EE-Evaluation Engineering articles from September 2003

EE-Evaluation Engineering archives from September 2003

No more spam.(Editorial)
September 1, 2003... When I was a kid, and only on rare occasions, my mother searching for something different to feed her five-member family would hit upon the idea of serving fried SPAM[R] along with mashed potatoes and a vegetable, most likely string beans....

Consortium releases second version of OPENSTAR platform specification.(In The News)
September 1, 2003... The Semiconductor Test Consortium (STC) has released the second draft of the specification for OPENSTAR[TM], the Open Semiconductor Test Architecture. The new draft of the specification covers hardware, software, and mechanical specifications....

Aeroflex acquires Racal Wireless.(In the News)
September 1, 2003... Aeroflex, a designer, developer, and manufacturer of automated testing solutions and microelectronics for the aerospace, defense, and broadband communications markets, has acquired the Racal Wireless Solutions Group. Racal Wireless develops,...

Environmental test advertisement.(Corrigendum)
September 1, 2003... In the Espec advertisement about compact chambers on page 43 of the August issue, the rsleads information is incorrect. The correct URL is www.rsleads.com/308ee-018

HALT/HASS.(Dates)
September 1, 2003... Several environmental test seminars will be held by Hobbs Engineering in October. Seven seminars are scheduled for Boston: Accelerated Test Data Analysis on Oct 6-9; Mastering HALT and HASS, Physics of Failure, and Practical Reliability...

Shock and vibration testing.(Dates)
September 1, 2003... Trace Laboratories-Central will host a seminar on shock and vibration testing and analysis Nov. 5-7 at its Palatine, IL, facility. The seminar will be conducted by Wayne Tustin of the Equipment Reliability Institute. The three-day course will...

Digitizers offer high throughput.(Product Briefing)
September 1, 2003... A new family of PCI 12-b ADC digitizer cards consists of a high-end model and two entry-range models delivering signal-to-noise ratios up to 64 dB, a spurious-free dynamic range of better than 78 dB, a time base with precision better than [+ or...

System engineered to reduce test costs.(Product Briefing)
September 1, 2003... Sapphire NP[TM], an open-architecture ATE configurable on the fly, supports the multisite and multithread capabilities of changing SOC test needs from design to production. It is built on the new NPower[TM] platform that offers 4-D Scalable[TM]...

Logic Analyzers deliver deep memory timing.(Product Briefing)
September 1, 2003... The TLA5000 Series Logic Analyzers offer 500-ps (2-GHz)/32-Mb deep memory timing simultaneous with 125-ps MagniVu[TM] acquisition. They also feature the iView[TM] Integrated View capability to view, trigger on, and characterize both digital and...

System provides SOC/SIP device testing.(Product Briefing)
September 1, 2003... Lightning, the newest product in the Maverick family of test systems, features dynamic analog test capability to address the requirements of SOC and system-in-a package (SIP) technologies. The fully reconfigurable, compact unit provides logic,...

Desktop system tests NVM technologies.(Product Briefing)
September 1, 2003... The Personal Kalos 2 (PK2) is a desktop engineering system designed for nonvolatile memory (NVM) devices including NOR, NAND, serial flash, and embedded flash. It also addresses integrated devices that combine large flash arrays and digital...

SOC DFT testers feature scalable platform.(Product Briefing)
September 1, 2003... The Agilent 93000 SOC DFT (design for-test) Series, a version of the company's 93000 SOC scalable platform, incorporates the test processor per-pin architecture (TPPA). The TPPA aids in developing cores for independent operation and concurrent...

PXI-gration provides solution for obsolete test systems: with so many legacy or obsolete test systems in use today, customers are searching for solutions to ease the replacement pain.(PC-Based Test)
September 1, 2003... Replacing an obsolete system is not a task to be taken lightly. You can design a new tester, which requires a significant investment in test program set conversion and redevelopment, or find a solution that offers a relatively painless...

Boundary scan for mixed-signal controller cards: one company shares the successes of a boundary scan test technique for systems containing analog and digital circuitry.(Boundary Scan)
September 1, 2003... Zetacon designs and manufactures advanced power-control systems in hardware and software. Our products and technologies range from motor drives to power supplies, digital audio with licensing applications, and products penetrating the...

