[From Chisato Horiuchi in Tokyo, Japan]
OKI Engineering has launched a service to analyze whether semiconductors are fake
As a result of electronic equipment manufacturers who could not buy through the regular route due to the shortage of semiconductors purchased through the non-regular route, the damage caused by being caught by fraudulent products is occurring one after another. Approximately 30% of the semiconductors brought into companies engaged in authenticity judgment were fraudulent products. Even so, the current shortage of semiconductors is so serious that it risks the risk of not being able to replace the stomach on the back.
In May, Shenzhen, China, where electronic device manufacturers are concentrated. Junichi Fujioka, CEO of Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) company JENESIS, felt chilled.
The microcomputer (semiconductor that controls electronic devices) that has just arrived at the factory does not turn on. If you look closely, the dimensions of the package also seem to be slightly different. After investigating by an expert, it was found that the manufacturer name is exactly like the real thing, but the contents are completely different from the varieties with the required specifications.
I had already paid for the microcomputer. He hurriedly contacted the supplier, but later at the festival. No matter how many times I contacted him
JENESIS purchased this microcontroller from a mail-order site operated by Alibaba Group in China. Because of the shortage of semiconductors, I couldn't buy a microcomputer by the usual route. I had no choice but to choose mail order, but it backfired.
Increasing inquiries "Distribution inventory"
Inquiries about "distribution inventory" of semiconductors are increasing against the background of a shortage of semiconductors for which there are no signs of resolution. It is a product that is not guaranteed by the manufacturer and is procured from a company other than a semiconductor manufacturer or an authorized distributor. It is unclear when, where, and how it was stored. It is said that the number of cases where fake semiconductors are mixed in there is increasing.
There are several patterns in fake semiconductors. We sell semiconductors taken out from discarded equipment as new products, or sell non-standard defective products that should be discarded. There are also malicious examples such as rewriting the manufacturer name and model number engraved on the semiconductor package and selling it.
OKI Engineering (Nerima, Tokyo), an OKI subsidiary, has started a semiconductor authenticity judgment service to deal with these problems.
A corner of a residential area near Hikawadai Subway Station. Suspicious semiconductor devices are brought to the third floor of the company one after another. Visual inspection using an electron microscope, analysis of internal structure using an X-ray inspection device .... Nearly 20 technicians take turns and use more than a dozen devices to make "black and white judgments."
Sometimes the resin is melted with a laser and the internal chip is examined.
The resin in the package that protects the chip may be melted with a laser or solvent to make the chip naked. This is to check the manufacturer's logo mark and wiring pattern engraved on the silicon chip of the semiconductor, and the bonding state of the chip and the ultra-fine wire.
Masaaki Hashimoto, president of OKI Engineering, said, "It is too late to inspect after incorporating a semiconductor device and find it as a fraudulent product. Many equipment manufacturers want to inspect in advance and pick up the buds of defects."
When the service started in June, there were about 150 inquiries by August. It is said that there are many related manufacturers of industrial machinery and medical equipment. A survey of about 70 of these cases revealed that about 30% were fraudulent.
A general semiconductor package is engraved with a round mark so that the mounting machine can determine the orientation of the semiconductor. In some cases, the position of the mark is different, or the structure of the lead frame (ultra-thin metal part that connects the silicon chip and the printed wiring board) inside the package is different. It is said that some businesses rewrite the numbers stamped on the top of the package to disguise the date of manufacture.
An example where the round mark (index mark) at the bottom left of the genuine product (top) package is not found in the fraudulent product (bottom)
Is semiconductor regulation on Huawei the trigger?
Some manufacturers are having trouble shipping equipment just because one small semiconductor is missing. For this reason, OKI Engineering is also conducting tests to confirm the function and reliability of semiconductors for customers who are willing to purchase through non-regular routes if the performance is the same (Kei Takamori, General Manager, Reliability Solutions Division). ..
Even before the official service started in June, OKI Engineering had received individual requests to determine authenticity. The number of inquiries increased in the fall of 2020.
In September 2008, the US Department of Commerce came into effect with a regulation that completely bans the export of semiconductors that use US technology to Huawei, China. As a result of Huawei's scraping of semiconductors from around the world, the supply of regular routes may have diminished, creating a hotbed for fraudulent products.
It's not just the US-China conflict. The situation where supply cannot keep up with the growing demand for semiconductors due to the popularity of personal computers, the electrification of automobiles, and the high-speed communication standard "5G" is also accelerating the distribution of fake semiconductors.
The manufacturing industry is becoming more frustrated as the view that "the semiconductor shortage will be resolved around 2011" (Taiwan Stacked Cable Manufacturing = TSMC) is growing stronger. Manufacturers who have been waiting but can't get semiconductors may want to go for non-genuine products. However, it is necessary to carefully determine the authenticity so that you will not receive a painful tit for tat.
