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Chapter 3 - DC and Parametric Measurements
Chapter 3 - DC and Parametric Measurements
Continuity
relays
Continuity
Continuity
DUT power supplies are grounded Current level is usually between 100uA and 1mA Diodes connected to the positive supply - current forced in Diodes connected to the negative supply - current forced out Output diode voltage drop usually is between 550mV and 750mV If tester does not see diode voltage drop or the current reaches its voltage clamp, the test fails
Continuity
Parallel
Analog
Digital
per-pin measurement is available, but may introduce noise into sensitive analog circuit
Leakage Currents
design should have leakage current of less than 1uA Detects poorly processed integrated circuits
Detect
weak devices
Initially function but eventually fail after unacceptably short lifetime (Infant mortality)
Leakage Currents
Typically measured twice input voltage equal to positive supply input voltage set to ground or negative supply Input current high (IIH) and input current low (IIL) Digital and analog inputs
Output
Measured same as IIH & IIL output pin must be placed in a high impedance (HIZ) state using test modes
Leakage Currents
Leakage
Again,
Again,
digital per-pin measurement is available, but may introduce noise into sensitive analog circuit
Large current draw from power supplies Tests are run early in test protocol to weed out defective chips without wasting valuable test time
Customer
Battery operated instruments like a cellular phone require minimal current draw by electronics
Test Techniques
Basic
test is simple
Testers have the ability to measure current draw from power supplies (Idd and Icc)
Actual
Test conditions must be clearly identified in test plan power up mode, standby mode, normal operational mode digital supply (Iddd and Iccd) and analog supply (Idda and Icca) measured separately Worst case requires complete characterization
Multiple power supply pins designers may need to know the current flow into each pin Settling time 5 to 10 milliseconds in active mode hundreds of milliseconds to stabilize to within 1mA
Voltage Regulators
High
Output voltage simple voltmeter reading Output voltage regulation ability of regulator to maintain specific output under load Dropout voltage minimum input voltage before output drops below specified level Input regulation ability of regulator to maintain steady output with a range of input voltages
Voltage References
Low
Not always accessible from external pin test engineer may need to request test modes to test references May not have a separate specification in the data sheet DC reference test modes allow the program to trim the DC references for more precise device operation
Trimmable References
Allows
quality of product to be enhanced during testing through fuses internal to the device
The only aspect of testing that adds value to the device
Fuses,
Fuses and Zener diodes are blown by forcing a controlled current through them fuses blow to an open circuit diodes blow to a short circuit
Laser
On-Chip resistor are trimmed to increase resistance Also used to trim gain and offset of analog circuits
Trimming
Impedance Testing
Input Impedance
Very
Force two voltages - measure differences in current single voltage / current is not sufficient to eliminate bias current and unknown termination voltages data sheet will list the appropriate range for voltage Input impedance is equal to change in voltage divided by the change in current Alternative method: force two controlled currents and measure the voltages used in cases where low input impedance would cause excessive current flow into the device data sheet will list the appropriate ranges of current
Impedance Testing
Output Impedance
Typically
DC Offset Measurements
difference between the devices ideal output voltage and its actual output voltage Basic test is fairly simple Difficulties
AC components or noise riding on the DC signal Requires filtering analog low pass filter digital averaging which functions like a low pass filter ATE parasitic capacitance causes some op amps to oscillate may need a buffer amplifier
DC Offset Measurements
Input offset voltage divided by the gain of the circuit definition assumes that the offset is all attributed to the input, when in reality, the offset could be caused by internal factors as well
Single ended offsets are measured relative to ideal voltage Differential offset is the difference between two outputs of a differential circuit. Common mode offset is the average voltage level at two outputs of a differential circuit compared to an ideal common mode voltage
DC Gain Measurements
input
Change in output divided by the change in input Use a voltmeter to measure output input should be stable to within 1mV may need testers high accuracy voltmeter to measure the values
Differential
input
Change in differential output divided by change in differential input DC offsets at the input are cancelled out Use a differential voltmeter
DC Gain Measurements
as the amplifier gain with no feedback path from the output to the input.
Difficult to test since op amp gains can be very high measured using a second op amp in the feedback path nulling amplifier can also be used to measure the input offset voltage
of the ability of a circuit to maintain a steady output voltage while the power supply voltage changes slightly
of the circuit divided by the gain of the circuit in its normal mode of operation
PSRR|db
= 20 log PSS/|G|
CMRR of Op Amps
A
There
CMRR of Differential Gain Stages Circuits that use op amps to perform a function
The CMRR of the op amp is not as critical as the CMRR of the circuit. Resistor matching is critical in these circuits
Chip CMRR - the resistors are on the DIB. Circuit CMRR - the resistors are on the DUT.
Comparator DC Tests
input voltage the causes a comparator to switch from one output state to the other.
Differential input voltage is ramped from one voltage to another to find the point at which the comparator changes state.
Comparator DC Tests
Threshold Voltage
Slicer
circuit
Fixed reference voltage supplied to one input of a comparator The input offset voltage is replaced by the single-ended specification, threshold voltage
Comparator DC Tests
Hysteresis
The
difference in threshold voltage between a rising input test condition and a falling input condition
May or may not be a design feature
Input
offset voltage and hysteresis may change with different common mode input voltages
input voltages until an output condition is met is called a ramp or step search.
Very time consuming, not well suited for production testing.
Binary
Linear Searches
Very
fast Using two input values, two output values can be measured.
Using the linear equation: y = m * x + b, the zero crossing values can be calculated.
Iterative
IIH / IIL
Mentioned
Data sheets list several specification for digital inputs and outputs Digital I/O lines can also have input leakage specifications when they are set in a high impedance (HIZ) mode.
Tested using a binary or step search Force levels as a go-nogo test to identify VIH / VIL threshold failures, rerunning the go-nogo test at a looser test limit will reveal the failure.
VOH / VOL
VOH
Usually a verified value not a measured value Tested using a go-nogo test
IOH / IOL
VOH
and VOL are guaranteed with specified load currents (IOH and IOL)
When output is high, the tester must pull current out of the DUT. When the output is low, the tester must force current into the DUT.
Summary
DC tests are very easy to define and understand Actual testing is usually much more difficult than it looks.
A
DC offset of 100mV is easy to measure with an accuracy of +/- 10mV - very difficult to measure with an accuracy of 1uV. Accuracy and repeatability are often the most time consuming problems faced by an analog test engineer.