How to measure power factor: a tutorial.(Power Analyzers)
September 1, 2003... Don't touch that oscilloscope if you plan to measure power factor. Factor out why it's better to use a wattmeter. The phrase power factor frequently is used in the electrical and power electronics industry. For example, home, office, and...

Separating one micron from another: an accurate probe station lets you count the atoms inside a device--well, almost.(Wafer Test)
September 1, 2003... Precision positioning is the primary function of a modern prober or probe station (Figure 1). Regardless of the application, establishing and maintaining the required mechanical relationship between wafer and probe are necessary before other...

Semiautomatic prober.(Wafer Test Products)
September 1, 2003... The Pegasus[TM] 300S is a 300-mm semiautomatic prober intended for production test using probe cards or manipulators. The X-Y stage provides 8-[micro]m accuracy over 300-mm travel, and the Z stage positioning is repeatable to 1 [micro]m....

Analytical probe station.(Wafer Test Products)
September 1, 2003... The CheckMate Series is a range of configurable 200-mm and 300-mm probe stations The CM-35X features an X-Y stage with 0.1-[micro]m resolution, 1.0-[micro]m repeatability, and 3.0-[micro]m accuracy; a Z stage with 0.375" range, 0.06-[micro]m...

Low-noise environment.(Wafer Test Products)
September 1, 2003... The Model S300 Probe Station features a low-noise chuck system that uses the company's triaxial FemtoGuard[R] technology to extend the guard under and around the chuck and the AttoGuard[TM] electrode to shield and guard above the chuck and...

Production Prober.(Wafer Test Products)
September 1, 2003... The fully automatic 300-mm EG5|300 ARGOS Wafer Prober boasts an air-bearing, closed-loop, linear-motion system that achieves 2.5-[micro]m probe-to-pad accuracy while requiring no maintenance. Glass encoder scales with 0.1-[micro]m resolution...

Submicron probe station.(Wafer Test Products)
September 1, 2003... The NANO-100[TM] is a vibration-isolated probe station with 13-nm resolution manipulators and scanning electron microscope (SEM) optics providing from 25,000x to 50,000x magnification. An integral vacuum chamber ensures a light-tight and...

Atomic force probing.(Wafer Test Products)
September 1, 2003... The Micron Force Instruments (MFI) Probe System uses atomic force microscopy (AFM) and computer-controlled positioning to provide 50-nm image resolution without the possibility of DUT damage. Users can choose two versions of active probes: the...

PXI/VXI Buyers Guide.
September 1, 2003... EE's PXI/VXI Buyers Guide is a comprehensive, up-to-date listing of the companies that specialize in PXI/VXI products and services, including arbitrary waveform generators, embedded controllers, power supplies, mainframes, switches and scanners...

Exploring the myths of system cost.(PXI/VXI)
September 1, 2003... There's an old story about a backwoods sign that reads, "Pick your rut carefully. You'll be in it for the next 60 miles." The mental picture is enough to make us chuckle--someone standing by a muddy sign, holding his hat, scratching his head,...

Success factors for buying reconditioned test equipment: here's what you need to know to be an informed and creative buyer of reconditioned test equipment.(Reconditioned Test Equipment)
September 1, 2003... Today's technological advancements, equipment obsolescence, and long purchasing lead times make it difficult to define accurate equations for capital-equipment acquisitions. As a result, more and more companies are looking at buying, leasing,...

Methods for measuring periodic modulations: don't let jitter analysis shake you up. Here are some guidelines to help you choose which instrument to use for your particular application.(Communications Test)
September 1, 2003... When characterizing jitter performance, it is common to measure jitter output of a transmitter and jitter tolerance of a receiver. When measuring jitter tolerance, various quantities of intersymbol interference (ISI), periodic jitter (PJ), and...

EOS/ESD Symposium product preview.(Coping With ESD)
September 1, 2003... The latest static-control prevention, evaluation, and testing products from top manufacturers and distributors around the world will be exhibited Sept. 22-24 at the EOS/ESD Symposium at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. This marks the 25th...

Surface potential helps assess ESD properties of materials: a tutorial.(Coping With ESD)
September 1, 2003... When a charge does not move easily over the surface of a material, do you know how to avoid potential problems? Many materials involved in manufacturing, handling, and using microelectronic parts easily become electrostatically charged when...

