Glossary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0-9
A
Å —— angstrom
A/D —— analog-to-digital
absorption —— The loss of light energy in an optical fiber due to impurities in the glass.
AC —— alternating current
ACM —— Association for Computing Machinery
ACM —— Adaptive Coding and Modulation, related to HSDPA.
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA6302574
ACPM —— adjacent-channel power measurement
ACPR —— adjacent-channel power ratio
active filter —— An electronic filter that combines active circuit devices, usually operational amplifiers, with resistors and capacitors. Typically, active filters more closely match ideal filters than passive filters do.
ADC —— analog-to-digital converter
ADSL —— asymmetric digital subscriber line
AES —— Audio Engineering Society
AF —— audio frequency
AFC —— automatic frequency control
AFM —— atomic force microscope
AFR —— absolute frequency reference
AGC —— automatic gain control
AI —— artificial intelligence
ALC —— automatic level control
algorithm —— A set of rules with a finite number of steps for solving a problem.
alias frequency —— A false lower-frequency component that appears in analog data that is reconstructed from original data digitized at an insufficiently high sampling rate.
ALU —— arithmetic logic unit
AM —— amplitude modulation
AM/PM/VSB —— amplitude modulation/phase modulation/vestigial sideband
ambient level —— The values of signals and noise that exist at a test location when the device under test is not active.
AMLCD —— active-matrix liquid crystal display
amplitude modulation —— The process in which the amplitude of a carrier wave is varied according to a specific law.
AMPS —— advanced mobile phone system
analog-to-digital conversion —— The process that changes an analog signal into a digital magnitude value.
analog-to-digital converter (ADC or A/D converter) —— An electronic circuit that produces a digital output directly proportional to an analog signal input.
anechoic chamber —— An enclosure especially designed with walls that absorb sound or radiation, creating an essentially free-field environment for testing.
ANSI —— American National Standards Institute
antenna —— A device that radiates or receives radio waves.
anti-alias filter —— A filter that attenuates noise and high-frequency components of an analog signal prior to its conversion into a digital value.
AOI —— automated optical inspection
API —— application programming interface
API —— application programming interface
AQL —— acceptance quality level
area analysis —— An image-analysis technique that finds the area in an image that falls within a range of specific gray levels.
ARINC —— Aeronautical Radio Inc.
array —— An ordered arrangement of information.
ASCII —— American (National) Standard Code for Information Interchange
ASE —— amplified spontaneous emission
ASI —— Asynchronous serial interface, a method for transferring digital TV data as a single-program TS.
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA604155
ASIC —— application-specific integrated circuit
aspect ratio —— The width-to-height ratio of a video picture.
ASQC —— American Society of Quality Control
assembler —— A program that translates mnemonics into binary codes that run on a computer.
asynchronous —— An action that takes place at an arbitrary time, without synchronization to a reference timer or clock.
asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) —— A fast-packet switching technology that uses asynchronous time-division multiplexing.
ATE —— automatic test equipment
ATG —— automatic test generation
ATLAS —— Abbreviated test language for avionic systems.
ATM —— asynchronous transfer mode
ATPG —— automatic test program (or pattern) generator
ATSC —— Advanced Television Systems Committee
attenuation —— The difference in a signal's voltage, current, or power from when the signal is transmitted to when it is received.
attenuation coefficient —— The rate of optical power loss with respect to distance; measured in decibels per kilometer (dB/km) at a specific wavelength.
averaging —— Mathematically smoothing the results of several measurements by adding them and dividing by the number of samples.
AWG —— (1) American wire gauge (2) arbitrary waveform generator
background —— In a personal computer, programmed operations that take place without direct operator intervention; for example, network operations, printing, and display refreshing. See also foreground.
balun —— balanced-to-unbalanced transformer
balun —— An antenna-balancing device that matches a balanced or symmetrical load (a dipole antenna) to an unbalanced load (a coaxial-cable feed line). ('Balun' is derived from 'balanced-to-unbalanced.')
band-pass filter —— A filter that passes only those signal frequencies between two set frequencies.
bandwidth (BW) —— A range of frequencies over which a system works without degrading the original signal.
bandwidth-distance product —— The information-carrying capacity of a transmission medium in units of MHz·km.
baseband —— In video and audio transmissions, a signal that is unmodulated.
BCD —— binary-coded decimal
BER —— bit error rate
BERT —— bit error rate tester
BGA —— ball-grid array
BHCA —— busy hour call attempts
BIB —— burn-in board
BIOS —— basic input-output system
bipolar —— (1) A signal that includes positive and negative values. (2) A type of semiconductor.
BIRA —— Built-in redundancy analysis.
BISDN —— broadband integrated services digital network
B-ISDN —— broadband integrated services digital network
BISR —— Built-in self-repair.
BIST —— built-in self-test
BIT —— built-in test
bit map —— A set of values that specify colors or gray levels in an image.
BITE —— built-in test equipment
blob —— A connected region in an image in which all pixels have the same gray level.
blooming —— Saturation of light-sensing elements in a TV camera. Blooming causes clipping at the camera's maximum brightness level.
BNC —— bayonet-Neill-Concelman
BP —— bandpass
bps —— bits per second
BPSK —— binary phase-shift keying
BQFP —— bumper quad flat pack
brightness —— The value associated with a pixel that represents a gray value between black and white.
broadband emission —— An emission that has a spectral energy distribution that is sufficiently broad, uniform, and continuous to ensure that a measuring receiver's response does not vary significantly when tuned over a given frequency range.
BS —— boundary scan
BSDL —— Boundary-Scan Description Language
BSI —— British Standards Institution
butterfly —— A basic math operation that forms part of a fast Fourier transform algorithm.
