1. Thermal Imaging
  2. Applications
  3. Electronics & Electrical Engineering

Ther­mo­graphy in Elec­tronics and Elec­trical Engin­eering

The use of infrared thermography in electronics and electrical industry allows contactless measurement of surface temperatures with an infrared camera without contacting temperature sensors. It is an elegant, non-invasive optical temperature measurement method for simultaneous and temporally high-resolution detection of a number of measurement points.

E-LIT watch the Video
Temperature distribution on a circuit board (PCB)
Structures on a microchip at 8x magnification
Thermal image of a motherboard
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Infrared Camera Enables Contact­less Meas­ure­ment in Elec­tronics

The thermographic inspection of electronic components and assemblies is an established test procedure for failure detection and quality management – from the development of first prototypes to serial production. This enables, for example, the following to be detected:

  • Hotspots and atypical temperature distributions on the surface of printed circuit boards, integrated circuits and multichip modules

  • Increased contact resistances

  • Increased resistance due to constriction of wires

  • Hidden cracks in joints

  • Power losses due to RF mismatch

  • Incorrect thermal connections of heat sinks

  • Short circuits, soldering defects such as cold solder joints

Thermographic analysis during each development step provides important conclusions for the optimisation of heat management and the design of complex electronic assemblies. In electronics production thermographic temperature measurement is used as a versatile instrument for quality assurance. High-performance thermography has become indispensable for setting critical technological parameters and their permanent monitoring as well as for inline testing of products in the production process and their final functional test.

InfraTec Solu­tions and Possible Applic­a­tions

E-Lit Cabinet from InfraTec for Infrared Thermography
Non-destructive Testing

Electronic / Semiconductor Testing – E-LIT

Detect inhomogeneous temperature distribution and local power loss during the production using the Lock-in Thermography.

microthermography

Micro-Ther­mo­graphy

Micro-thermography allows for the thermal analysis of smallest structures in the micrometer range, providing a detailed representation of the temperature distribution on complex electronic assemblies.

Infrared cameras from InfraTec

Infrared Cameras

We offer a comprehensive range of more than 30 infrared camera models. Our product range includes compact and system cameras, high-end systems as well as zoom cameras and OEM solutions. The range includes the high-end camera series ImageIR®, which is developed and manufactured at the headquarters in Dresden. For fixed installation, e.g. in harsh industrial environments the powerful uncooled thermographic systems VarioCAM® HD head are suitable.

Active Thermography - Picture Credits: © Rainer / Fotolia.com

Active Ther­mo­graphy

Make use of active thermography for non-destructive and contact-free material testing, for both automated inline and offline solutions.

thermal imaging to inspect electrical installations

Inspec­tion of Elec­trical Install­a­tions

Search electrical installations or high-voltage nets with infrared camera systems for dangerous hotspots.

Examples for Ther­mo­graphy in Elec­tronics Applic­a­tions

Structures on a microchip at 8x magnification
Structures on a microchip at 8x magnification
Hot spot detektion of GaN - HEMTs (High-Electron-Mobility-Transistors), consisting of GaN
Hot spot detektion of GaN - HEMTs
Circuit board ImageIR® 10300
Microcontroller with voltage converter
Lifetime analysis by temperature measurement of a voltage converter on a microcontroller board
thermal imaging of a processor
Thermography image of a processor
Infrared image of a microcontroller board
Infrared image of a microcontroller board
Infrared image of an electronic board
Infrared image of an electronic board
thermal imaging of a microchip
Infrared image of a microchip
Structures on a microchip at 8x magnification
Hot spot detektion of GaN - HEMTs (High-Electron-Mobility-Transistors), consisting of GaN
Circuit board ImageIR® 10300
Microcontroller with voltage converter
thermal imaging of a processor
Infrared image of a microcontroller board
Infrared image of an electronic board
thermal imaging of a microchip
Event On Demand

Infrared Lock-in Ther­mo­graphy for Inspec­tion of Elec­tronics and Integ­rated Circuits

  • Failure analysis and defect inspection, quality and process control and flexible R&D solution

  • Hotspot detection on printed circuit boards, integrated circuits, semiconductor material and multi-chip modules

  • Detection of faulty thermal connections of heat sinks, short circuits, soldering defects and wire bonding errors

Request Recording

InfraTec Webinar: Infrared Lock-in Thermography for Inspection of Electronics and Integrated Circuits - Picture credits: © iStock.com / scorpp
Event On Demand

Thermography and Digital Image Correlation – A Winning Team in the Materials and Components Testing Field.