Lightning surge immunity testing.(Dealing With EMC)
September 1, 2003... "Lightning surges. They're silent. They're dangerous." So began a recent announcement of the new surge protection service being offered by an affiliate of Florida Power & Light. The main offices of Evaluation Engineering are located in...

Guide Horn Antenna.(EMC Products)
September 1, 2003... The linearly polarized, broadband BHA 9118 Guide Horn Antenna is suitable for emissions and immunity testing in chambers or open area test sites. The rugged, corrosion-resistant antenna has a field-strength capability of 250 V/m at 1 m and a...

High-power microwave amplifier.(EMC Products)
September 1, 2003... The Model 5173 is a load-tolerant 1.0 to 3.0-GHz, 50-W, solid-state amplifier for RF immunity testing to the emerging immunity standards. The lightweight, linear amplifier has a minimum gain of 48 dB and a guaranteed minimum power output of 40...

Transient Generators.(EMC Products)
September 1, 2003... The EM Test 200B Series Transient Generators include the EFT200B, the LD200B, the LD200B1, the MPG200B, the VDS200B, and the PFS200B, all programmed for testing to current international standards and the specifications of Ford, DaimlerChrysler,...

Wrap-around shielding.(EMC Products)
September 1, 2003... Zipper-Mesh[R] is a flexible, durable wrap-around shielding made of four ply knitted tin copper iron wire. A heavy-duty mechanical zipper closure attached to the mesh accommodates toolless installation to new or existing designs and provides...

Traveling wave tube amplifiers.(EMC Products)
September 1, 2003... The three models in a new family of traveling wave tube amplifiers (TWTAs) are modular, self-contained, forced air cooled broadband units that provide sufficient power to reach 200-V/m for EMC testing applications. The 2.5- to 7.5-GHz Model...

Display Filters.(EMC Products)
September 1, 2003... DURALAN II[TM] Display Filters use stainless steel or copper wire mesh and transparent conductive materials to provide EMI/RFI shielding. Antireflective coatings are available to improve light transmission and contrast, especially in outdoor or...

Surge Generator.(EMC Products)
September 1, 2003... The 6-kV MIG0603-3P100 Surge Generator with integrated and automated CDN provides 200 ADC and single-phase AC or 100 A three phase. The generator outputs a 1.2/50[micro]s voltage waveform into an open circuit or a current waveform of 8/20...

Shielding gaskets.(EMC Products)
September 1, 2003... The S Series EMI/RFI Shielding does not require tape, stiffeners, adhesives, or secondary finishing for slot and extrusion mounting. The design is smooth to the touch, and there are no flammability issues. The shielding requires very low...

Press-In Ceramic Filters.(EMC Products)
September 1, 2003... The 4304 Press-In Ceramic EMI Filters address microwave and RF applications including attenuators, oscillators, synthesizers, and combiners and feature a mechanical bonding free from soldering. The filters have a flange diameter of 0.156" [+ or...

Strip test handler.(ATE)
September 1, 2003... Sidewinder, a strip test handling system based on 300-mm wafer-prober technology, is de signed for production handling of packaged semiconductor components in a panel or a lead frame format. The handler uses the company's linear motor, air...

Design debug solution.(ATE)
September 1, 2003... Verity[TM], a turnkey solution For physical design debug and verification, features engineering-validation test equipment, photon probing technology, and fully integrated software and hardware fixturing for fault isolation and characterization...

Boundary Scan debug tool.(ATE)
September 1, 2003... The Boundary Scan Probe, a logic probe for IEEE 1149.1/JTAG circuits, addresses diagnostic debugging and the structural verification of boundary scan designs. LEDs display driven and measured levels that also are accessible via the integrated...

3G drive-test platforms.(Communications Test)
September 1, 2003... The Seven.Five[TM] for UMTS (universal mobile telephone system) is a drive-test tool that combines a triband RF scanning receiver with voice, data, and video QoS tests. The family consists of five instruments: Solo, one calling module for entry...

