News Briefs
-- Test & Measurement World, 11/1/2008 2:00:00 AM
IMEC demonstrates 3-D stacked integrated circuits
IMEC, an independent research center based in Leuven, Belgium, has announced that it has made significant progress with its 3D-SIC (3-D stacked IC) technology, having demonstrated its first functional 3-D ICs obtained by die-to-die stacking using 5-micron Cu TSVs (copper through-silicon vias). Engineers speaking at the IMEC Annual Research Review Meeting on October 13 outlined the design and test challenges that 3-D circuits impose.
Eric Beyne, IMEC scientific director for 3-D technologies, said both the top and landing wafers contained parametric test structures for TSV characterization, CMOS ring oscillators, and other small functional circuits. Tests, he said, confirmed that the performance of the circuits does not degrade when Cu TSVs are added and the dies are stacked.
Beyne said that IMEC is ready to accept reference test circuits from its industry partners to enable them to gain early insight and experience with 3D-SIC design. IMEC plans to provide further details on its 3-D technology at a 3-D integration workshop scheduled for November 13 and 14 in Hsinchu, Taiwan. www.imec.be. (To read our complete report about the IMEC demonstration, go to www.tmworld.com/imec_2008.)
Spirent Communications and SGS Wireless partner on A-GPS
Spirent Communications and SGS Wireless have signed an agreement to provide validation and testing services on the Spirent ULTS (UMTS Location Test System) at the SGS Wireless laboratory in Cambridge, UK.
Under this agreement, SGS will provide Spirent with validation services to ensure that the Spirent ULTS fully supports A-GPS (Assisted-GPS) testing. In addition, SGS will use the Spirent ULTS to provide A-GPS testing services to the cellular handset industry.
SGS will provide validation services for existing PTCRB (PCS Type Certification Review Board) GCF (Global Certification Forum) certified test cases as well as for new test cases for the forthcoming OMA SUPL (Open Mobile Alliance Secure User Plane Location) Version 2.0 Enabler test specification. PTCRB certification is required for A-GPS-enabled products sold into the North American market. GCF certification is needed before many network operators outside North America will consider a product for deployment on their networks.
John Midwood, engineering manager of SGS Wireless Europe, said that SGS is “very pleased to be providing these services to Spirent Communications and the cellular industry.” He added, “It enables Spirent to take advantage of the specific expertise SGS has in testing GPS enabled devices, while advancing the wireless industry’s deployment of the new SUPL V2.0 standard.” www.spirent.com/go/ults.
MCC announces burn-in system orders
Micro Control Company (MCC) has announced that it has received orders for its HPB-5B and LC-1 burn-in-with-test systems.
ISE Labs has purchased an HPB-5B system that features active thermal control for high-power semiconductor devices rated up to 150 W. The HPB-5B features individual pattern zones per burn-in board with individual temperature control for up to 48 devices, allowing device types to be mixed within the oven.
By controlling the temperature of each device, the HPB-5B manages the wide variations in heat dissipation and the diverse burn-in needs that can occur with high-power VLSI devices during the burn-in process. Memory devices can be burned-in with or without individual temperature control.
MCC also said that a Korean company has placed a $1 million order for an LC-1 burn-in-during-test system. The LC-1 can adapt to third-party vendors’ burn-in boards that measure 24x12.5 in. www.microcontrol.com; www.iselabs.com.
Simulate batteries for mobile products
Keithley’s Model 2308 battery- and charger-simulating power supply lets you test and characterize battery-operated devices for their power consumption. To minimize power consumption, devices such as cellphones must change from a low-power state to full power quickly. The 2308’s response to power changes can simulate how a battery responds to those current pulses.
The instrument can source voltage and sink current on either of two channels. As a battery simulator, it can maintain its output voltage to within 90 mV in response to a pulsed current drawn by the DUT (device under test), then recover to full voltage within 35 µs. Thus, the instrument prevents false failures that might occur because of a voltage dip. The 2308 can also simulate the voltage drop caused by a battery’s internal resistance, which can occur when the DUT changes from sleep to full-power mode or, in the case of a cellphone, when it transmits.
The built-in DMM (digital multimeter) can measure current and voltage drawn by the DUT. The ability to sink current lets the instrument simulate a discharged battery, which lets you test the device’s battery-charging circuits. Using an integrating ADC (analog-to-digital converter), the DMM measures load current on pulsed current as short as 50 µs. Current measurement resolution ranges from 100 nA to 100 µA. The instrument also has an analog voltage output that is proportional to a DUT’s load current; you can use the analog voltage with an oscilloscope to view the load current.
Price: $2795. Keithley Instruments, www.keithley.com.
SignalVu analyzes 20-GHz RF signals
Tektronix’s SignalVu vector-signal-analysis software for the DPO7000 and DPO/DSA70000 digital oscilloscope series enables engineers to characterize wideband and microwave spectral events. SignalVu combines the signal-analysis engine of the RSA6100A real-time spectrum analyzer with the triggering capabilities of the DPO7000 and DPO/DSA70000 oscilloscopes to enable designers to evaluate complex signals up to 20 GHz without using an external downconverter.
SignalVu controls all scope acquisition parameters such as record length, vertical scaling, and sample rate. The Pinpoint trigger system within the DPO7000 and DPO/DSA70000 oscilloscopes allows selection transition, state, time, or logic-qualified trigger events on both A and B trigger inputs. When a trigger event occurs, SignalVu processes the acquisition for analysis in multiple domains. All signals in an acquisition bandwidth are recorded into the scope’s deep memory. Up to four channels can be captured simultaneously, and each can be independently analyzed by SignalVu software.
SignalVu uses the analysis capabilities found in the RSA6100A analyzer. In addition to providing spectrum analysis, the software can generate spectrograms that display frequency and amplitude changes over time. Time-correlated measurements can be made across the frequency, phase, amplitude, and modulation domains.
Base price: $3490 to $6990, depending on oscilloscope bandwidth; wideband radar option—$6420; wideband-communications option—$5450. Tektronix, www.tektronix.com.
Calendar
OFCNFOEC, March 22–26, San Diego, CA. Managed by the Optical Society of America. www.ofcnfoec.org.
Measurement Science Conference, March 23–27, Anaheim, CA. Sponsored by Measurement Science Conference. www.msc-conf.com.
APEX, March 31–April 2, Las Vegas, NV. Sponsored by IPC. www.goipcshows.org.
To learn about other conferences, courses, and calls for papers, visit www.tmworld.com/events.
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