  • Active thermography for non-destructive testing

  • Synchronizing high-tech sensors: ZEISS/GOM ARAMIS and infrared cameras from InfraTec

  • Tracking of temperature on homologous points in 3D space

  • Applications in materials, components and electronic testing

Request Recording

Online Event - Thermography and Digital Image Correlation
Event On Demand

Micro-Ther­mo­graphy – Contact­less Temper­ature Meas­ure­ment in the Micro­meter Scale

  • What are the physical characteristics of micro-thermography?

  • What are the technical requirements for an IR camera system?

  • Which selection criteria are important and relevant?

  • In which application areas is micro-thermography used?

Request Recording

InfraTec Press Release - Online Event Micro Thermography
Event On Demand

Thermography Solutions for Power Electronics – Precise, Non-contact and High-speed

  • Challenges of electronics testing

  • Improvement of electronics design and thermal management by understanding heat

  • Thermography in the various phases of electronics development and production

  • Important and relevant selection criteria

Request Recording

Online event from InfraTec: "Thermography Solutions for Power Electronics"

Further Char­ac­ter­istics of the Use of Ther­mo­graphy in Elec­trical Engin­eering and Elec­tronics

  • Influences neither the RF impedance of the measurement object nor the heat dissipation of the same, which serves the safe avoidance of corresponding measurement errors

  • Allows safe temperature measurement even on live working parts

  • Complete recording of the temperature distribution and its temporal course of complex assemblies

  • Highest spatial resolution by using measurement systems with detectors with a very high number of pixels and opto-mechanical MicroScan unit

  • Resolution of smallest geometrical structures using close up lenses and infrared microscope lenses

  • Detection of smallest temperature differences using cooled photon detectors and lock-in measurement methods

  • Easy-to-use analysis and documentation of measurement results with powerful analysis software

Advant­ages when Using Powerful Ther­mo­graphic Systems

InfraTec-icon-detector-1920x1536
Detector resolutions

up to (1,920 × 1,536) native IR pixels for testing complex assemblies

infratec icon optic
Capturing of high-resolution detail images

with pixel sizes up to < 1 μm using specific microscopic lenses

thermal resolution 15mK
Detection of temperature differences

between defective and intact structures in the range of a few micro-Kelvin due to high thermal resolution up to < 0.015 K in combination with the lock-in method

measurement accurancy 1%
Measurement accuracy

of up to ± 1 °C or 1 % for accurate measurement results

Thermography Camera ImageIR

Indi­vidual Config­ur­a­tion of Ther­mo­graphic Systems for Elec­tronics and Elec­trical Engin­eering

Depending on the respective task, users can get the equipment configured meeting their specific needs. The starting point will usually be the thermographic camera. Cooled or uncooled detector? Which detector format? Shall the thermographic system support lock-in thermography? How much flexibility is desired for the distance between the measurement object and the camera? What influence does this have on the choice of microscopic lenses and close-ups? Depending on what the answers to these questions will be, InfraTec can offer thermographic systems of various performance levels - from the individual camera to the automated modular E-LIT test bench.

E-Lit Cabinet from InfraTec for Infrared Thermography
Non-destructive Testing
Electronic / Semiconductor Testing – E-LIT

Detect inhomogeneous temperature distribution and local power loss during the production using the Lock-in Thermography.

Camera filter for infrared cameras
Infrared Cameras for Elec­tronics

InfraTec offers more than 30 infrared camera models. Find your suitable IR camera form our product range to solve your electronic measurement task.

InfraTec Infrared camera
VarioCAM® HDx head Lock-In

The compact dimensions and low weight are among the advantages of the VarioCAM® HDx head lock-in. If the task is accompanied by a constant measurement scenario in an industrial environment, it is the first choice.

E-Lit Cabinet from InfraTec for Infrared Thermography
Non-destructive Testing
Electronic / Semiconductor Testing – E-LIT

Detect inhomogeneous temperature distribution and local power loss during the production using the Lock-in Thermography.

Camera filter for infrared cameras
Infrared Cameras for Elec­tronics

InfraTec offers more than 30 infrared camera models. Find your suitable IR camera form our product range to solve your electronic measurement task.

InfraTec Infrared camera
VarioCAM® HDx head Lock-In

The compact dimensions and low weight are among the advantages of the VarioCAM® HDx head lock-in. If the task is accompanied by a constant measurement scenario in an industrial environment, it is the first choice.

Precise Local­isa­tion and Detailed Mapping of Hotspots and Temper­ature Differ­ences

The principle of non-contact thermographic temperature measurement allows the error-free determination of the temperature of small objects with small heat capacity. This is often impossible, however, even when using the smallest contacting temperature sensors, as their heat dissipation frequently falsifies the measurement results. In many cases, the use of thermocouples is impossible due to the design or function of the circuit itself. In addition, the structures of electronic measurement objects are sometimes so small that temperature sensors cannot be attached to them.

