Login 
Axetris subjects the EMIRS 50 infrared source to numerous qualification tests. This includes both those carried out for the purposes of product qualification prior to series release, as well as those which concern each source before delivery to the customer.
Customers who integrate the EMIRS 50 as a component into NDIR modules benefit from the comprehensive qualification checks. They guarantee customers the high levels of reliability for which Axetris is known. The tests are required to be as diverse as they are numerous, which means that they must subject a range of different parameters to careful scrutiny. This process investigates how the sources react to mechanical and electrical loads, as well as environmental Pollution:
Mechanical
As the EMIRS 50 must prove itself as a robust device component in the field, Axetris conducts rigorous mechanical stress tests before releasing it.
This means testing the behavior of the sources when subjected to different levels of vibrations in all three spatial directions. Drop tests are also carried out in all three axes. The shear test provides information on whether the chip detaches from the TO header after gluing, while the wire pull and ball shear tests check the bond quality of the bond wires.
Electrical
The lifetime platform final test simulates the use of the IR source by the customer. In this case, the electrical properties of the source are continually monitored during operation. This provides information on how the infrared sources perform in the stress test on the platform under a range of operational parameters. While the resistance drift and optical output of each EMIRS 50 that is delivered to the customer are tested on the final test platform, the IRS lifetime platform checks each parameter as part of the source’s product qualification.
Environmental
The IRS undergo intensive temperature and humidity tests. The performance of the sources is also measured when they are subjected to a combination of stress as a result of temperature as well as humidity. Of course, the sources are also required to prove themselves even after several temperature cycles. The HAST, or Highly Accelerated Stress Test, applies a method which tests samples of electronic components – in our case the EMIRS 50 – for their reliability. Humidity and temperature represent the environmental parameters in this process too. In order to ensure that our customers can rely on their components for their specific application, Axetris goes one step further. We simulate the use of IR sources in helicopters or air ambulance jets up to an altitude of 4000 m, for example, and investigate the influence that potential negative pressure could have on the EMIRS 50. After the relevant environmental tests, all the mechanical and electrical properties are tested again, including the joint strength of reflectors and optional optical Windows.
Both before and after all of these tests, the electrical as well as optical properties are also measured, and the source is visually inspected and checked to ensure that it meets the high quality requirements in this regard. Axetris also conducts additional qualification tests as required. One quality test that has made a name for itself in countries including the USA is the Highly Accelerated Life Test (or HALT for short). This puts the sources, which remain in active operation, through their paces using temperature and vibrations. A “test-to-failure”, it applies stress to the sources at a level that goes beyond the ambient conditions intended for later operation. Axetris’ EMIRS 50 was able to reach the HALT chamber’s limit without demonstrating any weak points.
