Evaluating Technical Lifetime of Radio Circuit Boards : by Measuring Degradation and Aging of Hold-up Capacitors

Abstract: The aim of this thesis is to improve the knowledgebase regarding the technical lifetime of radio circuit boards. The purpose is to create opportunities to facilitate the design of products that live up to the customers' requirements and to Ericsson's sustainable responsibility goals. The problem at hand was to look for the average temperature that has contribiuted to the performance degradation of circuit boards used in the field. The method was to measure the performance degradation of capacitors used in a power distribution function on the circuit board and combining those values with the time the circuit board has been in operation, to derive the average operation temperature with the help of the Arrhenius equation. The radio circuit board used in the field showed signs of performance degradation that could be interpreted as having reached the end of its technical lifetime after being used for 31 800 hours (3,6 years) at an average temperature of 78 °C to 79 °C. For it to be possible to interpret the temperature results of the unit used in the field, the three parameters: measured performance degradation, time of operation and average temperature at that time, had to be collected. All three parameters are key when evaluating technical lifetime since they need to be interpreted in relation to each other. The temperature results exists in a thermodynamic system that includes the capacitors, circuit board, the temperature of the surrounding environment, and the global climate. The temperature results and the measured performance degradation is a consequence of how the radio was operated, which is linked to the desired performance it was designed for. The radio circuit boards are also designed to comply with customers' requirements and the requirements based in the companys's sustainability responsibility goals. It is likely that the desired performance of radios in the future needs to be balanced with the company's sustainability responisibility goals, and the temperatures created as an effect of climate change.