Counterfeit chip detection service

The service is based on the IDEA-STD-1010-A industry standard, with additional depth added to the test by looking at higher magnification and by adding supplementary tests. Occasionally, says the company, counterfeit parts will have been pulled from old boards and or faulty parts will not have been scrapped at the production facility. However, the most counterfeit parts will have been re-marked to convince the buyer that what they are purchasing is what they had ordered. "We are able to achieve this through using laboratory techniques which have never been used before," said laboratory manager Dr Wayne Lam. "However, we will not divulge how the tests are done as the counterfeiter may devise a measure to counteract our testing." The Ultimate test regime, which involves 25 tests, is completed in approximately a day. This depth of testing enables the laboratory to pick up all signs of prior use and remarking, with many of the techniques supporting each other and reaffirming earlier suspicions. If a suspect part is found and confirmation is required, the part can be decapped and the die examined in fine detail to see if the chip really is what it purports to be.