Avoiding Counterfeit Parts: How To Identify Fake Components

Spotting Fake Parts

Counterfeit electronic components are becoming increasingly common in supply chains. These fraudulent parts can lead to reduced reliability and failures in critical systems. Proactively identifying counterfeits is essential to avoid associated risks.

Certain types of components are more vulnerable to counterfeiting including integrated circuits (ICs), capacitors, resistors, inductors, relays, and connectors. Counterfeiters target expensive and obsolete parts in high demand. High-reliability industries like aerospace, defense, medical, and automotive are prime targets.

Spotting fake parts requires diligence in inspection, testing, and supply chain audits. Telltale signs of counterfeits include deviations in markings, packaging, labeling, dimensions, materials, construction, and performance. Familiarity with authentic components aids detection.

Common Counterfeit Components and Their Characteristics

ICs and discrete semiconductors top the list of frequently counterfeited electronics components. Common targets include analog ICs, microprocessors, FPGAs, GPUs, RAM, and flash memory. These complex components are expensive to design and fabricate legitimately.

Counterfeit ICs often have inconsistencies in package markings and logos compared to authentic counterparts. They may lack unique internal die markings visible through decapsulation. Date codes, lot codes, and serial numbers can also indicate fakes when invalid or used repeatedly.

Capacitors and other discreties are commonly faked as well. External wrappings may show altered logos, markings, and label formats deviating from legitimate variants. x-ray imaging can reveal internal construction inconsistencies in counterfeits. Component dimensions, materials, quality, and aging behavior also provide verification clues.

Integrated Circuits

Hot targets for fake ICs include analog chips, GPUs, FPGAs, and CPUs. Counterfeiters struggle matching complex functionality. Signs of fake ICs include:

Altered logos, markings, packages, or labels
Different date codes on chips than packages
Invalid lot codes, serial numbers, or certifications
Re-marked chips with signs of prior markings
Evidence of remarking or fake serialization

Passive Components

High-value capacitors, resistors, inductors, and arrays are often counterfeited. Warning signs include:

Dimension or weight deviations from legitimate parts
Different materials or internal construction
Altered or inaccurate performance ratings
Abnormal quality issues or particulate contamination
Fake logos, labels, safety certifications

X-ray imaging can detect internal inconsistencies in passive components like missing layers or substituted materials. Component testing over temperature also often reveals abnormal behavior.

Electromechanical Devices

Relays, switches, connectors, and sockets are less complex making them economical counterfeit targets. Signs include:

Dimension, weight, or fitment issues
Lower quality materials, platings, or constructions
Performance deviations from specifications
Abnormal contact resistance or insulation properties
Altered or inaccurate ratings and markings

Testing relays over temperature and load conditions reveals abnormal electrical characteristics and contact issues indicative of fakes. Dimensional and material verification is also recommended.

Verifying Authenticity of Integrated Circuits

Carefully examining integrated circuits provides the best means to detect counterfeits. Warning signs involve packages, markings, dimensions, materials, internal construction, and hidden attributes.

Packaging

Compare all IC packaging attributes to datasheets and known good exemplars. Signs of fake packages include:

Altered dimensions, mold quality, or materials
Off-spec lead plating thickness, finish, or shape
Foreign particulate contamination
Poor adherence of top marking ink
Abnormal scratches, dents, chips, or tooling marks

Top Surface Markings

Verify all top package markings match datasheets and exemplars. Signs of remarking or inconsistent markings include:

Wrong typeface, size, spacing, or alignment of markings
Extra or missing logos, certifications, codes
Partial or blurred markings from remarking
Date and lot codes inconsistent with standards
Invalid country codes, part numbers, or family codes

Internal Construction

Decapsulation and delidding reveals hidden IC die attributes. Signs of fake dies include:

Absence of unique laser micrograph die markings
Visible pin holes, probe marks, rework signs
Damage from remarked guides, altered passivation layers
Die dimension, transistor counts, or imagery issues
Bond wire count, layout, or attachment abnormalities

Rusted leads and epoxy suggest remarked chips. Bond wires offer hidden verification cues unaltered by counterfeiters that require x-ray imaging to view properly.

Hidden Attributes

Certain electrical signature techniques like localized electromagnetic sounding and laser voltage probing detect recast die used in counterfeits by measuring subtle variations from authentic ICs with specialized equipment.

Examining Packaging and Markings for Red Flags

Carefully inspecting passive component packaging and markings provides visual clues to identify counterfeit electronics parts like capacitors, resistors, inductors, and arrays. Be suspicious of deviations from known good specimens and datasheets.

Packaging Anomalies

Genuine passive component packaging features tight dimensional tolerances, clean mold lines, and high quality materials while counterfeits tend to exhibit:

Irregular sizing, mold lines, corners, or surface roughness
Visible cracks, holes, divots, dents, or contamination
Cheap epoxy with excessive filler, areas void of filler
Cold solder joints, missing leads, upside-down lids

Weigh components on precision scales to detect deviations in expected mass. Use calipers to verify critical dimensions match datasheets.