BW —— bandwidth
CA —— collision advance
CAD —— computer-aided design
CAE —— computer-aided engineering
CAMAC —— computer-automated measurement and control
CAN —— controller area network
CASE —— computer-aided software engineering
CAT —— computer-aided test
CC —— constant current
CCD —— charge-coupled device
CCDF —— complementary cumulative distribution function
CCIR —— Comité Consultatif International des Radiocommunications (replaced by ITU-R)
CCITT —— Comité Consultatif International Télégraphique et Téléphonique (replaced by ITU-T)
cd —— candela
CDMA —— code-division multiple access
cdma2000 —— a proposed third-generation (3G) wireless technology that builds on cdmaOne
cdmaOne —— a code-division multiple access (CDMA) technology, embodied in the IS-95A standard
CENELEC —— Comité Européen de Normalisation Electronique
CFC —— chlorofluorocarbon
checksum —— The sum of a group of data values. Usually transmitted with the data to assist in error detection.
chip —— a binary element of a spreading sequence, or the corresponding time interval
chrominance —— The color part of a video signal that defines the hue and saturation, but not the brightness or luminance, of the signal.
CIIL —— Common Instrument (or Control Intermediate) Interface Language
CISC —— complex instruction set computer
CISPR —— Comité International Spécial de Perturbations Radioélectriques
cladding —— The material that surrounds the core of an optical cable.
CLCC —— ceramic leaded chip carrier
CMOS —— complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
CMRR —— common-mode rejection ratio
CMV —— common-mode voltage
CMVR —— common-mode voltage ratio
CMYK —— cyan, magenta, yellow, black
COB —— chip-on-board
CODEC —— coder-decoder
codec —— An abbreviation of coder-decoder; a device that can encode and decode information.
cold-junction compensation —— An artificial reference level that compensates for ambient temperature variations in thermocouple circuits.
collimate —— To create a light beam in which all optical rays are parallel.
color bars —— Standard test pattern on a display screen of fully saturated colors (red, green, blue, magenta, cyan, and yellow) plus black and white.
COM —— common object model
common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR) —— A measure of an instrument's ability to ignore or reject interference from a signal that is common to the instrument's input terminals, but relative to ground. (Expressed in decibels.)
comparator —— A circuit that compares two signals and changes a binary output when one signal exceeds the other.
compiler —— A program that translates high-level-language statements into codes that a computer can execute.
complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF) —— used to characterize a transmitted signal's peak-to-average power ratio vs. the probability of a particular ratio's occurrence
composite sync —— A video signal that contains horizontal-sync pulses, vertical-sync pulses, and equalizing pulses only, with a no-signal reference level.
composite video —— A signal composed of luminance (black and white), chrominance (color), blanking pulses, sync pulses, and a color-burst signal.
conducted emission —— Electromagnetic energy that is propagated along a conductor. This energy is called 'conducted interference' if it is undesired.
contrast —— A measure of brightness content in an image. High contrast implies mainly dark-black and bright-white content; low contrast implies a small spread of gray values.
conversion time —— The time required from the moment a channel is interrogated to the moment that accurate data is available. Usually associated with DACs and ADCs.
convolution —— The integration of the product of two functions in time. Convolution in the time domain is equivalent to multiplication in the frequency domain.
Coordinated Universal Time or Universal Time Coordinated —— A coordinated time scale that forms the basis of a coordinated dissemination of standard frequencies and time signals.
coprocessor —— A processor that operates with the CPU to boost speed. For example, a digital signal processing (DSP) chip can free the CPU from having to perform repetitious math operations.
COTS —— commercial off-the-shelf
counter —— (1) In software, a memory location used to store a count of certain occurrences. (2) In hardware, a circuit that counts events. See also event counter.
counterpoise —— The reference-plane portion (grounded or ungrounded) of an unbalanced antenna.
CPLD —— complex PLD
cps —— cycles per second
CPS —— characters per second
CPU —— central processing unit
CQFP —— ceramic quad flat pack
CRC —— cyclic redundancy check
CRM —— Customer relationship management.
cross assembler —— A program that runs on one computer and generates instructions for another type of computer.
cross coupling —— The coupling of a signal from one channel, circuit, or conductor to another, where it becomes an undesired signal.
cross modulation —— Modulation of a desired signal by an undesired signal. This is a special case of intermodulation. See also intermodulation.
crosstalk —— A phenomenon in which one or more signals interfere with another signal.
crowbar —— An overvoltage protection method which shorts the power supply output to ground in order to protect the load when an overvoltage fault is detected.
CRT —— cathode ray tube
CSA —— Canadian Standards Association
CSMA/CA —— carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance
CSMA/CD —— carrier sense multiple access/collision detection
CTE —— coefficient of thermal expansion
CTL —— Core Test Language as defined in the IEEE 1450.6 standard and derived from the IEEE 1500 standard.
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA218789.html
current loop —— A communications method that transmits data as current flow over relatively long distances and through environments with relatively high noise.
CV —— constant voltage
CW —— continuous wave
cyclic redundancy check (CRC) —— a mathematically generated number that data receivers use to verify the proper bit arrangement in a bit stream.