However, thermographic systems with a high spatial resolution are able to make such small structures clearly visible and, in addition, to determine their exact temperature distribution along with their chronological sequence. By means of specific close-ups and powerful infrared microscopic lenses, users can thermographically measure hotspots of just a few micrometres in size on the surface of components such as semiconductor components. If SIL lenses (Solid Immersion Lenses) are additionally used, even smaller structure sizes can be detected. In combination with appropriate active thermography methods (lock-in thermography), temperature differences of less than 1 mK are clearly visible for failure localisation.

InfraTec offers matching lenses and cameras with cooled and uncooled detectors with native resolutions up to (1,920 × 1,536) IR pixels. With MicroScan – available for cameras with both cooled and uncooled detectors - the spatial resolution can be further improved. The thermograms obtained in this way ensure that components and assemblies are depicted down to the smallest detail and that failures can be precisely detected and localised. Thermal images with an enormous spatial resolution of a few megapixels pay off especially for complex assemblies, where many structures can be captured simultaneously on the respective measurement and test object. If the pixel number of the detector of the used camera is too small, the number of images required for the complete acquisition of the measurement object increases.

Lock-in Ther­mo­graphy in Elec­tronics and Elec­trical Engin­eering

By means of lock-in analysis procedure of InfraTec's IRBIS® 3 active, errors that only cause mK or μK deviations can be reliably detected and assigned to their location:

InfraTec Lock-in Thermography; Classical thermal imaging – defect not detectable
Classical thermal imaging – defect not detectable
InfraTec Lock-in Thermography; Amplitude image – analysis by Lock-in Thermography
Amplitude image – analysis by Lock-in Thermography
InfraTec Lock-in Thermography; Combination of live and amplitude image
Combination of live and amplitude image

Advant­ages - Precise Results in the Shortest Possible Time

InfraTec thermography - High-speed Mode

High-speed Mode – Increase Frame Rate and Sens­it­ivity

Due to the binning technology, infrared cameras have two speed modes – the standard mode and the high-speed mode, in which the frame rate increases more than three times. The field of view remains constant in both modes, so the scene captured by the camera does not change. In high-speed mode, the thermal resolution also increases by a factor of two.

MicroScan feature ImageIR

Micro­Scan – Quad­ruple the Image Format

Behind the function is a fast-rotating MicroScan wheel, which is integrated into the camera. It ensures that four different individual exposures are taken per wheel revolution, which are offset laterally by half a pixel each. In this way, thermography achieves a new quality due to thermal images providing a quadrupled spatial resolution.

InfraTec thermography - Geometrical Resolution

Geomet­rical Resol­u­tion – Effi­cient Analysis of Complex Assem­blies

InfraTec's infrared cameras with cooled and uncooled detectors have native resolutions up to (1,920 × 1,536) IR pixels. Spatially high-resolution thermograms ensure that components and assemblies are imaged down to the smallest detail and thus defects can be reliably detected and precisely localised.

InfraTec thermography - Thermal resolution

Thermal Resol­u­tion – Determ­in­a­tion of Differ­ences of Only a Few Millikelvin

For detection of small temperature changes InfraTec's infrared cameras offer thermal resolutions up to < 15 mK in real-time operation. By using the Lock-in Thermography method it is possible to further increase this resolution significantly. For this purpose test objects are periodically excited and non-destructively examined for defects and irregularities.

InfraTec thermography - Feature EverSharp

Ever­Sharp Func­tion

With the innovative EverSharp function all objects of the image scene are displayed sharply, not depending on camera distance or lens. With the help of special algorithms thermal images with different focus positions are combined automatically, so that only the sharp object structures are displayed in the resulting thermal image. Thus, thermal images turn out very impressive as all objects are displayed in superb image quality.

HighSense for thermographic camera series ImageIR®

High­Sense – Always the Optimal Camera Setting

Thanks to HighSense, ImageIR® users have the option of setting up individual measuring ranges based on the factory calibration that best suit the respective task. Depending on the measuring task, the required temperature range can be selected and the optimum integration time for this purpose is calculated – or one decides to proceed in reverse order. Thus, the calibration can be retained even in the case of changed integration times.

Thermal image during ignition of an airbag  Image Small

Window Mode (Subwin­dowing) – Capture of Rapid Sequences

The thermal imaging camera can be operated in full, half, quarter and sub mode. With the camera control software, it is possible to use the extended subwindowing function. Using click-and-drag, freely definable sections can be set up quickly and conveniently. A defined sub-frame of the detector is picked out to achieve these extremely high refresh rates.

