Moisture and electronics do not mix

Citation

(2009), "Moisture and electronics do not mix", Microelectronics International, Vol. 26 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/mi.2009.21826cad.002

Moisture and electronics do not mix

Article Type: New products From: Microelectronics International, Volume 26, Issue 3

Liquid has caused the failure of everything from a computer to the space shuttle – all because moisture has crept into an area it should not be in! Although electronics enclosures and seals are good at keeping liquids out, many of them offer virtually no barrier to vapours – and it is often this that causes the system to fail.

To help solve the problem, permeability leader Versaperm Limited has launched a new instrumental test system which accurately and quickly measures the rate at which water vapour (or a variety of other gasses) leaks or diffuses into the enclosure. It works on seals, enclosures, coatings, films, mastics, and even complete finished products.

The Versaperm permeability meter is quick, accurate and simple to use. It is highly automated and can optionally cope with several samples or enclosures at a time – and still give a reading in as little as 30 min for some materials. The conventional gravimetric measurement technique takes several days and gives significantly less accurate and reproducible results.

The meter can be accurate into the parts per million or parts per billion range depending on the gas used. It can be configured to measure not just water vapour but most gases, including hydrogen, helium, hydrocarbons, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide.

As well as manufacturing the instruments, Versaperm offers a permeability laboratory service for companies that need to test samples on an irregular basis.