D/A —— digital-to-analog
DAC —— digital-to-analog converter
DAQ —— data acquisition
DAS —— data-acquisition system
data acquisition (DAQ) —— Gathering information from sources such as sensors and transducers.
dB —— decibel
dBa —— decibels adjusted
dBa0 —— noise power measured at zero transmission level point
dBc/Hz —— level difference referred to carrier level calculated for a measurement bandwidth of 1 Hz. (Spectrum and network analysis.)
dBm —— dB referred to 1 milliwatt
dBm (psoph) —— noise power in dBm measured by a set with psophometric weighting
dBm0 —— noise power in dBm referred to or measured at 0TLP
dBm0p —— noise power in dBm measured by a psophometric or noise measuring set having psophometric weighting
dBmV —— dB referred to 1 millivolt across 75 ohms
DBPSK —— differential-binary phase-shift keying
dBr —— power difference in dB between any point and a reference point
dBrn —— dB above a reference noise
dBrn(f1­f2) —— flat noise power in dBrn
dBrnC —— noise power in dBrn measured by a set with C-message weighting
dBrnC0 —— noise power in dBrnC referred to or measured at 0TLP
DBS —— direct broadcast satellite
dBV —— dB relative to 1 V (volt) peak-to-peak
dBW —— dB referred to 1 W (watt)
dBx —— dB above reference coupling
DC —— direct current
DCA —— direct chip attach
DCE —— data communications equipment
DCS —— digital cellular service
DCT —— discrete cosine transform
DDE —— dynamic data exchange
DDR —— double data rate (refers to a type of SDRAM)
DDS —— direct digital synthesis
decibel (dB) —— A logarithmic measure of the ratio of two signal levels: dB = 20 log (Voltage1 / Voltage2) and dB = 10 log (Power1 / Power2). Variants on the decibel (dB) used in spectrum-analysis and network-analysis measurements are dBmV (absolute voltage level referr
decoupling-network —— An electrical circuit that prevents test signals that are applied to the unit under test from affecting other devices, equipment, or systems that are not under test.
DECT —— digital European cordless telecom
degradation —— An unwanted change in the performance of a system undergoing testing. A degradation is not necessarily a malfunction or failure.
DES —— Data Encryption Standard
design rules —— Allowable dimensions used in the layout and design of an integrated circuit. Such rules are specific to different types of ICs.
device driver —— See driver.
DFB —— distributed feedback
DFM —— design for manufacturability
DFT —— (1) design for test (2) discrete Fourier transform
DGPS —— differential GPS
DIB —— device interface board (a load board or DUT board)
digital-to-analog conversion —— The process that changes discrete values into a voltage or current.
digital-to-analog converter (DAC or D/A converter) —— A device that converts digital information into a corresponding analog voltage or current.
DIMM —— dual in-line memory module
DIN —— Deutsches Institut fur Normung (German Institute for Standards)
DIP —— dual in-line package
dipole —— An antenna made of a straight conductor (usually not longer than half a wavelength) that is divided at its electrical center and connected to a transmission line.
direct memory access (DMA) —— The direct transfer of information between a computer's memory and a device while the computer's CPU does something else.
discrete cosine transform —— A mathematical operation that compresses video data in JPEG and MPEG files.
DLL —— dynamic link library
DMA —— direct memory access
DMB-T —— Digital Multimedia Broadcast Technology, a Chinese standard for digital television
DMM —— digital multimeter
DNL —— differential nonlinearity
DNS —— Domain Name System
DOS —— disk operating system
downlink —— a transmission from a base station to a mobile unit
DPCH —— Dedicated Physical Channel.
DPM —— (1) digital panel meter (2) defects per million
DQPSK —— differential-quadrature phase-shift keying
DRAM —— dynamic random access memory
DRDRAM —— Direct RAMBUS DRAM
driver —— Software that controls a specific hardware device, such as a data-acquisition board or a printer.
DSL —— digital subscriber loop
DSO —— digital sampling (or storage) oscilloscope
DSP —— digital signal processor (or processing)
DSSS —— direct-sequence spread spectrum
DTE —— data terminal equipment
DTMF —— dual-tone multiple frequency
DUT —— device under test
DVB-H —— Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA604155
DVB-T —— Digital Video Broadcast-Terrestrial
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA604155
DVD —— digital versatile disk
DVM —— digital voltmeter
DWT —— discrete wavelet transform
dynamic range —— The ratio of the full-scale range (FSR) of a data converter to the smallest difference the converter can resolve. (Dynamic range is generally expressed in decibels.)
EDA —— electronic design automation
EDFA —— erbium-doped fiber amplifier
EDGE —— enhanced data rates for GSM evolution
edge detection —— A technique that locates an edge by examining an image for abrupt changes in pixel values. See also image processing.
EDIF —— Electronic Design Interchange Format
EDO —— extended data out (RAM)
EEPROM —— electrically erasable programmable read-only memory
EFT —— electrical fast transient
EIA/J —— Electronic Industries Association
EISA —— extended ISA (PC bus)
EL —— electroluminescent
electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) —— (1) The ability of electronic equipment to operate in an intended electromagnetic environment without degradation caused by interference. (2) The ability of equipment to operate in its electromagnetic environment without creating interference with other e
ELF —— extremely low frequency (<3 kHz)
EMC —— electromagnetic compatibility
emf —— electromotive force
EMF —— electromagnetic field
EMI —— electromagnetic interference
EMP —— electromagnetic pulse
EMR —— electromagnetic radiation
EN —— Norme Europeenne (European standard)
ENI —— equivalent noise input
EO —— electro-optical (or -optic)
ephemeris time —— An astronomical time scale based on the orbital motion of the earth around the sun.
EPLD —— erasable programmable logic device
EPP —— enhanced parallel port
EPROM —— erasable programmable read-only memory
ERP —— effective radiated power
ERP/MRP —— Enterprise resource planning/materials requirements planning
ESD —— electrostatic discharge
ESR —— equivalent series resistance
ESS —— (1) environmental stress screening (2) electronic switching system
ETS —— equivalent time sampling
ETSI —— European Telecommunications Standards Institute
EU —— European Union
EUT —— equipment under test
eV —— electron volt
event counter —— A circuit that counts the occurrences of a certain condition. See also counter.
EVM —— error-vector magnitude
F/V —— frequency-to-voltage
FA —— failure analysis
false color —— Color added to an image to call attention to details that aren't readily perceptible or to create special effects.
far field —— The region in which the power flux density from an antenna obeys the inverse-square law. For a dipole antenna, distances beyond l/2 are far-field regions.