Marking Discrepancies

Genuine passive parts feature crisp, well-aligned markings without corrections. Suspect remarking and other red flags if markings show:

Poor ink adhesion, unevenness, splattering
Incorrect, altered, or obscured logos
Font, size, spacing, or alignment issues
Part numbers not traceable to legitimate variants
Date codes inconsistent with ink fading

Cross-check all supplier and product information printed on labels against existing company catalogs whenever possible.

Performing Electrical Tests to Detect Fakes

Electrical screening using standard test equipment provides an effective means to validate authenticity of suspect electronic components.

Component Signatures

Legitimate parts exhibit known good electrical signatures within specified tolerance windows whereas counterfeits often deviate significantly:

Resistors – Resistance, TCR, noise level, stability
Capacitors – Capacitance, ESR, leakage, dissipation factor
Inductors – Inductance, DCR, Q factor, SRF
ICs – Switching speed, gain, output current, frequency response

Performance testing components over temperature extremes also stresses counterfeits in ways reveal their abnormalities.

Reliability Testing

Accelerated lifetime testing quickly screens component reliability:

Temperature Cycling – thermomechanical weakness
Vibration – mechanical/solder joint defects
Highly Accelerated Stress Test (HAST) – moisture resistance

Failure modes and times help indicate fraudulent parts which typically fail sooner with different defect signatures.

X-Ray Screening

X-ray imaging quickly reveals internal construction inconsistencies of passive components like:

Missing layers or bonding wires
Foreign objects or air bubbles
Substandard soldering
Incorrect die size or paddle layout

Compare images against datasheets and known good specimens to identify signs of remarking and substitutions.

Establishing Supply Chain Traceability

Documenting comprehensive supply chain traceability enables tracking components to authorized distributors and mitigates infiltration of counterfeits from unvetted grey market broker sources.

Chain of Custody

Request and validate supplier certificates of conformance (CoCs) detailing chain of custody covering points between original manufacturers through every intermediary before final delivery. Red flags include:

Missing or invalid CoCs from sources
Unverifiable intermediaries in the chain of custody
Inability to trace serial numbers marked on deliverables
CoCs showing transfers violating territorial restrictions

Source Inspections

Perform site visits and audits of component suppliers, distributors, and brokers to witness product flows, controls, and traceability policies firsthand between tiered supply sources. Look for:

Inventory segregation and detection controls for customer returns and other high-risk materials
Quarantining and handling procedures for suspect or verified counterfeit parts
Training programs covering counterfeit avoidance for personnel
Transaction records maintained for full serial number-level traceability

Reporting Suspected Counterfeits

Alerting stakeholders to counterfeit incidents improves visibility across industries and aids mitigation efforts to reduce future occurrences.

Internal Notification

Report suspected or confirmed counterfeits detected internally to cross-functional leadership across quality, engineering, supply chain, legal, and operations to:

Quarantine remaining suspect inventory
Launch investigations to determine scope of impacts
Identify affected products or customers
Develop containment and mitigation plans
Improve counterfeit controls and supplier qualifications

External Reporting

Submit counterfeit incident reports to external databases maintained by government and industry associations globally to notify external stakeholders across broader supply chains:

U.S. Government-Industry Data Exchange Program (GIDEP)
U.K. National Counterfeit Library (NCL)
European Union Rapid Alert System (RAPEX)
Counterfeit Parts Reporting Center (CPRC) of the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (CADAS)
SMTCorp Counterfeit Parts Reporting search engine

Appropriately reporting counterfeits aids parallel detection efforts elsewhere and helps authorities track trends for risk mitigation.

Staying Vigilant Against Evolving Threats

As counterfeiting operations become more sophisticated, companies relying on electronics must continually adapt their controls and verification techniques to detect fake components infiltrating supply chains.

Training Personnel

Conduct ongoing anti-counterfeiting awareness training for management, inspectors, buyers, and engineers to:

Identify high fraud risk commodities
Recognize red flags signaling potential counterfeits
Apply verification and test methods properly
Interpret results correctly
Report issues through proper channels

Adapting Controls

Continually evaluate and enhance counterfeit mitigation controls as risks evolve including:

Component packaging and marking inspection methods
Electrical test and x-ray screening techniques
Site audit questionnaires
Traceability documentation requirements
Acquiring and sampling authentic exemplars

Lean on anti-counterfeiting experts to adapt techniques as advances provide new detection capabilities.

Leveraging Technology

As counterfeiters adopt new fabrication and forging techniques, leverage cutting-edge analytical methods to enhance verification capabilities:

SEM and Terahertz imaging to refine die examinations
Organic mass spectrometry to assess chip surface coatings
Dye penetrant testing to reveal compartment discrepancies
Atomic dielectric resonance for improved reliability testing
Blockchain to harden supply chain traceability

Investing in technology closes capability gaps as risks evolve to stay ahead of sophisticated counterfeit threats long-term.