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QA and Reliability

Quality Assurance (QA) and Reliability

Overview

Customers require quality. Quality improves profitability.

A cornerstone of Maxim's success is that we offer our customers the highest quality commercial products technically possible, without a premium for superior reliability.

Maxim's complete program of lot traceability, extensive reliability monitoring program, failure analysis support, comprehensive parametric testing at wafer acceptance, and worldwide field applications - all free of charge - is unmatched in our industry!

Read our Quality Policy. This is Maxim's commitment to our customers and to the improvement of our products and services.

We believe you have rewarded Maxim for this commitment to excellence with continuous growth and profitability despite serious industry recessions. We thank you for this acknowledgment of an ethical and economic principle we both believe in.

At Maxim we continue to improve our manufacturing systems. We actively seek and encourage your feedback relating to our performance and areas for improvement.

Also see:
Environmental Management and Materials Information (EMMI)

 

Resources

QA Policies & Procedures

Maxim's Quality Policy

The quality policy for Maxim is pragmatic. It reflects our philosophy that quality is more than a noble issue. The quality concept at Maxim flourishes because of the significant sales and manufacturing benefits it provides. These can be summarized as follows:

  1. Customers Require Quality
    • If Maxim doesn't produce the highest quality products, customers will seek other companies who do.
    • Customers define a product's quality. Maxim listens to customer inputs on how to improve what we do. Customer inputs ultimately define what they expect to buy.
  2. Quality Improves Profitability
    • The highest possible yields define the lowest possible manufacturing costs.
    • High and improving yields are a direct result of attaining high and improving quality.
    • High quality is attained by paying attention to details. Where a quality problem exists, find the root cause and fix it.
    • Don't accept our current quality as the status quo. Quality improvements must continuously occur to keep pace with market demands for lower costs, which can only be achieved through attaining high yields.
    • Our objective is to design in quality rather than to improve it through testing.

QA Policies and Procedures

Maxim QA Manual (10-0137) (PDF)

Standard Process Flow (PDF)
Product Traceability

Datecode Policy (PDF)
Product Discontinuance Information

Reliability

Reliability

Product Reliability Reports
Maxim Device FIT Information
Reliability Monitor Program

Tin Whisker Data
All Pb-free (lead-free) plated IC packages (excluding BGA packages) must be plated with 100% matte Sn plating. Within 24 hours of plating completion, there must be an annealing bake step performed for a minimum of 1 hour at 150°C. This step is required to suppress the 'whisker' growth in Sn plating.

Lead-Free Package Tin (Sn) Whisker Reports

Maxim Tin Whisker Position Paper, Dec 05 (PDF, 76kB)

Failure Analysis


If a customer determines that a Maxim product does not conform to contracted requirements, they can return the product to Maxim for failure analysis. Maxim will provide a comprehensive and timely response which will address the cause for non-conformance and the corrective action to prevent future recurrence.

Learn more about our FA process (PDF).

To return a shipment for failure analysis and/or credit:

  • Please fill out the FA Request Form (DOC, 56kB) and attach this form to a new Customer Service Request.
  • A Customer Operations representative will provide you with a Returns Material Authorization number (RMA#), the proper shipping address, and routing instructions. There are multiple regional failure analysis labs that support customer returns so it is important to confirm the correct shipment location with your Customer Operations representative prior to shipping.
  • Please ensure the RMA # is clearly marked on the outside of each box, as well as "ATTN RECEIVING."