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~FC_EE201609_Cover_Final_eb.indd 2
8/10/2016 4:30:07 PM
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8/10/2016 4:38:23 PM
September 2016, Vol. 55, No.9
C O NT E NT S
I N S T R U M E N TAT I O N
SPECIAL REPORT
Electronic Loads
8
The loads are simulated, but the
connections are real
By Tom Lecklider, Senior Technical Editor
MEMS Product Focus
28
MEMS get hot as IoT gains steam
Research Insights
32
Biomedical engineers shine light
on blood-glucose levels
By Rick Nelson, Executive Editor
AT E
SPECIAL REPORT
MIL/Aero Test
14
Image of F-35 courtesy of Lockheed Martin
Pursuing commonality and
extended life cycles
Industry Happenings
25
EMC/EMI/RFI
EMC Gaskets
22
Sealing against EMI and the
environment
C O M M U N I C AT I O N S T E S T
Instruments
20
D E PA R T M E N T S
4
6
30
31
IoT, supply chain take center
stage at SEMICON West
LAN power sensor represents
new category of RF, microwave
instrument
By Sook-Hua Wong, Keysight Technologies
Editorial
EE Industry Update
EE Product Picks
Index of Advertisers
Flexible Electronics
26
Heterogeneous integration
boosts sensor systems
@EE_Engineers
www.facebook.com/EvaluationEngineering
Written by Engineers
…for Engineers
evaluationengineering.com
EE-EVALUATION ENGINEERING (ISSN 0149-0370). Published monthly by NP Communications, 2477 Stickney Point Rd., Ste. 221-B, Sarasota, FL 34231. Subscription rates:
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02-05_EE201609_TOC FINAL_nEditorial_FINAL_eb.indd 2
September 2016
8/10/2016 2:23:48 PM
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© Keysight Technologies, Inc. 2016
02-05_EE201609_TOC DUM_nEditorial_FINAL_eb.indd 3
8/10/2016 11:13:23 AM
EDITORIAL
Two-fold strategy will
drive digital society
T
o contend with the digital society, CEA-Leti is pursuing a twofold strategy, according to Marie Semeria, CEO. In an interview and subsequent presentation at
a workshop titled “Sensing the Future with Leti” held July 12 in San Francisco in
conjunction with SEMICON West, Semeria emphasized the organization’s initiatives
in high-performance computing (HPC) and IoT edge devices. HPC, she said, requires
high performance driven by Moore’s Law scaling to implement the cloud computing
infrastructure that can process the big data needed for artificial intelligence and deep
learning applications.
In contrast, the IoT requires the flexibility offered by heterogeneous integration to
implement the hyperconnectivity required by Industry 4.0 and other applications. “Sensors are the foundation of the IoT,” she said, adding, “Data is the fuel of new services.”
Intel is one company that has made a well publicized commitment to the IoT. In
April chief executive Brian Krzanich announced a restructuring initiative to accelerate Intel’s evolution from a PC company to one that powers the cloud and the IoT.
Krzanich said that Intel would leverage Rack Scale Architecture, 3D XPoint memory,
FPGAs, and silicon-photonics technology to revolutionize the data-center infrastructure. Analytics, big data, HPC, and machine learning are keys to unlocking cloud and
data-center value, he added.
Companies pursuing strategies from the edge-device perspective include Alphabet’s Nest with its thermostats, smoke detectors, and cameras for the connected home.
Challenges remain for pursuers of either strategy. Nest has struggled, and its CEO
recently departed. Intel needs to prove that it can successfully transition to a cloud
and IoT company.
Leti can help in both areas. In fact, in May Intel entered into a cooperative agreement with Leti extending a history of shared technological development in HPC. The
goal of the five-year collaboration is to drive innovation in IoT, wireless, and security
applications, Semeria said.
As for IoT edge devices, Leti has incubated several startups over the past five years,
including Primo1D, which integrates MEMS and electronic devices into textiles; APIX
Analytics, which makes nano electric mechanical system-based multigas chromatography analyzers; diabeloop, which makes a glucose sensor and insulin pump; and
elichens, which makes MEMS-based sensors for air-quality monitoring.
Leti continues to spur on startups with its Innovation Venture Accelerator (IVA)
collaborative ecosystem. Philippe Ruffin, startup program manager, said at the July 12
workshop that IVA supports startups that don’t inherently have the production and
go-to-market capabilities of larger corporations. The goal, he said, is to “… shorten
time to funding for entrepreneurs, decrease risk for investors, and foster market-testing opportunities for industry and technology partners.”
Semeria said that along with Leti’s fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) platform for IoT and its CoolCube 3D sequential integration technology, its sensor materials and IP for optical, chemical, mechanical, electromagnetic, and biological applications represent a game-changer for Leti in 2016.
Jean-Eric Michallet, Leti vice president of sales and marketing, elaborated, saying
Leti combines its system design and embedded software technologies with FDSOI,
MEMS transducers and actuators, and imagers, as well as photonics, RF, power, and
3D integration capabilities to enable applications in energy and power conversion,
connected health, agriculture, aerospace and defense, smart cities, consumer electronics, telecommunications, and transportation.
Leti, Semeria concluded, is creating differentiating solutions in miniaturization and
energy efficient technologies for its industrial partners, and she invited attendees to
be pioneers in sensing the future.