Thermografie-Kameraserie ImageIR® mit neuer 10 GigE-Schnittstelle

10 GigE Inter­face for a Strong Increase in Output

The 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface of the high-end camera series ImageIR® opens this extremely fast transmission standard with a NIC specially developed by InfraTec. This works with optical or electrical transceiver modules that are easy to change and are called SFP+.

InfraTec Service - thermography lenses

High‐performance Full Optics

High quality precision lenses allow the adaptation of the image geometry to almost every measuring situation. Its performance parameters are calibrated with respect to functionality, quality and flexible application. Due to proper IR-transparent lens materials and high-precision antireflexion coating, the lenses are optimised for different spectral ranges.

InfraTec Glossary Motorfocus

Motor Focus for ImageIR® Full Lenses – More Comfort

All interchangeable standard lens systems of the ImageIR® series can be combined with a motor focus unit, which is controlled by the camera operating software. It enables precise, remote and fast focusing. In addition, an autofocus function is available which operates reliably even with low image contrasts.

Integ­rated Trigger / Process Inter­face and Inter­faces – Digit­ally Controlling of a Infrared Camera and External Devices

The internal trigger interface guarantees highly precise, repeatable triggering. Each of the two configurable digital inputs and outputs are used to control the camera or to generate digital control signals for external devices. In this way, for example, the operation of a printed circuit board and the interval of a measurement can be synchronised.

The selection of different camera interfaces allows the processing of analog data, such as the voltage directly through the camera and thus the insertion of this information into the thermal image data. Relevant variables can be included in the evaluations with the software, which makes it easier to draw conclusions about the causes of temperature changes.

Elec­tronic Guide: Elec­tronics / Elec­trical Engin­eering

Download our electronic guide “Electronics / Electrical Engineering” and get further information about thermography systems for use in development and production.

InfraTec Electronics / Electrical Engineering Flyer

Case Studies about Ther­mo­graphy in Elec­tronics Applic­a­tions

Failure Analysis on Electronic Components | ©BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg

Ther­mo­graphy on the Trail of the Fault

Today, thermographic damage and function analysis of electronic components is an established test method in electrical engineering. This method is also used for research purposes at the Institute for Electrical Systems and Energy Logistics at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg. In this context, Prof. Dr. Ralph Schacht is intensively involved with the material and system characterisation as well as the non-destructive failure analysis of printed circuit boards, electronic components, microelectronics as well as composite systems of packaging and interconnection technology.

InfraTec thermography casestudy tu chemnitz

Thermal Micro Actu­ators for Nano­tech­no­lo­gies

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) offer a wide range of possible applications in the field of nanotechnology. Everyday examples are the position recognition of mobile phones and the use in airbags, digital cameras or pacemakers. Other applications can be found above all in the field of miniaturised medical diagnostics. Growing demands on miniaturisation affect both the system solutions required for this and the sensors and control elements to be developed.

InfraTec Thermography Success Story: CAU Kiel

Power Elec­tronics – Effi­cient Control of the Futures Energy

The energy efficiency of electronic components is becoming increasingly important in numerous fields of application. And that is not all: in our electronic and high-tech age, the demand is for even faster active components, higher power densities of miniaturised systems as well as absolute reliability. Along with this, there is the request for environmentally conscious resource procurement and the requirement that the increase in performance of modules should run parallel to lower energy consumption.

Thermography in Process Automation - Isabellenhuette

Ther­mo­graphy in Process Auto­ma­tion

The company Isabellenhütte Heusler GmbH & Co. KG has identified this potential at an early stage and uses infrared thermography for the quality assurance of their low resistance precision resistors.

Inverter with loaded components to forecast their lifecycle - picture credits: istock.com / Mordolff

Ther­mo­graphic Micro­scopy in Electronics

At the same time that the performance of electronic components is being driven ever higher the demand for thermal management at ever smaller scales is also occurring.

Thermography in Electronics Development - Picture credits: © iStock.com / Jimmyan

Ther­mo­graphy in Elec­tronics Devel­op­ment

At Delphi’s laboratory plant “Test & Validation Services”, thermography is used for design and product validation as part of quality assurance. Therewith, a stable hardware basis is set for integrating new technologies in motor vehicles that again present a substantial contribution to traffic safety.

Contact to thermography division of InfraTec

Would You Like to Know More?

It is not unusual for tasks to be associated with special requirements. Discuss your specific application needs with our specialists, receive further technical information or learn more about our additional services.