Spectrum Analyzer.(Communications Test)
September 1, 2003... The MS2687B Spectrum Analyzer features 20-MHz resolution bandwidth and covers a frequency range up to 30 GHz for measuring W-CDMA and OFDM signals. It has 64-MHz A/D sampling and an average noise level of [less than or equal to] 136 dBm/ Hz at...

Bluetooth Protocol Analyzer.(Communications Test)
September 1, 2003... The BT Tracer/Trainer[TM] V2.1 Protocol Analyzer captures, decodes, and analyzes version 1.2 of the Bluetooth protocol. It features an auxiliary channel to capture mixed piconets and full automation support through a DCOM interface. In...

CDMA Network Emulator.(Communications Test)
September 1, 2003... The AirAccess SR3452rf CDMA Network Emulator has a built-in RF converter module to speed the deployment of new CDMA data applications such as BREW downloads and advanced content delivery via WAP. It provides a platform for qualification by...

Microwave cable assemblies.(Communications Test)
September 1, 2003... NEXT GENERATION[R] and PHASEFLEX[R] are part of a family of custom microwave cable assemblies in frequency ranges from DC through 67 GHz. NEXT GENERATION assemblies for vector network analyzer test equipment have a ruggedized construction that...

12-Bit Digitizer Cards.(Data Acquisition)
September 1, 2003... The DC438 and DC436 CompactPCI Digitizer Cards feature two channels using 12-b ADCs to sample signals at rates up to 200 MS/s and 100 MS/s respectively. The cards offer up to 62-dB SNR, >75-dB SFDR, 10-b ENOB Both cards have a standard...

Low-Pass Filter Module.(Data Acquisition)
September 1, 2003... The two-channel AAF-2Fe Anti-Aliasing Low-Pass Filter Module helps to preserve the signal integrity of analog measurements found in process control, sound and vibration testing, ultrasonics, acoustics, structural analysis, industrial, test,...

DC switching power supplies.(Instrumentation)
September 1, 2003... The 1696, 1697, and 1698 DC Power Supplies offer recall of nine user programmable preset memories, a 10-step programmable output routine, and R5-232 communications to PC Win dows-based software. Features include a four digit LCD ammeter,...

CompactPCI/PXI Chassis.(Instrumentation)
September 1, 2003... The Instrument Mainframe 8000C Chassis features a CompactPCI/PXI backplane with eight usable slots that house both 3U and 6U form factor cards. The backplane works with the company's family of CompactPCI/PXI bus CompuScope digitizer cards. The...

Test clips.(Instrumentation)
September 1, 2003... The Parrot Clip, designed to replace old alligator and other hook clips, features a metal tube tip. Inside the tube tip is a spring loaded rod with a gripper hook at one end and a push button on the other end, The end of the metal tube tip...

Frequency synthesizer.(Instrumentation)
September 1, 2003... The broadband, dual-channel PTS D620 contains two independent frequency synthesizers, each coveting 1 to 620 MHz, but housed in a single enclosure. Frequency control is via a 50-pin parallel interface (TTL-level logic), pin-and...

DC Source/Calibrator.(Instrumentation)
September 1, 2003... The Model 523 DC Source/Calibrator provides [+ or -] 4 ppm 90 day stability for voltages to [+ or -] 110.99999 VDC and [+ or -] 8 ppm for currents to [+ or -] 110.99999 mA. Thermal stability is 0.5 ppm/[degrees]C, and noise is [ILLUSTRATION...

Microwave switching platform.(Instrumentation)
September 1, 2003... The 1260-64M Self-Terminating Platform accepts up to four microwave switch plug-ins in a dual-slot VXI module for operation from 18 GHzto 40 GHz. The module is configurable with terminated SPDF and SP6T plug-ins with latching and non-latching...

PXI Logic Analyzer.(Instrumentation)
September 1, 2003... The TE8100 Digital Input/Logic Analyzer captures data at rates of up to 200 MHz on 16 channels simultaneously. Features include a 1-MS/channel buffer, flexible trigger options, variable input thresholds and pre- and post-trigger buffers, and an...

DFT tools software.(Software)
September 1, 2003... The DFT-PRO Plus[TM] is a software package of design-for-test (DFT) tools for one-pass RTL DFT synthesis with VirtualScan[TM] ATPG. It includes a set of integrated tools for scan synthesis and ATPG, memory BIST synthesis, and boundary scan...