EDITORIAL
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Rick Nelson
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September 2016
8/10/2016 11:13:44 AM
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8/10/2016 11:14:02 AM
INDUSTRY
UPDATE
MIPI Alliance members
gain early access to MIPI I3C
sensor-interface spec
The MIPI Alliance, an international organization that develops interface specifications for mobile and connected-device
industries, has announced its 270 member companies now have early access to
MIPI I3C, a forthcoming sensor interface
specification that allows for the development and advancement of innovative
designs in the mobile, Internet of Things
(IoT), and automotive markets.
“The proliferation of sensors calls for
a core sensor integration technology solution like MIPI I3C that gives developers unprecedented potential to design
new products,” said Joel Huloux, chairman of the board of the MIPI Alliance.
“We expect MIPI I3C’s integration benefits will find broad market acceptance
and help companies cost effectively
meet the increasing demand for sensorenriched products.”
“The number of connected intelligent
devices will reach an installed base of
36 billion units by 2020, representing a
significant increase in the total sensor
market,” said Richard Wawrzyniak,
principal analyst, ASIC & SoC, Semico
Research Corp. “The growth in connected devices and the abundance of sensors in these devices will benefit from
a unified, easy-to-use sensor interface
such as MIPI I3C.”
MIPI I3C solves the engineering community’s pressing need for a convenient
chip-to-chip interface that alleviates
the challenges of integrating sensors in
product designs.
Infinite RF Holdings announces merger with L-Com
$31.0 billion
Anticipated price of SoftBank’s
acquisition of ARM
Source: SoftBank
$30 billion
Estimated value of company
to be formed with Analog Devices’
purchase of Linear Technology
Source: Analog Devices
$850 million
Cash value of Cree’s
announced sale of the
Wolfspeed Power and RF division
to Infineon
Infinite RF Holdings, a supplier of engineering-grade RF, microwave, and millimeterwave components and cable assemblies through its Pasternack and Fairview Microwave branded lines, announced the acquisition of L-com, a manufacturer of wired
and wireless connectivity solutions with custom manufacturing capabilities.
Headquartered in North Andover, MA, with global manufacturing, sales and distribution operations, L-Com serves the wireless engineering community with shortlead-time design and product solutions. Its offering includes wireless components,
cable assemblies, antennas, specialized military/aeronautics connectivity solutions,
electrical connectors, and wireless sensors for IoT applications through the branded
product lines L-Com, HyperLink, MilesTek, Aiconics, and Point Six Wireless.
“This merger not only will expand the range of the combined company’s product
offering, but also will aid in expanding its capability to be responsive to customer requests for on-demand custom manufacturing across expanded global sales channels,”
said Terry Jarnigan, CEO of Infinite RF. “In addition to expanding product categories,
L-com fills a void in the market for quick-turn custom manufacturing and fits with our
focus on customers who need technical support and high-quality products in a hurry.”
Infinite will continue to operate from its headquarters in Irvine, CA. Infinite RF
offers a range of connectivity components and assemblies serving the aerospace/
defense, industrial, government, consumer electronics, instrumentation, education/
medical, and telecommunications markets.
Source: Infineon Technologies AG and Cree
$36.9 billion
Estimated total semiconductor
equipment market in 2016
$41.1 billion
Estimated total semiconductor
equipment market in 2017
Source: SEMI
750,000
Number of VCRs produced
last year by Funai Electric,
Japan’s last manufacturer of the units,
which ceased production in July
15 million
Funai Electric’s peak annual
production of VCRs
UNH-IOL launches SoftwareDefined Networking Consortium
Keysight announces PXI
multivendor calibration services
The University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL),
an independent provider of broad-based
testing and standards conformance
services for the networking industry,
announced the launch of the SoftwareDefined Networking (SDN) Consortium
to enable one-stop shopping for controller and switch interoperability, conformance, and benchmark testing. With its
collection of SDN switches, the UNHIOL is making its multimillion-dollar
test-bed and professional services available to SDN application and controller
vendors and other stakeholders in this
emerging market. Solutions based upon
SDN and network functions virtualization technologies promise greater efficiency and control and are helping businesses prepare for the rise of IoT-driven
network complexity and challenging
big-data resource requirements.
Keysight Technologies has extended its
One-Stop Calibration Services to include
non-Keysight equipment, reinforcing the
company’s commitment to support complete test systems.
Keysight’s One-Stop Calibration Services ensure ongoing accuracy and availability of test assets as well as electrical,
physical, dimensional, and optical equipment from virtually any manufacturer.
This helps engineers develop, deploy,
and maintain test systems at a lower cost.
“We recognize that test systems are a
key resource for a business, and a growing percentage of test systems incorporate PXI and AXIe instruments,” said
John Page, president, Services Solution
Group, Keysight. “Our worldwide network of experts can assist customers
with uptime support, calibration, and
maintenance of these systems as well as
system architecture.”
Source: BBC
For more on these and other news items, visit www.evaluationengineering.com/category/industry-update/
6
06-07_EE201609_IndustryUpdate_FINAL_eb.indd 6
September 2016
8/10/2016 2:22:13 PM
INDUSTRY
UPDATE
Novel material integration makes
new ‘smart’ devices possible
Researchers from North Carolina State
University and the U.S. Army Research
Office have developed a way to integrate
novel functional materials onto a computer chip, allowing the creation of new
smart devices and systems.
