Worst-case circuit analysis

Worst-case circuit analysis (WCCA or WCA) is a cost-effective means of screening a design to ensure with a high degree of confidence that potential defects and deficiencies are identified and eliminated prior to and during test, production, and delivery.
It is a quantitative assessment of the equipment performance, accounting for manufacturing, environmental and aging effects. In addition to a circuit analysis, a WCCA often includes stress and <a href="/facts/Derating/g7MRVyXv">derating</a> analysis, failure modes and effects criticality (<a href="/facts/FMECA/Cx4RxoXo">FMECA</a>) and reliability prediction (<a href="/facts/MTBF/lWCg38LX">MTBF</a>).
The specific objective is to verify that the design is robust enough to provide operation which meets the system performance specification over design life under worst-case conditions and tolerances (initial, aging, radiation, temperature, etc.).
Stress and de rating analysis is intended to increase reliability by providing sufficient margin compared to the allowable stress limits. This reduces overstress conditions that may induce failure, and reduces the rate of stress-induced parameter change over life. It determines the maximum applied stress to each component in the system.

Worst-case circuit analysis open-in-new

Worst-case circuit analysis