Inside Component Testing: Fighting Fakes in the Electronics Industry
Elijah Miller, VP of Operations at The Lab Worldwide (TLW), explains the sophisticated methods counterfeiters use to infiltrate the electronics supply chain, including remarking, harvesting, and cloning. He details how even franchise distributors like Digi-Key and Mouser can inadvertently distribute fakes through RMA loops and discusses the critical role of third-party testing labs in authentication. Miller highlights advanced detection techniques such as C-SAM imaging and Raman spectroscopy to identify retopped Xilinx and Altera chips, noting that 3-7% of gray market components tested often prove to be counterfeit.