AEC-Q certification: the entry threshold for automotive electronics

In 1994 Chrysler, Ford and General Motors established the Automotive Electronics Council (AEC) to create a common set of part qualification and quality system standards. Components that comply with AEC specifications can be adopted by all three vehicle manufacturers at the same time. This drove the standardisation of automotive parts and laid the foundation for the rapid growth of the automotive electronics market. AEC membership now spans the world's major vehicle makers, automotive electronics companies and semiconductor manufacturers, and AEC-Q is the automotive reliability test standard issued by the AEC.

AEC-Q standards are now widely recognised and adopted across the automotive industry. Companies that obtain AEC-Q certification gain an advantage in an increasingly competitive market and succeed in entering the supply chains of vehicle manufacturers and tier one suppliers.

AEC-Q standards and applicable products

AEC-Q sub-standards

AEC-Q100 — stress test qualification for integrated circuits

AEC-Q100-001 wire bond shear test
AEC-Q100-002 human body model electrostatic discharge test
AEC-Q100-004 integrated circuit latch-up test
AEC-Q100-005 non-volatile memory program and erase endurance, data retention and operating life test
AEC-Q100-007 fault simulation and test grading
AEC-Q100-008 early life failure rate (ELFR)
AEC-Q100-009 electrical distribution assessment
AEC-Q100-010 solder ball shear test
AEC-Q100-011 charged device model electrostatic discharge test
AEC-Q100-012 short circuit reliability characterisation for smart power devices in 12 V systems

AEC-Q101 — stress test qualification for discrete semiconductors

AEC-Q101-001 human body model electrostatic discharge test
AEC-Q101-003 wire bond shear test
AEC-Q101-004 other tests
AEC-Q101-005 charged device model electrostatic discharge test
AEC-Q101-006 short circuit reliability characterisation for smart power devices in 12 V systems

AEC-Q102 — reliability validation for automotive discrete optoelectronic semiconductors

AEC-Q102-001 dew condensation test
AEC-Q102-002 board flex test
AEC-Q102-003 optoelectronic multichip modules (OE-MCM)

AEC-Q103 — stress test qualification for automotive sensors

AEC-Q103-002 stress test for MEMS pressure sensor devices
AEC-Q103-003 stress test for MEMS microphone devices

AEC-Q104 — reliability testing for automotive multichip modules

AEC-Q200 — stress test qualification for passive components

AEC-Q200-001 flammability test
AEC-Q200-002 human body model electrostatic discharge test
AEC-Q200-003 beam load (breaking strength) test
AEC-Q200-004 self-resetting fuse measurement procedure
AEC-Q200-005 board flex and terminal wire bond stress test
AEC-Q200-006 terminal stress (SMD) and shear test
AEC-Q200-007 voltage surge test

NTEK testing capability against AEC-Q100 requirements

NTEK testing capability against AEC-Q101 requirements

NTEK testing capability against AEC-Q102 requirements

NTEK testing capability against AEC-Q103 requirements

AEC-Q103-002

AEC-Q103-003

NTEK testing capability against AEC-Q104 requirements

NTEK testing capability against AEC-Q200 requirements

About NTEK

NTEK Group was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Shenzhen. The group provides quality research and technical services covering R&D verification, inspection and testing, failure analysis, simulation and market access for intelligent connected vehicles, electronic communications and new energy.

NTEK has extensive experience in automotive-grade electronic certification and has helped more than 100 companies pass AEC-Q series certification, confirming the quality and reliability of each chip case against AEC-Q100.

Driven by the need of vehicle makers to localise automotive-grade chips and supported by the domestic semiconductor industry, NTEK provides comprehensive testing and certification services, applying AEC-Q100 automotive standards to control the safety and quality of automotive chips, supporting the growth of domestic automotive-grade chips and adding new momentum to the intelligent vehicle safety system.