FC —— fiber channel
FCC —— Federal Communications Commission
FDDI —— fiber distributed data interface
FDM —— frequency-division multiplexing
FDMA —— frequency-division multiple access
feature —— In inspection, any characteristic of an image or a region in an image.
feature extraction —— A technique that generates a set of descriptors or characteristic attributes from a binary image.
FEC —— forward error correction
FEC —— Forward-error correction, an algorithm to correct transmission errors on the receiving end.
FET —— field-effect transistor
FFT —— fast Fourier transform
FIB —— focused ion beam
Fibre Channel ——
field —— (1) The set of either the even or odd lines in an interlaced video image. The concept of a field is used when dealing with an interlaced video display. (2) A large open site at which testing can take place.
field of view —— The area of the object under view as represented at the focal plane of a camera.
field strength —— The measurement of either the electric field or the magnetic field that is made in the far field. (Expressed in units of V/m, A/m, or W/m.)
FIFO —— first-in, first-out
file transfer protocol (FTP) —— A protocol that transfers files over the Internet.
filter —— An operation that selectively removes noise from a signal. Electronic filters include low-pass, band-pass, and high-pass types. Mathematical filters can operate on data to extract information and to enhance images.
FIR —— finite impulse response
firewall —— Hardware or software that protects a network from unauthorized access.
firmware —— A program permanently recorded in ROM; it is effectively a piece of hardware that performs software functions.
FIT —— (1) fault isolation test (2) failures in time
flaw detection —— An image-analysis technique that examines an object for unwanted features of unknown shapes at unknown positions.
FM —— frequency modulation
FO —— fiber-optic
foreground —— In a personal computer, the activity subject to direct operator intervention. Background activities may be running on the computer simultaneously.
forward channel —— the channel used for downlink transmissions
FPGA —— field-programmable gate array
FQFP —— fine-pitch quad flat pack
frame —— In inspection, the total area of the picture that is scanned by a camera.
frame grabber —— A device that digitizes an image and stores it in a computer's memory.
frame rate —— The frequency at which an image is completely updated on a display monitor.
frame relay —— A technology for transmitting data packets in high-speed bursts across a digital network.
frequency standard —— A precise frequency generator such as a rubidium, cesium, or hydrogen maser whose output is used as a frequency.
FRU —— field replaceable unit
FS —— full scale
FSK —— frequency-shift keying
ftp —— file transfer protocol
FWM —— four-wave mixing
GenICam —— GENeric programming Interface for CAMeras.
For more information: http://www.genicam.org
genlock —— Extraction of horizontal-sync and vertical-sync signals from a video signal and the use of those signals to synchronize video equipment.
GFSK —— Gaussian frequency-shift keying
GIF —— graphic interchange file
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) —— A pan-European standard for digital cellular radio. Originally known as Groupe Spéciale Mobile.
GMSK —— Gaussian-filtered minimum-shift keying
GPIB —— general purpose instrument bus
GPRS —— general packet radio service; a standard for wireless data transmission
GPS —— Global Positioning System (or Satellite)
graded-index fiber —— An optical fiber in which the refractive index increases toward the center of the fiber.
gray level —— The brightness value assigned to a pixel; values range from black, through gray, to white.
gray scale —— The discrete gray levels that are defined for an imaging system or imaging software. In an eight-bit system, the gray scale runs from 0 to 255.
ground —— (1) An electrically neutral wire that has the same potential as the surrounding earth. Normally, a non-current-carrying circuit intended for safety. (2) A common reference point for an electrical system.
ground loop —— An unintentionally induced feedback loop caused by two or more circuits sharing a common electrical ground.
ground plane —— A conducting surface or plate used as a common electrical reference point for circuits.
GSM —— Global System for Mobile Communications (originally Groupe Speciale Mobile)
GUI —— graphical user interface
HALT —— highly accelerated life test
hard hand-off —— a break-before-make transfer of a mobile phone’s link from one base station to another
harmonic distortion (HD) —— A form of distortion in analog circuits that generates harmonics (signals whose frequencies are integer multiples of the input signal). It is calculated as the ratio of a single harmonic to the level of the original signal. Harmonic distortion is related
HARQ —— Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request, related to HSDPA.
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA6302574
HASS —— highly accelerated stress screening
HAST —— highly accelerated stress test
HBM —— human body model
HCFC —— hydrogenated chlorofluorocarbon
HD —— harmonic distortion
HDL —— hardware description language
HDSL —— high-bit-rate digital subscriber line
HDTV —— high-definition television
hexadecimal —— The base-16 numbering system.
HF —— high frequency (3 MHz to 30 MHz)
high-pass filter —— (1) A math operation that emphasizes details in an image. (2) A circuit that attenuates low-frequency components in an analog signal.
hipot —— high-potential
histogram —— In inspection, the graphical representation of the gray-scale values found in an image.
horizontal blanking —— The blanking signal that occurs at the end of each video scanning line.
horizontal sync —— The portion of a video signal that indicates the end of a line of video information.
HPA —— high-power amplifier
HPSK —— hybrid phase-shift keying
HSDPA —— High-Speed Downlink Packet Access, a data-transmission technology that has evolved from WCDMA.
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA6302574
HS-DSCH —— High-Speed Downlink Shared Channel, HSDPA's 'fat pipe.'
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA6302574
HSUPA —— High Speed Uplink Packet Access.
HTML —— hypertext markup language
http —— hypertext transfer protocol
hue —— The distinction between colors. Red, blue, green, and yellow are examples of hues. White, black, and gray are not considered hues because they are intensities, not colors.
HV —— high voltage
hypertext transfer protocol (http) —— The protocol that negotiates document delivery to a Web browser from a Web server.
Hz —— hertz
I/O —— input/output
I/O address —— A specific hardware circuit and software value that the CPU uses to distinguish between the different boards in a system.
