The electronics manufacturing process is often very complex, with dozens of variables that impact the quality and reliability of the manufactured assemblies in the end use environment. Of concern are the kinds of residues remaining on the electronic assembly and the effects that these residues have on the electro-chemical reliability of the end-product.

Surface Insulation Resistance testing measures changes to the surface insulation resistance. By its very nature, such testing must be conducted on a test coupon that should be representative of the intended end-product.

Apart from commonplace ionic residues, most modern process chemistries include non-ionic surfactant additives that are not detectable using ionic extract test methods such as Ion chromatography or Resistivity of Solvent Extracted (ROSE).

This document focuses on the IPC-B-52 standard test assembly and how it is used as a representative example of the intended end-product.