Analysis of Circuit Boards to Determine the Cause of Shorts

Technique Used:  Ion Chromatography (IC)

An electronics manufacturer was experiencing electrical shorts in their circuit boards and suspected that rinse water could be responsible. The failing circuit boards were extracted using deionized water which was analyzed using ion chromatography (IC). The result of the IC testing (see figure below) shows a high level of sodium and potassium. The rinse water was changed and the new circuit boards showed a significant reduction in sodium and potassium cations and the electrical shorting problem was eliminated.

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