I/Q —— in-phase/quadrature
IA —— instrumentation amplifier
IBIS —— input output buffer information specification
IC —— integrated circuit
ICE —— in-circuit emulator
IDC —— insulation displacement connector
IDDQ —— Semiconductor device quiescent current.
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA331921
IEC —— International Electrotechnical Commission
IEE —— Institution of Electrical Engineers (UK)
IEEE —— Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
For more information: http://www.ieee.org
IES —— Institute of Environmental Sciences
IF —— intermediate frequency
IFT —— inverse fast Fourier transform
IGBT —— insulated (or isolated) gate bipolar transistor
IIR —— infinite impulse response
image analysis —— A technique that extracts features and descriptions from images.
image processing —— Transforming a source image into an improved image that supplies specific properties. For example, edge detection is an image-processing method.
IMAPS —— International Microelectronics and Packaging Society
IMD —— intermodulation distortion
immunity —— The property of a piece of equipment that enables it to reject an electrical disturbance.
impulse —— An electromagnetic pulse of short duration--shorter than one cycle at the highest frequency being considered.
iNEMI —— The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative, an industry-led consortium of approximately 70 electronics manufacturers, suppliers, and related organizations.
For more information: http://www.inemi.org
INL —— integral nonlinearity
instrumentation amplifier (IA) —— An amplifier circuit with high-impedance differential inputs and high common-mode rejection.
intermodulation —— The mixing of two signals in a nonlinear device. This produces signals at frequencies that are the sum and difference of integral multiples of the original signals. See also cross modulation.
interpreter —— A program that translates high-level-language instructions, one at a time, into computer code. The computer runs the resulting code as soon as the interpreter translates individual instructions. Examples include dialects of Basic.
interrupt —— A signal that requires immediate attention from a computer's CPU.
interrupt handler —— The software routine that handles an interrupt's request for service.
interrupt vector —— A type of interrupt that immediately points a computer to a new series of instructions. See also interrupt.
IP —— (1) Internet protocol (2) intellectual property
IPC —— Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits
IPI —— intelligent peripheral interface
IR —— (1) infrared radiation (2) insulation resistance
IRQ —— interrupt request
ISA —— (1) Instrument Society of America (2) Industry Standard Architecture
ISDN —— integrated services digital network
ISO —— International Organization for Standardization
isolation amplifier —— An amplifier that provides electrically isolated inputs and outputs that let it amplify a differential signal that is superimposed on a high common-mode voltage.
isolation voltage —— The voltage that an isolated circuit can normally withstand. Isolation voltage is specified from input to input or from any input to the amplifier output.
isotropic —— Having properties that have equal value in all directions.
ISP —— in-system programmable
ISR —— interrupt service routine
ITS —— Institute for Telecommunication Sciences
ITU —— International Telecommunications Union
ITU-R —— ITU radio communications unit
ITU-T —— ITU telecommunications unit
Java —— A subset of the C++ language specifically meant for running applications on the Web.
JEDEC —— Joint Electron Device Engineering Council
JEDEC —— The JEDEC Solid State Technology Association (once known as the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council).
For more information: http://www.jedec.org/
JIT —— just in time
JPEG —— Joint Photographic Experts Group
JTAG —— Joint Test Action Group
Julian day —— Obtained by counting days from the starting point of noon on 1 January 4713 B.C. (Julian Day zero). One way of telling what day it is with the least possible ambiguity. The Julian Date but may be used in other contexts.
KGD —— known-good die
LAN —— local area network
laser —— light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation
LAT —— Local area transport, a proprietary Digital Equipment Corp. (now part of Hewlett-Packard) protocol used to transfer data to and from Digital hosts
LCC —— leadless chip carrier
LCCC —— leadless ceramic chip carrier
LCD —— liquid crystal display
leap second —— An intentional time step of one second used to adjust UTC to ensure approximate agreement with UT1 (see Julian day). An inserted second is called a positive leap second, and an omitted second is called a negative leap second.
LED —— light-emitting diode
LF —— low frequency (30 kHz to 300 kHz)
LFSR —— Linear feedback shift register, a circuit that can be used in test-pattern generation.
LGA —— land-grid array
LIF —— low-insertion force
LIN —— local interconnect network, a serial communication system for distributed electronic systems in vehicles.
line —— In imaging, the coordinate that defines the vertical location of a pixel in an image.
linearity —— The relationship of a device's response to a straight line.
LNA —— low-noise amplifier
LO —— local oscillator
low-pass filter —— (1) A circuit that attenuates the high-frequency components in an analog signal. (2) An operation that blurs details in an image.
LRU —— line replaceable unit
LSB —— (1) least significant bit (2) lower sideband
LSI —— large-scale integration
luminance —— The brightness or intensity of a color.
LUT —— look-up table
MAC-hs —— Medium Access Control high-speed, related to HSDPA.
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA6302574
macro —— A set of program steps combined by a user or a programmer that act as a single and more powerful program step.
MATE —— modular automatic test equipment
MCC —— Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (formerly Microelectronics and Computer Consortium)
MCM —— multichip module
Mcps —— megachips per second
MDA —— manufacturing defects analyzer
MEMS —— microelectromechanical systems
MES —— Manufacturing execution system.
MFP —— mini flat pack
MIME —— multipurpose (or multimedia) Internet mail extension
mismatch —— A nonideal coupling of two circuits. The part of the signal that does not pass through the coupling gets reflected and leads to measurement error.
MMIC —— monolithic microwave integrated circuit
monochrome —— An image represented by a single color. Generally, a monochrome image is presented as white on a black background.
monopole —— An antenna that consists of a straight conductor and is usually not more than one quarter of a wavelength long. A monopole is mounted immediately above, and at a right angle to, a ground plane.
monotonicity —— A characteristic of a properly operating DAC in which the analog output increases as the digital code input to it increases.
