What "AS6081/AS6171-Compliant Testing" Actually Means on Your Order
When American Microelectronics says an order has been "third-party tested," what does that mean specifically? It means the parts went through an AS6171-compliant test plan at an accredited lab — Global ETS or Whitehorse Labs — with the exact battery of tests calibrated to the risk level of the application. Here's what the standard's full method set covers.
AS6171, published by SAE International, is the industry standard for detecting suspect counterfeit electrical, electronic, and electromechanical (EEE) parts. It replaced the earlier AS5553 and AS6081 frameworks as the more rigorous methodology, and AS6081A now defers to AS6171 for counterfeit detection methods.
A typical AS6171 test plan, depending on risk level, includes: external visual inspection (per AS6171/2A), X-ray fluorescence to verify material composition (AS6171/3), destructive physical analysis (AS6171/4), X-ray inspection of internal structure and die size (AS6171/5), acoustic microscopy to detect voids (AS6171/6), electrical testing against the manufacturer datasheet (AS6171/7), Raman spectroscopy and FTIR for material identification (AS6171/8 and /9), and decapsulation with die-level verification for the highest-risk parts.
For DFARS-regulated defense supply chains under DFARS 252.246-7008, this level of testing is no longer optional — every participant in the chain is liable for counterfeit parts that slip through. That's why independent third-party labs with no commercial interest in the outcome (Global ETS, Whitehorse Labs) are the right testing model.