The novel functional materials are oxides, including several types of materials
that, until now, could not be integrated onto
silicon chips: multiferroic materials, which
have both ferroelectric and ferromagnetic
properties; topological insulators, which
act as insulators in bulk but have conductive properties on their surface; and novel
ferroelectric materials. These materials are
thought to hold promise for applications
including sensors, nonvolatile computer
memory, and MEMS.
BLE beacon acts as development
kit and finished product
Nordic Semiconductor announced that
its nRF52832 SoC is being employed in
a Bluetooth low-energy (formerly Bluetooth Smart) beacon named Puck.js. The
beacon can be programmed wirelessly
from a website using a graphical editor
or easy-to-learn JavaScript instead of C
or C++, traditionally used by Bluetooth
low-energy beacon developers. The
Puck.js project was fully funded on Kickstarter as of Aug. 5.
“Most manufacturers conveniently
gloss over the difficulties of programming their hardware, and other beacons
are provided without software or left
crippled by their boring factory-installed
firmware,” said Gordon Williams, the
U.K.-based Puck.js creator. “Puck.js is
different. It comes with our open-source
JavaScript interpreter ‘Espruino’ pre-installed, which makes it easy to use and
means you can get started in just seconds, without any prior programming
experience.”
Thanks to the Nordic Semiconductor
nRF52832 SoC, the Puck.js benefits from
an ARM Cortex-M4F processor, 64-MHz
clock speed, 64 kB of RAM, 512 kB of
flash, built-in NFC, over-the-air firmware
updates, 12-bit ADC, timers, and serial
interfaces that can be used on any available pins, plus a temperature sensor.
Courtesy of Nordic
Semiconductor
Courtesy of YXLON/Renault
YXLON partners with Renault Sport Formula One Team
YXLON International, a producer of X-ray and CT systems for industrial applications, and Renault Sport Formula One Team have announced the successful start of a technical partnership. YXLON has provided its Y.MU2000-D
X-ray system to the Renault racing team, which now can use the system to
conduct most of its inspection tasks for quality assurance and R&D.
To celebrate the official start of the partnership, YXLON’s U.K. agent invited a group of nondestructive test (NDT) users to visit Renault Sport Formula One Team’s Enstone Technical Centre in Oxfordshire. Dr. Nick Brierley,
a senior research engineer at Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry,
said, “It was a great introduction into how Formula 1 works. We learned a lot
about the manufacturing challenges the Renault team is facing.” Neil Smith
from Grainger & Worrall, Motorsport Division, which uses YXLON CT Systems for engine parts, added, “… it was very interesting to understand the
challenges of manufacturing a complete race car.”
Adrian Talbot, technical supervisor of the Renault team’s NDT department, explained the objectives the team aims to achieve with the new X-ray
system: “By adopting digital radioscopy, our general NDT inspection process
has become quicker and consequently we are able to turn cars around much
faster between races. Most significantly, the Y.MU2000-D has improved the
inspection process of our composite assemblies, which are inherently difficult to inspect using our current NDT methods. We now have the capability
to document detailed images of assembly items preceding and post-race for
further analysis and future development.”
Averna acquires U.S.-based
Nexjen Systems
Averna announced that it has acquired
100% of U.S.-based Nexjen Systems for
an undisclosed amount. Nexjen Systems
is a full-service integrator with expertise
in mechanical test systems, RF automated test equipment, industrial control,
measurement and monitoring systems,
and automation control panels.
Nexjen Systems, formerly a division
of Jenkins Electric, was created in 2005
to service Jenkins Test & Measurement
customers in the Southeast. Located
in Charlotte, NC, Nexjen Systems is a
National Instruments Alliance Partner.
Nexjen Systems’ president, Darren LinSeptember 2016
06-07_EE201609_IndustryUpdate_FINAL_eb.indd 7
gafeldt, and vice president, Brian Esque,
will continue to participate in the day-today operations and expansion plans as
Averna employees.
“Averna is extremely pleased to
announce the acquisition of Nexjen
Systems and welcomes its employees
to the Averna team,” stated François
Rainville, vice president of sales and
marketing for Averna. “Nexjen Systems represents an exceptional opportunity to expand Averna’s presence in
the Eastern United States in each of our
major market segments as well as tap
new resources, solutions, and expertise
to offer an extended test and quality solution portfolio.” EE
7
8/10/2016 2:22:54 PM
SPECIAL REPORT
ELEC TRON IC LOADS
Sponsored by
The loads are simulated, but
the connections are real
D
uring development of a batterypowered device, the flexibility that a variable power supply
provides can be very useful. You can set
the voltage to simulate a fully charged or
partially discharged battery, and some
supplies also have variable output resistance to more completely model a
battery’s performance. Working with
a suitable power supply is much more
convenient and productive than actually having to rely on a set of batteries in
various states of charge. It’s also far safer
because a power supply’s output current
can be limited to a maximum value.
In a similar way, with an electronic
load you can explore the effect of load
variations on a particular source. For
example, there are many loads that
demand rapid changes in supply voltage or current. Adrian Roche, a design
engineer at IntePro Systems, said that
the company recently developed the EL
2000 HS electronic load featuring rise
times faster than 1 μs to test point-ofload (POL) and point-of-use (POU) DCto-DC converters.
