A customer called into the EMPF Helpline to authenticate a shipment of integrated circuits that were purchased from a
non-franchised component broker...

The customer was a contract manufacturer (CM) which had to support production of a legacy design.  The CM had to look to the open market to find inventory of a particular component that was no longer available from the original manufacturer.

Often, parts purchased from the open market do not have a traceable chain of custody.  This exposes the buyer to the risk of fraud.  To mitigate the risk, the CM had negotiated a 72 hour consignment with the part broker.  The consignment period offered the customer time to inspect the components before accepting the shipment.  To determine if the components were genuine, the CM submitted several samples for Counterfeit Component Screening; a new service offered by the Analytical Services Laboratory at the EMPF.

TheEMPF’s counterfeit componentscreening service is designed to inspect components for evidence of fraud, or previous use.  The screening service is inexpensive, and testing can be completed in as little as 48 hours.  The EMPF process was developed with guidance provided by IDEA-STD-1010-A. “The Acceptability of Electronic Components Distributed on the Open Market” a standard authored by the Independent Distributors of Electronics Association.  This process consists of four inspection methods:

1. Visual Inspection: Part markings, pin count, and physical features are inspected. The component leads are inspected under magnification. The surface finish is inspected for signs of wear, or evidence of re-tinning or re-plating. The component body is inspected for chips or cracks.
   
   
2. Remarking / Resurfacing testing: Components are chemically cleaned to determine if the marking on the part is counterfeit. Genuine ink marking, and laser marked parts are not affected by chemical cleaning. Counterfeit ink marks will fade or smear when tested for marking permanency. Chemical cleaning also reveals sanding marks on the surface of counterfeit parts. 
   
   
3. X-RAY inspection is used to verify the presence of a die in the component package. 
   
   
4. X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) inspection is used to determine the chemical composition of the component leads.

The process conclusively found evidence of fraud or previous use on several of the components that were received from the customer. In figures 3-1 and 3-2, visual inspection of the component leads uncovered evidence of previous use.  Without magnification, the leads of the device appeared dull, which is consistent for a part with an old lot date code.  Using magnification, the reason for the dull appearance was revealed.  Horizontal sanding marks were present on the outside surface of the leads and excess solder was found on the inside surface of the leads.  The counterfeiter had re-tinned the leads of a used component.  In an attempt to hide the re-tinning, the outside surfaces of the leads were sanded to create an aged appearance and a uniform lead finish.

Evidence of remarking was also present on several of the samples. Before testing, the top surface of  one device had a textured surface and a high gloss appearance.  On genuine components, the textured finish is created by the mold that forms the plastic package.  The chemical cleaning process used for the resurfacing test does not affect the finish of authentic parts. After chemical cleaning, the top surface of the suspect component was smooth.

The counterfeiter had sanded the top surface of  the part to remove the original part marking, applied a polyurethane or epoxy coating to recreate the original appearance of the component, and then re-marked the device using a laser marking process.

The customer had submitted ten samples for authentication, eight of which the screening process found evidence of previous use or remarking. The lot of components was clearly suspect.  The EMPF’s detailed report of the counterfeit screening resulted in the CM returning the lot of the components to the broker and cancelling their order.  Buyers that need counterfeit screening services of integrated circuits sourced from the open market should contact the EMPF helpline for assistance at (610) 362-1320.