MOSFET —— metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor
MPE —— Multiprotocol encapsulation, which includes methods to encode an IP datagram stream onto a TS.
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA604155
MPE-FEC —— Multiprotocol encapsulation forward-error correction.
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA604155
MPEG —— Moving (or Motion) Picture Experts Group
MPI —— main path interface; multipath interface
MPI-R —— main path interface at the receiver
MPI-S —— main path interface at the transmitter
MPU —— microprocessor (or microprocessing) unit
MSB —— most significant bit
MSI —— medium-scale integration
MSK —— minimum-shift keying
MTBF —— mean time between failures
MTTF —— mean time to failure
MTTR —— mean time to repair
multiplexer (MUX) —— A set of semiconductor or electromechanical switches arranged to select one of many inputs to a single output.
MUX —— multiplexer
MWM —— multiwavelength meter
MXI —— multiplatform extension for instrumentation
NCSL —— National Council of Standards Laboratories
NEMA —— National Electrical Manufacturers Association
NEP —— noise equivalent power
NF —— noise figure
NIC —— network interface card
NIST —— National Institute of Standards and Technology
NMRR —— normal-mode rejection ratio
noise —— Undesirable electrical interference to a signal.
noise distortion —— The nonlinear behavior that circuits or devices exhibit when driven with a broadband noise signal.
noise floor —— (1) The level below which no information can be obtained from a signal. A signal that occurs below a noise floor is permanently lost. (2) The minimum discernible signal that can be detected by a receiver.
NRE —— nonrecurring engineering
NRZ —— nonreturn to zero
NRZI —— nonreturn to zero inverted
NTC —— negative temperature coefficient
NTSC —— National Television System Committee
NTSC (National Television System Committee) —— A 60-Hz standard for encoding color video signals. The standard is used in North America, Canada, Japan, and most of South America. See also PAL, RS-170.
NVLAP —— National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program
Nyquist sampling theorem —— A theorem that states that if you sample a signal at rate f, the sampled signal will contain no information about signals with frequency components above f/2.
OA —— optical amplifier
OCX —— OLE control
OE —— opto-electric
OEM —— original equipment manufacturer
ofdm —— orthogonal frequency division multiplexing
off-hook —— in telephony, the situation that exists when a telephone handset is in use--it is 'off the hook'.
OLE —— object linking and embedding
on-hook —— in telephony, the situation that exists when a telephone handset is not in use--it is 'on the hook'.
OOP —— object oriented programming
open area —— An open and flat test site at which electromagnetic-interference measurements are taken and at which effects from power wires, buildings, and underground cables are negligible. Ambient radiation must be low enough to permit testing.
optical isolator —— A device that links two circuits through an optoelectronic transmitter and receiver with no direct electrical connection between the two circuits.
OQPSK —— offset-quadrature phase-shift keying
OS —— operating system
OSC —— optical supervisory channel
OSNR —— optical signal-to-noise ratio
OTDR —— optical time-domain reflectometer
OVP —— overvoltage protection
PA —— power amplifier
PAL —— (1) programmable array logic (2) phase alternation line
PAL (phase alternation line) —— A 50-Hz composite color video standard used in Western Europe, India, China, and some Middle Eastern countries. See also NTSC, RS-170.
palette —— The range of colors that a display can produce.
passive filter —— A filter circuit using only passive components such as resistors, capacitors, and inductors.
PBX —— private branch exchange
PC Card —— The name of version 3.0 of the PCMCIA form factor.
PCB —— printed circuit board
PCI —— Peripheral Component Interconnect
PCM —— pulse code modulation
PCMCIA —— Personal Computer Memory Card International Association
P-Code —— precise code
PDH —— plesio-synchronous digital hierarchy
PF —— power factor
PGA —— pin-grid array
pigtail —— A fiber-optic cable that has a connector installed on one end.
PIND —— particle impact noise detection
pitch —— The center-to-center distance between adjacent leads on a device or package.
PIV —— peak inverse volts (or voltage)
pixel —— (1) The fundamental picture element in a digital image. (2) The coordinate unit used to define the horizontal location of a pixel in an image. ('Pixel' is an acronym for 'picture element.')
PLA —— programmable logic array
PLCC —— plastic leaded chip carrier
PLD —— programmable logic device
PLL —— phase-locked loop
PM —— (1) pulse modulation (2) phase modulation
PMD —— polarization mode dispersion
PMI —— Probe mark inspection.
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA6338187.html
PN —— pseudonoise
polarization —— The orientation of the field vector in a radiated field.
polling —— A round-robin canvassing of inputs to a computer to determine which ones are active. In most cases, polling is synchronized in software to a clock or external trigger.
port —— A communications connection on a computer or a remote controller. For example, an I/O port.
POST —— power-on self-test
POTS —— plain old telephone service (or system)
p-p —— peak-to-peak
ppm —— parts per million
PQFP —— plastic quad flat pack
PRF —— pulse repetition frequency
primary frequency standard —— A standard whose frequency corresponds to the adopted definition of the second with its specified accuracy achieved without external calibration of the device. Currently, only the cesium frequency standard is defined as a primary standard.
PRN —— pseudorandom noise
PROM —— programmable read-only memory
PSD —— power spectral density
pseudonoise (PN) —— in CDMA technology, random digital sequences used to spread the spectrum of a digital uplink baseband message signal
PSI/SI —— Program specific information, data required by a receiver to de-multiplex and decode the various programs in a TS.
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA604155
PSK —— phase-shift keying
PSTN —— public switched telephone network
PWB —— printed wiring board
PWM —— pulse-width modulation
QA —— quality assurance
QAM —— quadrature amplitude modulation
QC —— quality control
QCPM —— quadrature continuous phase modulation
QFN —— Quad-flat-pack no-lead package.
