Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

We have found no other centralized database of Known Good Devices anywhere in the industry, and that gap is why chipsID exists. We are engineers, and we approach counterfeit mitigation as an engineering problem, not a sales one. We don’t sell parts. We build and share a library of Golden Samples, each bought directly from the original manufacturer or an authorized distributor and imaged across six views, so you can compare the parts you receive, from any source, against a genuine reference.

Because of national and global security considerations, chipsID membership is open to organizations in these industries: defense, aerospace, medical, nuclear, government agencies, distributors, and known brokers with an existing business relationship to a large defense, aerospace or medical corporation.

In a perfect scenario that would be the best approach, and we encourage it. But given the constraints of database resources, the cost of setting up a laboratory, and safety regulations around the hazardous chemicals used in decapsulation for die verification, most companies avoid the expense, and so end up without Golden Samples when they need them. We make it faster and cheaper, with a non-toxic delid method for die verification and a database searchable around the clock. As of July 2024 the catalog is 24% obsolete parts, 4% not recommended for new design, and 2% last-time-buy; the remaining 70% may face long lead times in future, which pushes buyers to the open market.

We acknowledge we cannot hold every Golden Sample. Where we do not, we collaborate with customers who provide the sample with complete traceability, and share it as part of the service we provide.

We have faced the same constraint. Where there is little or no LTB budget, we suggest purchasing at least one Golden Sample for any component approaching end of life, or collaborating with us to document a Golden Sample as a reliable reference for future broker purchases.

Thorough testing matters, and effort is not where the gap is. The gap is the reference. Imagine checking a dollar bill by measuring the oval around the President’s portrait. That dimension is not published, and even a perfect measurement tells you nothing without a genuine bill to compare it against. Component inspection works the same way. Marking, X-ray and die inspections can record details the original manufacturer never discloses, and without a genuine part beside them, no one can say what those results mean. A Golden Sample, a Known Good Device traceable to the original manufacturer or an authorized distributor, supplies that reference. It turns careful testing into evidence, and it is how inspection reaches the highest level of confidence possible.

Our engineers have years of experience in DMSMS, component engineering, and design. Our goal is minimal equipment downtime and meeting customer demands. Reach out for a consultation. We would be glad to talk it through.