Europe & Rest of World
InfraTec GmbH Infrarotsensorik und MesstechnikGostritzer Straße 61 - 6301217 DresdenGERMANY

Clear Determ­in­a­tion of only a Few Milli-Kelvin Temper­ature Differ­ences

In general, thermography has now found a firm place in applications within electronics and electrical engineering. Reasons for this include the trend towards ever smaller, but at the same time more powerful components that are operated with ever lower supply voltages. Normally, lower electrical power consumption goes hand in hand with lower temperature changes from which any faults that may occur can be analysed. Infrared cameras with excellent thermal resolutions up to < 20 mK in real-time operation already fundamentally meet these requirements. However, this alone is not sufficient for certain measurement tasks. In addition, lock-in thermography will be required to detect slightest temperature differences. By means of periodic excitation, test objects can be examined non-destructively for defects and irregularities. The measurement time when using the lock-in method increases significantly with the desired resolution compared to a real-time measurement and can take several minutes. Therefore, it is particularly helpful if such measurements can be made "in one go" with a large-format camera providing high geometrical resolution.

thermal imaging of a circuit board

A camera with a lower geometrical resolution, in contrast, forces the user to repeat measurements many times during the complete acquisition of the measurement object, especially if a failure cannot always be reliably reproduced. The money saved on purchasing a lower-cost camera then causes the developer to waste a lot of time on testing or production during the final inspection and can result in considerably higher costs.

Excel­lent Coordin­a­tion of Infrared Camera, Ther­mo­graphy Soft­ware and Peri­pherals

InfraTec pays special attention to the optimal interaction between the thermographic camera and the software. Regarding the use in electronics manufacturing, the IRBIS® 3 thermography software offers a wide range of functions that support the use of passive and active thermography methods. These include, for example, the comparison between current thermal images and a reference image as well as the display of amplitudes and phase images with adjustable parameters for lock-in thermography. This allows the failure target to be reliably identified and clearly displayed.

The IRBIS® 3 also offers a tailored solution for thermographic measurements on printed circuit boards and hybrid assemblies. A great challenge with such measurement objects arises from the abundance of components used. These again consist of a variety of materials, such as different metals, ceramics and plastics, each with very different surface attributes.

Thermography software IRBIS 3 from InfraTec

For precise temperature measurement, the emissivity of the respective material at the surface is of particular importance. With the IRBIS® 3 software the emissivity for each individual pixel can both be determined and adjusted and so the measured temperature can automatically be corrected taking into account the emissivity and any reflected temperature. Various correction models are used for this and for taking into account other influencing factors, too. These models reproduce the respective measurement situation in such a way that all factors influencing the measurement result, such as radiation from the surroundings, windows used or damping properties of the measurement section, are taken into account. This allows the user to always achieve exact temperature measurement results if the relevant conditions are met.

Lenses

The extensive range of high-quality precision interchangeable lenses allows the field of view to be adapted to almost any measurement situation:

  • Wide angle, normal and telephoto lenses

  • Close-up attachments

  • Microscope lenses

  • Solid Immersion Lenses (SIL)

Accessories

Additional to the lenses, users can choose from a wide range of accessories:

  • Excitation controllers for active thermography

  • Two-axis positioning systems

  • X-Y measurement tables

  • Motorised microscope stands

InfraTec infrared cameras equipment - tripod position-system

Public­a­tions of our Customers

Transiente Methoden der Infrarot-Thermografie zur zerstörungsfreien Fehleranalytik in der mikroelektronischen Aufbau- und Verbindungstechnik

Infrared camera: ImageIR® 8300

A reference-free micro defect visualization using pulse laser scanning thermography and image processing

Infrared camera: ImageIR® 8300 series

Modeling and Fabrication of Pt Micro–Heaters Built on Alumina Substrate

Infrared Camera: ImageIR® 8300

Lanthanide-doped glasses as frequency-converter for high-power LED applications

Infrared camera: ImageIR® 8300

Temperature gradients in microelectrode measurements: Relevance and solutions for studies of SOFC electrode materials

Infrared camera: ImageIR® 9300

Microheater based on magnetic nanoparticle embedded PDMS

Infrared camera: VarioCAM® series

Asso­ci­ated Indus­tries & Applic­a­tions

Active Thermography - Picture Credits: © Rainer / Fotolia.com

Active Ther­mo­graphy

Make use of active thermography for non-destructive and contact-free material testing, for both automated inline and offline solutions.

microthermography

Micro-Ther­mo­graphy

Micro-thermography allows for the thermal analysis of smallest structures in the micrometer range, providing a detailed representation of the temperature distribution on complex electronic assemblies.

All branches and application areas