QFP —— quad flat pack
QML —— qualified manufacturers list
QPL —— qualified parts (or products) list
QPSK —— quadrature ph-shift keying
quantizing error —— The inherent uncertainty in digitizing an analog value that is caused by the finite resolution of the conversion process. Increasing the resolution of an ADC reduces the uncertainty.
R/W —— read/write
radio-frequency interference (RFI) —— High-frequency interference with radio reception.
RAM —— random access memory
range —— The maximum and minimum allowable full-scale signal (input or output) that yields a specified performance level.
RC —— (1) resistor-capacitor (2) remote control (3) radio-controlled
RCVR —— receiver
reflectance —— The ratio of power reflected to the incident power at a connector junction or other component or device, usually measured in dB.
region of interest —— In inspection, the area inside defined boundaries of an image that you want to analyze.
repeatability —— The ability of an instrument to give the same output or reading under repeated identical conditions.
resolution —— (1) The smallest division to which a measurement can be determined. For example, an ADC with 12-bit resolution can resolve 1 part in 4096 (212) over its input range. (2) In inspection: (a) a measure of the spatial resolution of either a camera or a displ
reverse channel —— the channel used for uplink transmissions
RF —— radio frequency
RFI —— radio-frequency interference
RGB —— red-green-blue
RGB (red-green-blue) —— A video-display standard in which three separate signals--red, green, and blue--transmit image information.
RH —— relative humidity
RIMM —— Trademark for Direct Rambus memory module
RISC —— reduced instruction set computer (or computing)
RJ-11 —— four-wire phone-line connector
RJ-45 —— eight-wire phone-line connector
RMS —— root-mean-square
RoHS —— Restriction of use of Hazardous Substances.
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA6311821.html
ROM —— read-only memory
RS-170 —— The encoding standard for 60-Hz black-and-white television signals; it is used as the standard for most monochrome video equipment. See also NTSC, PAL.
RS-343 —— Similar to RS-170, but this encoding standard provides high-resolution color information for computer video applications.
RSS —— root summed square (in circuit simulation, a statistical method of determining the effects of component tolerances on an output signal level)
RT —— (1) real time (2) risetime
RTCP —— real-time transport control protocol
RTD —— resistance temperature detector
RTL —— register transfer level
RTOS —— real-time operating system
RTP —— real-time transport protocol
S/H —— sample and hold
S/N —— signal-to-noise
SA —— spectrum analyzer
SAE —— Society of Automotive Engineers
salicide —— a self-aligned silicide; a silicon or polysilicon reaction with a metal that forms a new compound self-aligned to the device component structure, such as the gate, source, and drain regions. (Definition obtained from Sematech, www.sematech.org.)
sample and hold (S/H) —— A circuit that acquires an analog voltage and stores it temporarily in a capacitor. This circuit is also referred to as a sample-and-hold amplifier (SHA).
SAW —— surface acoustic wave
SBC —— single-board computer
SBS —— stimulated Brillouin scattering
SCFM —— standard cubic feet per minute (i.e., at room temperature and pressure)
SCPI —— Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments
SCSI —— Small Computer Standard Interface
SDH —— synchronous digital hierarchy
SDRAM —— synchronous dynamic random access memory
SECAM —— System Electronique Couleur avec Memoire
SECAM —— sequential color and memory, a video standard used in China, Russia, and France.
second —— The basic unit of time which equals 9,192,631,770 periods of radiation corresponding to the transition in cesium-133 atoms as defined at the 1967 Conference Generale des Poids et Mesures.
Seebeck effect —— The principle that describes how thermocouples work. A thermocouple circuit contains two junctions of two dissimilar metals. When the junctions are at different temperatures, a current flows.
SEM —— scanning electron microscope
SEMI —— Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International Association
For more information: http://www.semi.org/
sensitivity —— A measure of the minimum change in an input signal that an instrument can detect.
settling time —— The time required, after rapidly changing a circuit's input signal, for that circuit's output voltage to settle and remain within a specified error band around the final value.
SFDR —— spurious-free dynamic range
SFN —— Single-frequency network.
shmoo plot —— A graph of pass/fail test results that plots pairs of test criteria such as frequency vs. voltage, or voltage vs. temperature. The shapes of such plots may resemble (roughly) the ghost-like Shmoo character introduced to the Li'l Abner cartoon strip by Al
SI —— International System of Units
SIA —— Semiconductor Industry Association
SID —— Society for Information Display
sidereal time —— The measure of time related to the stars rather than to the sun.
signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) —— The ratio of total signal to noise expressed in decibels (dB). The larger the number, the better. SNR is calculated by SNR = 20 log (SignalRMS / NoiseRMS). A related unit is the signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio (SINAD), the ratio of the input signal
silicide —— a silicon or polysilicon reaction with a metal to form a new compound. (Definition obtained from Sematech, www.sematech.org.)
SIMM —— single in-line memory module
simultaneous sample and hold —— A data-acquisition technique in which several sample-and-hold circuits sample several different analog channels simultaneously.
SINAD —— (signal+noise+distortion)/(noise+distortion)
SIP —— single in-line package
skew —— Any observed difference in time between two events that occur simultaneously.
SLAM —— scanning laser acoustic microscope
SLIC —— subscriber-line interface circuit
SMART —— (1) stress marginality and accelerated reliability testing (2) standard module avionic repair and test
SMC —— surface-mount component
SMD —— surface-mount device
SMEMA —— Surface-Mount Equipment Manufacturers Association
SML —— Semantic markup language.
SMT —— surface-mount technology
SMTA —— Surface-Mount Technology Association
SNR —— signal-to-noise ratio
SOAP —— Simple Object Access Protocol.
SOC —— system on a chip
soft hand-off —— a make-before-break transfer of a mobile phone from one base station to another
SOIC —— small-outline integrated circuit
SOJ —— small-outline integrated circuit with J leads
SONET —— synchronous optical network
SOP —— small-outline package
SOT —— small-outline transistor
SPC —— statistical process control
SPICE —— simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis
spike —— A transient disturbance of an electrical circuit caused by, for example, load variations on the AC power line.