Harmonics and flicker tester.(EE Literature Marketplace)
September 1, 2003... No more worries about keeping up with harmonics and flicker standards. The new PHF-X has an integrated analyzer, reference impedance, software, and AC source for all the testing and analysis requirements of IEC/EN/JEDEC plus the flexibility to...

Test and Measurement.(EE Literature Marketplace)
September 1, 2003... New products featured in Keithley's full-line 2003 Test and Measurement Catalog include an Ethernet-based DMM/acquisition mainframe, source/ measure systems for automotive electrical testing, and optical switch cards. Other new products include...

Ceramic Trimmer Capacitors.(EE Literature Marketplace)
September 1, 2003... The new, compact McQ 512 Series All-Ceramic Surface Mount Trimmer Capacitor is designed for applications requiring miniaturized capacitance trimming, including avionics apparatus, communications equipment, oscilloscopes, crystal oscillators,...

Electrical safety test instruments.(EE Literature Marketplace)
September 1, 2003... New Short-Form Catalog features a complete line of electrical safety testing instruments including hipot, ground bond, and insulation resistance testers. Now to the catalog is the enhanced line of hipot testers that features the latest...

EMC test equipment.(EE Literature Marketplace)
September 1, 2003... TDK RF Solutions offers automated test systems, anechoic chambers, antennas, software, and test products that support a wide range of EMC test standards. Whether you need a test system, a system upgrade, or an entire test facility, we can turn...

Custom EMI filters.(EE Literature Marketplace)
September 1, 2003... Captor custom-designs EMI filters to control interference on power, data transmission and signal lines, often in difficult environments. Colorful 6-page brochure covers engineering, testing, and production of these complex filters, as well as a...

Amplifiers for immunity testing.(EE Literature Marketplace)
September 1, 2003... Looking to upgrade for the new RF immunity testing regulations? Buy just the frequency band you need. OPHIR RF offers a selection of high-power, solid-state amplifiers for testing to the emerging immunity bands: 0.8 to 2.5 GHz, 1.0 to 3.0 GHz,...

Magnetic field compensator.(EE Literature Marketplace)
September 1, 2003... The Magnetic Active Compensation (MAC) System is the highest-performance magnetic field compensation equipment available. It protects sensitive electron microscope (EM) instruments from AC/DC environmental magnetic fields and fluctuations...

Metallized fabric gaskets.(EE Literature Marketplace)
September 1, 2003... Tech-Etch manufactures a range of standard profiles of durable, metallized, fabric gaskets. Shielding effectiveness is >100-dB attenuation levels. Corrosion-resistant plating has superior galvanic compatibility, which increases shielding...

Surge platform.(EE Literature Marketplace)
September 1, 2003... Developed in conjunction with UL, the PSURGE20430 packs an incredible 20-kV and 10-kA combination wave into a single rack for TVSS testing in strict compliance with UL1449 and ANSI/IEEE C62.41 category C3. Integrated 3-phase, 32-A automatic...

EMC measurement uncertainty guide.(EE Literature Marketplace)
September 1, 2003... Schaffner EMC has produced a new, comprehensive engineering guide on measurement uncertainty in EMC tests. The handy reference guide provides an explanation of how to calculate and apply measurement uncertainty, how to minimize uncertainty, and...

Honeycomb Filter.(EE Literature Marketplace)
September 1, 2003... Spira's NEW Shielded Air Vent Honeycomb Filters, featuring a revolutionary patented process, provide consistent, reliably high levels of shielding while allowing cooling air to penetrate an electrical equipment cabinet. This design guide...

Data Acquisition.(EE Literature Marketplace)
September 1, 2003... BLUECAT[R] New Horizons[R] Product Preview of the Data Acquisition Handbook features 90 Dilbert Cartoons, products for DAS market from Ethernet-enabled meters, controllers and signal conditioners: multi-function, PCI-bus A/D boards; DIN rail...

Frequency sources.(EE Literature Marketplace)
September 1, 2003... Informative catalog describes complete line of PTS frequency synthesizers producing precision frequencies governed by a high-stability frequency standard; with easy, fast, remote programming as part of measurement/production systems and...