The 40-W load features 0 to 20-VDC
and 0 to 20-A ratings, and multiple loads
can be paralleled for higher power applications. All control is by a LAN connection with 500-V isolation. For the EL
2000 HS, the emphasis is on speed with a
40-A/μs rise time.
To match the high rate of change, the
load has a 50-MHz measurement bandwidth with a 150-MS/s, 14-bit digitizer.
Measurements include volts, current,
power, noise, settling time, and overshoot/undershoot for both V and I.
In today’s electronic systems that may
use several different and tightly controlled voltages, it is common practice
to distribute a higher voltage bus and locally use separate DC-to-DC converters
as required. These POL/POU converters
must have sufficiently fast transient performance that the load, not the converter,
determines the rate of change of current.
One way to test converters is to simulate the real load with a high-speed
electronic load. Rather than only determining that the converter did or did not
support the load’s rate of current change,
you can find the maximum rate that it
provides. Conversely, electronic loads
with a separate soft-start function and/
or programmable current slew rates al-
Figure 1. Dynaload Series 800-W Model XBL 50-150-800 AIR electronic load
input characteristics
Courtesy of Astrodyne TDI
8
08-13_EE201609_SpecialReport_ElectronicLoads_FINAL_eb.indd 8
low you to avoid abnormal operating
conditions if the actual load has a softstart capability.
As Figure 1 shows, the operating area
for an electronic load is bounded by the
minimum input voltage necessary to
maintain control, a resistive portion that
increases with current to the maximum
current rating, a maximum power portion, and a maximum voltage limit. All
DC loads are similarly constrained although specific design features will alter
the shape of the graph.
Operating modes
Most DC electronic loads have four basic
operating modes: constant voltage (CV),
constant power (CP), constant current
(CC), and constant resistance (CR). CR,
as the name implies, is equivalent to using a fixed-resistance load—the voltage
linearly increases with current. The CV
setting simulates a battery being charged.
The load will adjust its resistance to sink
more or less current while keeping the
terminal voltage constant.
The CP characteristic has a hyperbolic
shape with current reducing as voltage
increases and vice-versa. Switching between two or more values of CC tests
a source’s load regulation—how well
does a power supply maintain its terminal voltage when the load current is
changed?
GW Instek’s PEL-3000 Series features
three additional modes that combine CV
with CC, CP, or CR. The “+CV” modes
basically provide additional test safety.
For example, the CC+CV mode could
be used to test a power supply at a fixed
output voltage. The load could require
more and more current from a supply
until the supply’s maximum output current was exceeded. At that point, the
supply would switch to CC and the load
to CV. According to the PEL-3000 Series
datasheet, this action protects the supply
under test—the load shuts down once
the supply voltage is lower than the +CV
set voltage.
Chroma Systems Solutions’ 63200A
and 63600 DC loads use high-speed 16bit DSPs to enhance capabilities such
as programmable slew rates, programmable transients, and added user-defined waveforms. Several modules in
September 2016
8/10/2016 2:16:47 PM
HIGH POWER LOADS
6kW in 4U
we didn’t stop there
Get more in less space with Chroma’s new DC Loads
Get wider operating voltage and current ranges, sine wave loading, dynamic frequency sweep to 50kHz, high
speed digitizing, MPPT, an impressive front panel that tilts, and the highest accuracy available achieving
0.015%+0.015%F.S. and 0.01%+0.01%F.S. accuracy for voltage, current and power measurement respectively
- all with an incredible high power density (6kW @4U).
63200A Series
Power
3kW - 24kW
Voltage
150V / 600V / 1200V
Current
up to 2000A
USB / Ethernet / GPIB
Modes: CC, CR, CV, CP / CR+CC, CR+CV, CC+CV / CZ / List, Step / Battery / MPPT / User Defined Waveforms
Get specs and pricing
chromausa.com/63200a
MORE TEST INSTRUMENTS
AC Power Sources
Regenerative Grid Simulators
Programmable DC Power Supplies
Solar Array Simulators
AC & DC Electronic Loads
Power Meters and Multimeters
Hipot Testers and Analyzers
Wound Component Testers
LCR Meters
Milliohm Meters
TEC Controllers
Thermal Data Loggers
8/10/2016 2:17:02 PM
SPECIAL REPORT
ELEC TRON IC LOADS
the 63600 Series are shown together
with the 63600-5 five-slot mainframe in
Figure 2. The company’s Larry Sharp,
senior applications engineer, explained,
“Chroma’s loads can produce dynamic
load transients with fast slew rates and
can create sine wave current on top of
a DC current up to 50 kHz…. They also
have up to 255 internally stored programmable load sequences that can be
set to dwell times from 100 μs to 30 s,
repeated continuously, or with counts
up to 9,999 times.”
testing solar arrays and Ahr and Whr
measurements for testing battery discharge. Cut-off voltage and time (up to
100,000 s) can be set to ensure that battery discharge testing ends before the
battery is damaged by overdischarge.
Herman vanEijkelenburg, director of
marketing at Adaptive Power Systems
(APS), said, “APS loads also support
some unique measurement modes such
as the MPPT of PV panels when loaded
with an APS DC load. Other built-in test
and measurement features are short,
Figure 2. 63600 Series modules are in the 63600-5 five-slot mainframe
Courtesy of Chroma Systems Solutions
A press release describes some of the
63200A’s capabilities in more detail. A
smart master/slave mode control supports programming the total load currents to the master where individual
load currents are calculated and downloaded to the slave loads. This facility
simplifies operation when using several loads in parallel to emulate a single
high-power load.
