In my first blog post, I provide a definitive analysis of the factors that enable certain SD and microSD cards to withstand harsh conditions. I explore the features that improve their durability, why Swissbit SD and microSD cards achieve the highest durability in harsh environments, and what makes them so unique.
Introduction
With so many SD and microSD cards available on the market, it’s no surprise they cater to a wide range of applications. On one side, they’re found in simple consumer devices like basic digital cameras. On the other, industrial clients rely on these cards in demanding conditions, where components like solder joints and gold contacts face extreme elements such as salt, gases, vibrations, and more. These harsh factors can drastically reduce the lifespan of SD and microSD cards.
Chip on Board (CoB) Technology
CoB (Chip-on-Board) technology encapsulates the NAND flash and controller in a molded housing, making the cards highly resistant to mechanical stress, shocks, humidity, ESD, and vibrations.
Key benefits
1. Durability: Protects components from external stress, ideal for harsh environments.
2. Environmental Resistance: Shields against moisture, dust, and corrosive elements.
3. Reliability: Withstands shock and vibrations, perfect for automotive and industrial use.
4. Longer Lifespan: Extends the card’s operational life in tough conditions.
5. ESD Protection: Reduces sensitivity to electrostatic discharge, ensuring stable performance.
CoB technology significantly enhances the durability and reliability of SD cards in demanding applications. While most SD cards are built using SMT, Swissbit manufactures its SD cards in-house using CoB technology.
Competitors without CoB capabilities often outsource the production of microSD cards— which can only be manufactured using CoB—to ODM partners. In contrast, Swissbit maintains full control over the entire supply chain for both SD and microSD cards with CoB technology.
Surface Mount Technology (SMT)
Most SD cards on the market today are in fact produced using SMT. It is a method of mounting electronic components onto the surface of a circuit board. It allows for compact designs and fast assembly. However, it is more vulnerable to moisture and contaminants all while being more exposed to stress, vibrations and shocks and electrostatic discharge.
CoB outperforms SMT
Overall, CoB outperforms SMT in harsh conditions, offering better durability, resistance, and reliability. Swissbit manufactures all its SD and microSD cards with CoB technology in its own state-of-the-art semiconductor production in Berlin, Germany. This eliminates all vulnerable solder joints and ensures our SD and microSD cards are the optimal solution for industrial applications and demanding markets like automation and robotics.
Gold Plating
In addition to the harsh environments that SD and microSD cards are often exposed to, these cards are inherently plug-and-play, meaning they must endure thousands of plug cycles while maintaining seamless operation, even after substantial wear and tear. To address this challenge, Swissbit has incorporated specially developed gold contacts within their Chip-on-Board (CoB) technology, ensuring the cards remain reliable over extended use. These enhanced gold contacts offer several key benefits:
1. Increased Corrosion Resistance: The specially developed gold contacts provide superior resistance to corrosion, ensuring long-term reliability even in harsh environmental conditions.
2. Thicker Gold Layer with a Custom Alloy: Swissbit uses a thicker layer of an advanced specially developed Gold alloy.
3. Enhanced Abrasion Resistance: The gold contacts are designed to withstand high abrasion, ensuring the card continues to function properly through thousands of plug cycles.
4. Improved Electrical Contact Quality: The combination of a thicker layer of an advanced specially developed Gold alloy enhances the quality of electrical connections, ensuring stable performance and reducing the risk of contact failures.
Highest standard: CoB and Gold Plating
Durable, specially developed gold plating combined with robust COB design ensures that their SD and microSD cards can reliably withstand the wear and tear associated with frequent plugging and unplugging, even in demanding environments.
Industrial Testing of SD Cards and microSD cards
By testing how our SD and microSD cards withstand high temperatures, humidity, pressure, and mechanical stress, we can guarantee our products perform well in industrially demanding applications where performance under harsh conditions is critical. Rigorous industrial testing is crucial to evaluate substrate quality and confirm a level of reliability and durability Swissbit can be proud of.
- H2S Test: Assesses resistance to sulfur-containing gases.
- Dimethylglyoxime Test: Used in the chemical industry to test for specific chemical resistances.
- X-ray Fluorescence Coating Thickness Measurement: Measures coating thickness for durability.
- Mating Cycle Test: Evaluates performance through up to 20,000 mating cycles.
- Pressure Cooker Test (PCT): Simulates high humidity and temperature bias (85°C/85% r.H.).
- Temperature Cycling Test: Tests resistance to extreme temperature fluctuations (-40°C/+125°C).
- Cross Section Analysis: Inspects the internal structure of the card.
- Scanning Acoustic Microscopy: Examines the card before and after PCT & TC for potential damage or issues.
Conclusion
Our commitment to producing high-performance and industrial grade SD and microSD cards with CoB technology ensures that our products stand up to the toughest conditions in industrial markets like automation and robotics. By incorporating the most advanced gold Plating for enhanced corrosion and abrasion resistance and conducting rigorous testing, Swissbit guarantees that its cards offer superior durability, reliability, and performance under extreme stress. For industries requiring robust solutions, Swissbit’s CoB-based SD and microSD cards are the ideal choice.
If you’re looking for reliable, long-lasting memory cards for your demanding applications get in touch today!
Disclaimer: This article is sourced from the official Swissbit website. As official partners of Swissbit, we have obtained permission to utilize both articles & resources for further updates with regards to Swissbit’s products.
