scope:

Purpose. This standard establishes uniform methods for testing semiconductor devices, including basic environmental tests to determine resistance to deleterious effects of natural elements and conditions surrounding military operations, and physical and electrical tests. For the purpose of this standard, the term "devices" includes such items as transistors, diodes, voltage regulators, rectifiers, tunnel diodes, and other related parts. This standard is intended to apply only to semiconductor devices. The test methods described herein have been prepared to serve several purposes:

a. To specify suitable conditions obtainable in the laboratory that give test results equivalent to the actual service conditions existing in the field, and to obtain reproducibility of the results of tests. The tests described herein are not to be interpreted as an exact and conclusive representation of actual service operation in any one geographic location, since it is known that the only true test for operation in a specific location is an actual service test at that point.

b. To describe in one standard all of the test methods of a similar character which now appear in the various joint-services semiconductor device specifications, so that these methods may be kept uniform and thus result in conservation of equipment, manhours, and testing facilities. In achieving this objective, it is necessary to make each of the general tests adaptable to a broad range of devices.

c. The test methods described herein for environmental, physical, and electrical testing of devices shall also apply, when applicable, to parts not covered by an approved military sheet-form standard, specification sheet, or drawing.