Open AccessAn automatic test environment for microelectronics education and research
Author(s) -
F. Sandoval-Ibarra
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of applied research and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2448-6736
DOI - 10.22201/icat.16656423.2008.6.01.509
Subject(s) - automatic test equipment , engineering , cmos , microelectronics , integrated circuit , iddq testing , electrical engineering , electronic engineering , spice , generator (circuit theory) , transistor , voltage , embedded system , computer hardware , computer science , reliability engineering , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , testability
An automatic test environment (ATE) based on a PSoC has been developed to perform electrical characterization of integrated circuits (ICs). The ICs are designed for academic and research purposes as part of the Electronic Design graduate program at NVESTAV-Guadalajara Unit; these ICs are manufactured in standard N-well, 5-V, 1.5μm/0.5μm CMOS technologies. The ATE offers programmable capabilities to develop master-slave architectures, memory for data storage, functions generator to stimulate circuits and systems, current/voltage sources for several purposes, current-voltage measurements, and ports to download experimental data to a PC. To date, several ICs have been tested with the help of the ATE. In this paper, however, examples based on MOS Transistors only are presented in order to describe the ATE performance and also to show how experimental data of the devices under characterization were validated through SPICE simulations, experimental data given by manufacturers, and using commercial equipment as well.