The 63200A loads can be synchronously paralleled to a total of 480 kW and dynamically synchronized for generating
complex multichannel transient profiles.
A 300% peak overpower capacity provides extra headroom for fault-condition
simulations in automotive battery and
fuel cell tests.
Typical 63200A applications include
testing a wide range of power conversion
products such as AC/DC and server power supplies, DC/DC converters, EV batteries, and automotive charging stations.
The 63200A and 63600 families of DC
loads measure voltage, current, power,
time, and ±voltage peak. You can select
measurement sample rates from 25 S/s
to 500 kS/s, and software is available to
capture and view voltage and current
transient responses. In addition, there
are advanced measurements for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for
10
over-current protection, and over-power protection modes where load settings
and measurements are sequenced and
used to quickly determine EUT pass
or fail based on user-set measurement
criteria.
“To support EV and HEV battery development and testing to high power lev-
Sponsored by
els,” he continued, “the APS 5VP Series
has built-in battery charge and discharge
test profiles and monitoring that eliminate
the need to write customer test programs.
And, for real-time current acquisition, all
APS electronic loads—both AC and DC—
provide current monitor outputs which
allow the use of a storage scope to capture
real-time current waveforms.”
B&K Precision’s 8600 Series DC loads
offer several special features, according
to the company’s James Schada, senior
product marketing manager. He said,
“CR-LED mode allows users to simulate
a load profile designed for LED driver
testing applications. This mode operates
in constant resistance with the additional
capability for user-defined parameters
that emulate the V-I characteristics of
typical LEDs to apply as the input load.
“The built-in battery test function of
the 8600 Series … uses various computational algorithms to simplify common
battery load tests. This allows the user
to perform CC discharge tests with three
different stop condition options: cut-off
voltage, capacity, or time.” He concluded,
“The load will compute real-time capacity data based on input measurements
while discharging the battery under test.”
For many applications, an electronic
load’s built-in remote sense capability
can be useful. Schada confirmed that all
of B&K’s loads provide remote sensing
terminals to compensate for the voltage
drop across the test leads at high current. He explained that the voltage will
be measured at the source and that value
used to alter the load settings. For example, he said, “It will compensate for the
voltage drop [of the source-to-load wir-
Figure 3. High current connections
Courtesy of GW Instek
September 2016
8/10/2016 2:17:16 PM
SPEC IAL REPORT - ELECTRONIC LOADS
ing] and adjust the load current accordingly in constant power mode.”
A note in an Ametek document adds,
“In remote sense operation, the electronic load senses the input at output
terminals of the source. … the remote
sense terminals of the load are connected
to the output of the source. Remote sensing compensates for the voltage drop in
applications that require long leads. It is
useful in any operating mode requiring
accurate voltage read back. Load leads
should be bundled or tied together to
minimize inductance.”1
Some loads, such as Amrel’s ZVL Series of DC loads or Kikusui America’s
PLZ164/664WA, include a bias supply.
A load’s remote sense circuitry typically can accommodate 1 or 2 V of
drop across the connecting cables. For
a steady-state or slowly changing highcurrent output, keeping the wiring resistance low is the main requirement. For
transient tests, both the wiring resistance
and inductance must be low. A highinductance connection not only slows
down the rate of change of current that
is sensed by the load, but it also increases
the remotely sensed voltage.
Several things contribute to wiring
inductance, but the area of the loop
formed by the source output and return
cables is the largest contributor. This is
the reason that the Ametek reference
Connecting to a load
Determining the best way to connect to
a load is closely related to the load selection process. If you need to test sources
that output hundreds of amps and/or
volts, you need a load with adequate ratings. One value that can easily be overlooked is the lowest voltage that a load
can support at a given current.
The load’s internal regulation circuits
have a lower limit on the input signal
they require—often about 0.1 V—and
the load itself has a finite minimum resistance. If you need to work at low voltages and high currents, the voltage drop
across the cables connecting the source
to the load becomes very important. As
shown in Figure 3, one way to minimize
this drop is to use large solid copper busbars. In the figure, several loads are used
in parallel to further lower the minimum
load resistance and increase the maximum current rating.
The achievable low-voltage/highcurrent combination for many loads
has been improved by the availability
of MOSFETs with lower linear-region
source-to-drain resistance (Rds (on)).
As described by Chroma’s Larry Sharp,
“New developments in power MOSFETs designed to operate with a lower
Rds (on) … allow our electronic loads
to continue to operate at lower voltages
without saturating the transistors and
continue to control the load currents accurately. By utilizing the latest in power
MOSFETs, Chroma’s new 63200A and
63600 families of electronic DC loads
have been developed for low-voltage applications, below 1 V without the need
for an additional bias power supply,
and still have the capability to operate at
higher voltages and current levels up to
1,200 V and 1,000 A.”
For true zero-volt operation, a DC bias
power supply must be inserted between
the source being tested and the load. As
the name implies, the additional supply
“biases” the load so that very low voltage sources can be accommodated.
September 2016
11
8/18/2016 11:17:13 AM
SPECIAL REPORT
ELEC TRON IC LOADS
suggests tying load leads together to
minimize inductance.
