Application of Thermal Imagery Technology for Fault Detection of Large Electrical Equipment and Microelectronic components

Abstract

With the increasing integration level and power of electrical equipment, their working conditions are becoming increasingly harsh, leading to a higher risk of failure and a growing demand for reliable nondestructive testing (NDT) methods. Thermal imagery, as one of the fully developed method of visualized temperature detection, realizes non-contact error detection by recording infrared radiation from the surface of objects. This paper examines the application of thermal imaging technology for fault detection in large electrical equipment and microelectronic components. The study reviews the fundamental principles and key parameters of thermal imaging, then compares its use across the two scales. For large equipment, thermal imaging effectively handles complex structures and high-voltage environments, offering large-area coverage and non-contact real-time monitoring, though environmental factors may affect accuracy. For microelectronic components, despite limitations in resolution and penetration, thermal imaging provides valuable visualized thermal distribution data for packaging failure analysis. Overall, thermal imaging proves to be an effective and adaptive NDT method, with future improvements in detector performance expected to further enhance its capabilities.