News Briefs

Wavecrest (Minneapolis, MN) has installed the SIA-3600D signal-integrity instrument at ISE Labs (Fremont, CA), a subsidiary of Taiwan-based ASE Test, a semiconductor test subcontractor. The SIA-3600D installed at ISE includes software tools that test all physical layer amplitude and timing parameters such as rise time, fall time, de-emphasis ratio, eye opening, and total jitter.

At the ISE Labs facility, the SIA-3600D will run design, debug, and characterization tests on high-bandwidth graphic, I/O, and PCI Express applications. Once the tests are completed, the test programs and data will be sent to ASE Test's offshore production facilities. ASE can use the test programs to perform high-volume production testing with an SIA-3600D and correlate the results with those achieved at ISE Labs. www.wavecrest.com.

Virtual Standards, a Moscow, Russia, company that aims to enhance measurement accuracy, made its US debut at two September trade shows: Autotestcon (San Antonio, TX) and Wescon (Anaheim, CA). At Wescon, Alexander V. Lopatin, CEO, and Nickolay A. Khoteev, director of sales and client services, were on hand to describe Virtual Standard's offerings.

The company's products include proprietary algorithms that compensate for probable measurement errors, yielding a threefold to sixfold improvement in measurement accuracy, according to Khoteev. The algorithms can be accessed over the Internet; in addition, the company offers them embedded in a PLD housed within a USB module. Customers interact with the algorithms through a Windows-based user interface and can implement them by means of a LabView plug-in.

Khoteev explained that each algorithm begins with a vector Y obtained in response to measurement of vector X. The Y vectors become part of a set of equations with systematic and random errors serving as unknowns. Based on what's known about the measurement system and the parameter being measured, the set of equations can be solved to yield error estimates, which can be used to fine-tune actual measurement results.

Virtual Standards has successfully applied the algorithms to measurements of electrical parameters, pressure, frequency, temperature, laser radiation, and flow, Lopatin reported. He said the algorithms would be particularly valuable for continual self-calibration of multiple sensors.

A trial version of the algorithms is available free on the company Web site, although registration is required. www.virtualcalibration.com.

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new design for ultra-sensitive x-ray detectors that offer a more precise materials analysis than previous designs and may help semiconductor manufacturers identify nanoscale contaminant particles on silicon wafers.

Like other x-ray systems, the new design uses transition edge sensors (TES) to absorb individual x-rays and then measure their energy by measuring the resulting rise in temperature. In this way, the system can identify the x-ray "fingerprints" of particular elements. What's new about this system is the way it measures the energy, and NIST says the detector offers 30 times better x-ray energy resolution than detectors currently used in the semiconductor industry.

Other NIST systems using TES measure the rise in temperature with a bilayer of normal metal and superconducting metal that changes from zero resistance (superconducting) to a slight resistance level in response to the heat from the radiation. In the new design, NIST has combined the normal and superconducting metals into one homogenous layer. Manganese impurities are added to a 400-nm-thick aluminum film to lower its superconducting transition temperature to 100 mK.

NIST reports that the new design exhibits less noise in the x-ray signals than is typical for TES sensors, and it is simpler to produce, because fabricating the homogenous layer requires about half as many steps as the bilayer design. www.nist.gov.

If you know of a great new test product, tell us about it. Test & Measurement World's editors are once again seeking nominations for our annual Best in Test Awards. Presented every year since 1991, these awards honor products and services that demonstrate innovation in the test, measurement, and inspection of electronics components or systems.

To be eligible for the 2005 Best in Test Awards, a product must have been released between November 1, 2003, and October 31, 2004. The deadline for nominations is November 5.

From the list of winners, which we will announce in our December/January issue, we will ask our readers to vote for the Test Product of the Year. In 2004, our readers chose the Willtek 9101 handheld spectrum analyzer to receive this honor.

To learn more about the awards, and to nominate a product or service, visit www.tmworld.com/bit.

Aeroflex (Wichita, KS) has signed an agreement with Motorola, allowing the wireless company to market and distribute Aeroflex's line of advanced wireless test products in the US and Canada. Motorola will sell Aeroflex's radio test systems, spectrum analyzers, power meters, signal generators, and microwave test equipment.

Among the offerings will be the IFR 2975 P25 radio test set, which supports Motorola's SmartNet/SmartZone products. Products in the Aeroflex line are used to test mobile radio handset service, manufacturing, R&D, base installation, commissioning, and maintenance. www.aeroflex.com.

Electronica 2004, November 9–12, Munich, Germany. A trade show for assemblies and components in electronics. Sponsored by Munich Trade Fairs. www.munichtradefairs.com.

Measurement Science Conference, January 17–21, Anaheim, CA. Designed to promote education and professionalism in measurement science and related disciplines. Sponsored by The Measurement Science Conference. www.msc-conf.com.

APEX, February 22–24, Anaheim, CA. Part of the Electronic Circuits World Convention, APEX focuses on electronics assembly processes and equipment. Sponsored by IPC. www.goapex.org.

Burn-in and Test Socket Workshop, March 6–9, Mesa, AZ. A forum for information about the socket industry. Sponsored by IEEE Computer Society, Test Technology Technical Council. www.bitsworkshop.org.

Optical Fiber Communication Conference & Exposition and the National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference, March 6–11, Anaheim, CA. The combined conferences provide a comprehensive view of optical technology. Sponsored by Optical Society of America, IEEE, and Telcordia. www.nfoec.org.

International CAN Conference, March 8–10, Rome, Italy. This conference covers CAN applications and CAN-based systems. Sponsored by CAN in Automation (CiA). www.can-cia.org.

Wireless Communications and Networking Conference, March 13–17, New Orleans, LA. Tutorials, research, and industry-oriented technical content on terrestrial wireless communication in all forms. Sponsored by IEEE. www.wcnc.org.

To learn about other conferences, courses, and calls for papers, visit www.tmworld.com/events.