For two parallel wires
insulation. Twenty pairs would have a
total capacitance around 440 pF.
The loop area is neatly avoided in coaxial cables. For coaxial cables
Sponsored by
are involved, low inductance usually is
the dominant requirement. The effect of
added capacitance isn’t as important.
L = 10.16ln(2H/Deff) in nH/inch
C = 1.412r /ln(2H/D) in pF/inch
where: H = wire separation in inches
D = wire diameter in inches
Deff = effective diameter to include self inductance
r = relative dielectric constant
Setting the effective wire diameter to
0.7788 x the actual diameter takes into
account the two-wire circuit’s internal
inductance. For two 3-foot long wires 0.1
inches in diameter, separated by 1 inch,
the inductance is about 1.2 μH. Reducing
the spacing to 0.25 inch lowers the inductance to about 0.68 μH.
GW Instek’s Yuanyu Tseng, design engineer at the company’s Power Business
unit, said, “Problems with wire inductance are overcome by increasing the total wire count to the DUT. This is true in
server power testing where higher slew
rates, lower voltage, and high current are
demanded.” Figure 4 shows this type of
test setup. Twenty paths reduce the overall inductance to 5% of a single loop’s
value—about 60 nH for 3-foot wires with
a 1-inch separation.
However, as the equations show, capacitance varies as the inverse of the
log() term, so changing the spacingto-diameter ratio to reduce inductance
increases capacitance as does providing lots of parallel paths. For the same
two-wire example, the capacitance for
a single pair is about 22 pF, assuming a
value of 1.3 for r to account for some
Figure 4. Multiple connections to reduce
wiring inductance
Courtesy of GW Instek
12
L = 0.140μrlog(b/a) in μH/foot
where μr = relative permeability—about
1.0 for nonmagnetic materials
like wire insulation.
C = 7.3644r/log(b/a) in pF/foot
where: b = outer conductor inner radius
(inches)
a = inner conductor radius
For a 3-foot length of coaxial cable with
a 0.1-inch diameter center conductor and
0.3-inch outer diameter with r = 2.2, the
inductance is 0.2 μH and the capacitance
100 pF. As with the equations for parallel
wires, the coaxial cable equations clearly
show the same inverse relationship: reducing inductance by lowering the b/a
ratio increases capacitance.
Interestingly, Temp-Flex Cable, a Molex company, makes what it calls a lowinductance, high-current cable that takes
advantage of the b/a relationship (Figure
5). The inner conductor diameter and that
of the outer cylindrical conductor are almost the same, the two being separated
by a thin insulating layer. The result is a
truly minimal inductance cable. Using the
same 3-foot example, if the inner conductor diameter is increased to 0.24 inch and
the outer conductor left at 0.3 inch, the inductance reduces to about 0.04 μH, but the
capacitance increases to 500 pF. Temp-Flex
states that the inductance per foot typically is 0.02 μH for the company’s cable.
The best wiring approach depends
very much on the application. Servers
demand fast changes to supply current,
so inductance is more critical than capacitance. And, as Figure 4 shows, simple
wiring techniques can provide both low
inductance and high current while holding the overall capacitance to a reasonable level. The Temp-Flex cable is a special item not commonly found in a test
department. It may not be as well suited
to a server’s mating connector as multiple wires. Nevertheless, it does show
what’s possible in a cable if extremely
low inductance is needed.
Finally, laminated busbars are an
approach that has become popular in
switching power applications such as
those involving IGBTs. The inductance
of wide conductors separated by a thin
insulating layer can be very small. However, as the insulating layer is reduced
in thickness, the capacitance increases.
Still, when large fast current changes
Figure 5. Extremely low inductance power cable
Courtesy of Temp-Flex
Keeping cool
By definition, loads absorb power, so one
distinction among loads is the amount of
power that can be handled. As Figure 3
shows, numerous fans provide air cooling in many models. Chroma’s Sharp
listed the company’s use of thermal
flowing technology as key to achieving a
6-kW load in a 4U enclosure.
In addition to air-cooled loads, Astrodyne TDI makes the XBL GEN2 Liquid
Series of water-cooled DC loads. The
high power density allows up to 120kW in a single 63-inch high 19-inch rack,
complete with all plumbing, servos, and
relays. In addition, the loads in a rack
system are interconnected via copperplate busing to minimize inductance and
capacitance. Ametek’s AMREL brand
PLW Series loads also are water cooled.
Regeneration, in which power is converted to the local AC power frequency
and returned to the mains supply, is yet
another way to deal with dissipation.
Kikusui makes the PLZ6000R regenerative 6-kW DC load. This feature is less
common in lower power DC loads although often found in very high-power
DC loads such as AeroVironment’s 250kW AV-900/900 CE. IntePro offers the
regenerative single-channel ELR 9000
DC load with up to 10.5 kW capacity in
a single chassis and the multichannel regenerative ELR-5000 with up to 3.5 kW
in a 10-channel chassis.
AC loads also are available, and many
offer regenerative power recovery. Examples include PREEN AC Power’s 60kVA PEL Series regenerative AC load
bank, NH Research’s Model 9410 AC and
DC regenerative load with power ratings
from 12 kW to 96 kW, and Ametek’s California Instruments brand 3091LD Series
3-kVA AC load. EE
Reference
1. PLA/PLW Series Programmable DC Electronic
Load, Operating Manual, Ametek Programmable
Power, M470039-01 REV B, October 2015.
