Upscreening

Elevate Commercial Parts for Military, Industrial & Space Systems

ALTER is specialize in upscreening Commercial Off‑The‑Shelf (COTS) electronic components—microcircuits, RF modules, power devices, and MEMS—to higher specifications through tailored testing, qualification, and traceability workflows. This process assures conformity with aerospace, MIL, and ESCC/ECSS standards, unlocking performance levels suitable for demanding space and defense missions.

Why Upscreen?

  • Performance requirements beyond standard datasheets (industrial, automotive, MIL levels)
  • Legacy lifecycle support, avoiding costly redesign by certifying aging or obsolescent parts
  • Yield and reliability optimization: weed out outliers for consistent production quality

Our Comprehensive Upscreening Workflow

Component Assessment & Selection

  • Evaluate candidate COTS parts (AEC‑Q100, industrial, hi‑rel)
  • Analyze technology, package, vendor traceability, lot consistency
  • Preliminary radiation susceptibility review (based on NASA PEM/EEE‑INST documents)

Custom Screening & Stress Tests

  • Evaluate candidate COTS parts (AEC‑Q100, industrial, hi‑rel)
  • Analyze technology, package, vendor traceability, lot consistency
  • Preliminary radiation susceptibility review (based on NASA PEM/EEE‑INST documents)

Radiation & Environmental Qualification

  • Radiation tolerance testing: SEL, SEU, TID analysis, aligned with space-grade evaluation best practice
  • Environmental testing: thermal‑vacuum, vibration, humidity per ECSS, MIL-STD, ECSS std

Material, Process & DPA Analysis

  • Non‑destructive inspections (C‑SAM, X‑ray) plus destructive physical analysis to detect latent flaws
  • Material verification: lead finishes, conformal coatings, counterfeit prevention (SAE AS5553A, NASA‑STD‑8739.10)

Qualification & Certification

  • ECSS, MIL-STD, NASA, JAXA frameworks support
  • Options for qualification by similarity or full test units consistent with ESCC QPL structure
  • Independent review and traceable documentation for audit readiness

Our Technical Edge

  • Full ESA/NASA/EU compliance: ECSS-Q, MIL-STD-883/750, NASA EEE‑INST‑002, ECSS‑Q‑ST‑60-13C
  • End-to-end COTS lifecycle support: procurement, obsolescence mitigation, counterfeit detection
  • State‑of‑the‑art labs offering radiation, thermal‑vacuum, vibration, acoustic, materials, DPA
  • Fast-track testing lead times, scalable volumes, mixed 100 % or sample-based workflows
  • Expert engineering support: Part selection risk analysis, vendor data review, qualification board participation

Key Differentiators

Standards expertise

ECSS, ESCC, MIL‑STD, NASA – full system coverage

Flexible approach

From batch-level screening to full space-grade qualification

Traceable supply chain

Counterfeit risk mitigation & lot homogeneity control

Proven reliability

Eliminates infant mortal failures, lowers drift/outliers

Space grade methodology

Designed for harsh/environmental extremes

Partner with ALTER

Maximize performance from commercial parts with tailored upscreening. Contact us today to discuss:

Part-specific qualification flows

Project alignment with ECSS/MIL/NASA/JAXA standards

Lead times, volumes, risk assessment

Contact us