SPM —— scanning probe microscope
SPM —— self-phase modulation
spreading rate 1 (SR1) —— the basic chip spreading rate of 1.2288 Mcps for cdma2000
spreading rate 3 —— three times spreading rate 1 (SR1)
SQC —— statistical quality control
SQPSK —— staggered-quadrature phase-shift keying
SR1 —— spreading rate 1
SR3 —— spreading rate 3
SRAM —— static random access memory
SSA —— Single-stuck-at, a fault model that represents circuit nets stuck at logic 1 or 0 states.
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA187329.html
SSB —— single sideband
SSOP —— shrink small-outline package
stability —— The ability of an instrument or sensor to maintain a consistent output when a constant input is applied.
STEM —— scanning transmission electron microscope
STIL —— The Standard Test Interface Language, defined in the IEEE 1450 standard.
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA187302.html
STM-n —— synchronous transport module Level N
STP —— (1) shielded twisted pair (2) standard temperature and pressure
STRIFE —— stress and life
subpixel resolution —— Any imaging technique that can yield a measurement with a spatial resolution of less than one pixel.
successive-approximation —— A technique used in ADCs that sequentially compares a series of progressively smaller binary-weighted values with an analog input to produce an output digital word.
surge —— A sudden change (usually an increase) in the voltage on a power line. A surge is similar to a spike, but it lasts longer.
susceptibility —— The characteristic of electronic equipment that permits undesirable responses when the equipment is subjected to electromagnetic radiation.
SVF —— serial vector format
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA187586
SWEAT —— standard wafer-level electromigration accelerated test
SWR —— standing wave ratio
sync —— The portion of a video signal that indicates either the end of a field or a line of video information.
T/H —— track and hold
TAB —— tape automated bonding
TATR —— Test application time reduction.
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA6338186.html
TC —— (1) temperature coefficient (2) thermocouple
TCE —— thermal coefficient of expansion
TCP/IP —— transmission control protocol/Internet protocol
TDM —— time-division multiplexing
TDMA —— time-division multiple access
TDR —— time-domain reflectometer
TEM —— (1) transverse electromagnetic mode (2) transmission electron microscope
THD —— total harmonic distortion
throughput rate —— The maximum repetitive rate at which a data-conversion system can operate with a specified accuracy.
TIA —— Telecommunications Industry Association
TIFF —— tagged-image format file
time stamp —— Information added to a unit of data to indicate the time at which it was processed.
total harmonic distortion (THD) —— See harmonic distortion.
TPS —— Transmission parameter signaling, the signaling of parameters related to a transmission scheme (e.g., to channel, coding, and modulation).
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA604155
TQFP —— thin quad flat pack
TQM —— total quality management
TS —— Transport stream.
TSOP —— thin small-outline package
TTL —— transistor-transistor logic
TUV —— Technische Uberwachungs-Verein (German test lab)
UHF —— ultra-high frequency (300 MHz to 3 GHz)
uniform resource locator (URL) —— The name (or string of characters) that uniquely identifies each Web site. For example, www.tmworld.com.
uplink —— a transmission from a mobile unit to a base station
UPS —— uninterruptible power supply
URL —— uniform resource locator
USB —— (1) upper sideband (2) Universal Serial Bus
UTC —— coordinated universal time
UTP —— unshielded twisted pair
UUT —— unit under test
UV —— ultraviolet
V/F —— voltage-to-frequency
VA —— volt-ampere
VAR —— (1) volt-ampere reactive (2) value-added reseller
VB —— Visual Basic
VBX —— Visual Basic extension
VCO —— voltage-controlled oscillator
VCSEL —— Vertical-cavety surface-emitting laser, which, unlike an edge-emitting laser, can be tested at the wafer level.
VDE —— Verband Deutscher Electrotechniker (German national standards organization)
vertical sync —— The portion of a video signal that indicates the end of a field of video information. This sync pulse is used by video equipment to maintain field synchronization with the incoming video signal.
VFC —— voltage-to-frequency converter
VHDL —— VHSIC Hardware Description Language
VHDL-AMS —— VHDL with analog and mixed-signal extentions
VHF —— very high frequency (30 MHz to 300 MHz)
VHSIC —— very high speed integrated circuit
video encoder —— A device that converts RGB video to composite video.
VISA —— Virtual Instrument Software Architecture
VLF —— very low frequency (below 30 kHz)
VLSI —— very-large-scale integration
VMEbus —— versatile modular E-bus
VNA —— Vector network analyzer.
voice band —— the frequency range the telephone network will carry--300 Hz to 3000 Hz.
VoIP —— Voice over Internet Protocol
voltage-to-frequency converter (VFC) —— A device that converts an analog input voltage into a sequence of digital pulses with a frequency that is proportional to the input voltage.
VQFP —— very thin quad flat pack
VSOP —— very small-outline package
VSWR —— voltage standing-wave ratio
VXIbus —— VMEbus extension for instrumentation
Walsh code —— an orthogonal digital code used to spread the spectrum of downlink digital message signals
WAN —— wide area network
W-CDMA —— wideband CDMA
WDM —— wavelength-division multiplexing
WEEE —— Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment.
For more information: http://www.reed-electronics.com/tmworld/article/CA6311821.html
WORM —— write once, read many
X.25 —— A CCITT standard that describes how a switched-packet network handles data.
XMTR —— transmitter
XPM —— cross-phase modulations
ZIF —— zero-insertion-force
1G —— first-generation analog cellular telephone systems
2.5G —— interim cellular telephone technologies appearing during the evolution from 2G to 3G
2G —— second-generation cellular telephone systems
3G —— third-generation cellular phone service
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0-9