September 2016
8/10/2016 2:17:51 PM
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8/10/2016 4:53:00 PM
SPECIAL REPORT
M I L /A E R O T E S T
Sponsored by
Pursuing commonality and
extended life cycles
T
he more things change the more they stay the same.
That seems particularly true in the arena of military/
aerospace test. Things are certainly changing, with the
emergence of 50-GHz handheld analyzers; capable modular
systems—usually PXI—able to handle mixed-signal and RF
test; new instruments for V- and W-band measurements; and
new software tools that simplify design, simulation, and test.
What stays the same, however, is the need to maintain
test systems across decades in response to extended product
life cycles.
Mike Dewey, director of marketing at Marvin Test Solutions (MTS), cited consolidation or commonality of test solutions as a key trend. “Whether it’s on the flightline or at
I-level or depot level, test engineers and maintainers are
looking for test solutions that are applicable to a range of aircraft, weapons systems, avionics, etc.” For example, he said,
“MTS offers test solutions that incorporate MIL-STD-1760
bus capabilities (Figure 1) to enable ‘smart’ weapons test in
support of a range of products and airframes on the flightline. The result is more comprehensive test capabilities and
improved test asset utilization.
ing advancements in instrumentation are enabling the creation
of test systems that can provide compact, cost-effective, performance test solutions for flightline, depot, and manufacturing
test in the areas of digital, mixed-signal, RF, and even microwave. Virtually all of MTS’s test platforms for I-level, depot, and
manufacturing rely upon PXI as the core platform. The use of
modular platforms offers customers the flexibility to adapt current test systems to future needs by leveraging their existing test
assets, resulting in lower initial and incremental test costs.”
Dewey also addressed software tools. “The complexity of systems and subsystems continues to drive the complexity of test
programs,” he said. “Software tools and the associated infrastructure that can simplify and speed up the test development
and deployment process can help address this challenge. Consequently, MTS has focused on a range of software tools including software simulation of the complete system and UUT, TPS
migration tools, and advanced signal routing tools, with the goal
of expediting and simplifying the test programmer’s task for test
development and test migration/verification.” He added that
MTS’s ATEasy software, “… which is celebrating its 25th year
of commercial deployment, continues to offer multigenerational
compatibility, simplifying the overall maintenance and upgrades
that might be needed to support test systems.” (See “ATEasy
reaches 25 years,” page 18.)
Wide bandwidths and high frequencies
Figure 1. MTS-3060 flightline tester with 1553/1760 test capabilities
Courtesy of Marvin Test Solutions
“Extended product life cycles are also a trend we see in the
MIL/aero test area,” Dewey said. “With extended product life
cycles, the associated test-system life cycles are also being extended. Users are looking for suppliers and solutions that can
support these long product life cycles by offering long-term
product support as well as solutions and tools that facilitate
existing test program set (TPS) support and migration. It’s an
accepted fact that the life cycles for many MIL/aero systems
and products continue to stretch out, requiring test systems/
solutions that can effectively bridge the gap between legacy
and next-generation test needs. Besides offering extended
product support, MTS has been working with several major
MIL/aero users to supply form-function replacement instrumentation, allowing these users to preserve their current investment in test programs and systems.”
Dewey added, “We continue to see the adoption of test systems based on modular platforms—particularly PXI. Ongo-
14
14-19_EE201609_SpecialReport_MIL_AERO_Test_FINAL_eb.indd 14
Marlo Manaloto, marketing brand manager at Keysight Technologies, said that longtime ongoing trends include the move
to wider bandwidths and growing frequency ranges, which
Keysight is addressing with various new products. “These solutions,” she said, “include ultrahigh-bandwidth scopes and new
V- and W-band wideband smart mixers, which are low-cost external extensions to our X-Series analyzers for swept measurements up to 110 GHz and add wide-bandwidth (2+ GHz) measurement capabilities to our digitizers.
“Keysight focuses on key subsegments in the aerospace and
defense industry where we feel we can provide the greatest impact and respond to large growth applications,” she added. “This
includes a growing interest in electronic warfare (EW) and cyber
warfare. For example, in EW, requirements to simulate various
scenarios are getting more and more complicated so we continue
to provide new features to our Multi-Emitter Scenario Generation software.”
Autotestcon 2016, Sept. 12-15 in Anaheim, CA, will provide
an opportunity for Keysight, MTS, and other companies to
highlight their latest products for MIL/aero test applications.
Keysight, Manaloto said, will showcase its modular PXIe products, its Multi-emitter Scenario Generation for Electronic Warfare product, handheld FieldFox RF/microwave test solutions
(Figure 2), and the company’s latest service offerings in calibration, repair, purchase alternatives, and eLearning.
Manaloto said Keysight offers test equipment in the form factor
users need: benchtop, small benchtop, handhelds, and modular.
She said the Multi-emitter Scenario Generation for EW product
uses off-the-shelf solutions to enable creation of a realistic multi-
September 2016
8/10/2016 3:48:05 PM
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8/10/2016 3:48:30 PM
SPECIAL REPORT
Sponsored by
and light weight allow power upgrades of aging power racks
using existing available space by replacing older lower power
sources with an AFX. Furthermore, the AFX not only provides
single-, split-, or three-phase power output, it also supports DC
output and any combination of AC+DC or DC+AC to expand
test coverage when needed.”
