Report on the strengths and weaknesses of plastic encapsulated microcircuits and guidance on using them in military applications

Recent trends in military procurement practices encourage the use of commercial-off-the-shelf equipment and components in military systems. This includes the use of commercial plastic encapsulated microcircuits instead of the traditional military specification hermetically sealed microcircuits in military systems.;This thesis documents the reliability, weaknesses and strengths of plastic encapsulated microcircuits as well as some key considerations concerning the use of these parts in military systems.;Numerous studies and testing indicate that plastic encapsulated microcircuits can be used reliably in many military applications. However, they are not currently recommended for some highly mission critical applications.