique consistently. The technique can be any of the
following:
- Empirical
- Based on
field data
- State the model (Weibull or exponential) used for
failure rate derived from field data
- Based on
reliability guide. (TI products use BFRs derived
from reliability guides.)
- Assume a usage profile.
Here are a couple of examples:
- Industrial: always on 24/7 year-round until a
scheduled preventive maintenance cycle
- Automotive motor control: two to four starts per
day, approximately 4 hours per day of use, as in IEC
TR 62380
- Select (and state) the
confidence interval (75%, 80%, 90%) for the underlying statistics
used in the estimation
- Clearly document any
scaling factors or derates that have gone into the BFR
estimation
- Account for non-operating
time and solder-joint-based failures
As long as all semiconductor
suppliers use the same BFR estimation assumptions – or at minimum explicitly
state the assumptions – it is possible to compare the BFRs of comparable
semiconductor components from two different manufacturers.