From flightline test to PXI digital subsystems
Dewey at MTS cited several products his company will be highlighting at Autotestcon in addition to ATEasy:
• The MTS-3060 is an advanced, handheld, multifunction flightline tester for armament, combining more than 30 measurement
channels with audio, video, and 1553/1760 test capabilities.
It supports both legacy and “smart” armament systems for multiple aircraft. “More recently,” Dewey said, “we have expanded
its capability by adding support for multiple operational flight
profiles, further enhancing the product’s capability to address
Figure 2. FieldFox handheld RF/microwave analyzer
multiple aircraft, multiple aircraft blocks, and multiple armaCourtesy of Keysight Technologies
ment systems.” He said the product also finds use as a troubleshooting/test tool because of its capability to emulate various
weapon systems.
emitter environment with antenna scans and angle of arrival,
• The MTS-207 ultrarugged, open-architecture, PXI-based test
streaming of pulse descriptor words (PDWs), and the capabilsystems are designed for I-level and flightline test and deployed
ity to apply pulse arbitration and calibration to PDW data. She
in more than 20 countries supporting the advanced test needs for
added that FieldFox is the industry’s first 50-GHz handheld anavionics and armament test on multiple aircraft. “The MTS-207
alyzer for precise measurements on the bench or in the toughis the baseline platform for the MTS-206 Maverick/Hellfire Field
est working environments to meet MIL specs. Finally, she said,
Test Set, the MTS-209 Common Armament Test Set, the MTS-235
Keysight services include multi-OEM capabilities for one-stop
F-35 AME Test Set, the AN/TSM-205B Hellfire System Test Set,
shop calibration and a new eLearning platform starting with
and the USAF’s PATS-70 test system for the A-10,” Dewey said.
RF fundamentals.
• The PXI-based GENASYS platform offers performance funcSources deployed for 30+ years
tional test for mission-critical, high-value electronic assemblies,
Herman vanEijkelenburg, director of marketing at Pacific PowDewey said. “Selected by two of the four major MIL/aero primes
er Source (PPS), said, “One of the biggest challenges our MIL/
for testing satellite systems, subsystems, and advanced display
aero customers face is the need to support existing test platforms
systems, MTS recently has expanded the GENASYS product line
much longer than originally planned. Test platforms are not bewith the addition of the GX7017 chassis,” he added. “Building
ing replaced in a timely matter due to budget constraints. This
on the innovative, performance architecture of the GENASYS
is shifting increased focus from developing new test systems to
switching subsystem, the GX7017 provides digital, analog, and
upgrading and supporting existing aging testers. As a result,
high-performance switching capability within a single, compact,
test-and-measurement equipment manufacturers are asked to
6U PXI chassis footprint. Featuring high-density signal switching
support their products for long periods of time, far longer than
for board- and system-level functional test with an ‘any-resource
would be the case for industrial or commercial test systems. In
to any-pin’ architecture, the GX7017 can accommodate any of the
the case of PPS, several of our programmable AC power sourcGENASYS switch modules, providing up to 2,304 multiplexed,
es have been deployed in these ATE systems for 30+ years, and
hybrid I/O pins without cabled connections via a MAC Panel 6U
we continue to support these with service, spares, upgrades,
SCOUT receiver. In addition, the GX7017 can support up to 256
and in many cases new production units. One key advantage
performance digital test channels providing a high-performance
PPS offers is a common user interface and programming syntax
and compact functional test platform for mixed-signal test apacross its entire product line, making upgrades easy without
plications. The GX7017 chassis is available as a subsystem or as
impacting TPSs.”
part of the TS-321, Marvin Test
At Autotestcon, he said,
Solutions’ single-bay GENASYS
“Pacific Power Source will be
functional test platform.”
Dewey said MTS also will
exhibiting its all new digital
showcase its portfolio of PXI
platform-based AFX Series of
digital subsystems for compohigh power, programmable AC
nent, board, and system-level
and DC power source systems
test. “Our most advanced digi(Figure 3). These brand new
tal subsystem, the GX5296, repsystems were designed from
resents the state of the art for
the ground up to support curhigh-performance, PXI digital
rent and future generations of
subsystems, offering timing
test systems with vastly supeper pin, subnanosecond edge
rior power density and a smallplacement, a PMU per pin, and
er footprint than anything else
the highest channel density in
available on the market today.”
the industry,” he said. “Up to
Citing the unit’s 15 kW of
512 125-MHz digital channels
power in only a 4U 19-inch rackmount chassis, vanEijkelenburg Figure 3. AFX Series high-power, programmable AC and DC power source can be synchronized in a single
PXI chassis, supporting the
said, “Its incredibly small size Courtesy of Pacific Power Source
16
September 2016
8/23/2016 4:49:46 PM
S P E C I A L R E P O R T - M I L /A E R O T E S T
The NI PXIe-5840 combines a 6.5-GHz RF vector signal generator, a 6.5 GHz vector signal analyzer, high-performance
user-programmable FPGA, and high-speed serial and parallel
digital interfaces into a single two-slot PXI Express module.
With 1 GHz of bandwidth, the latest VST is suited for a range
More Autotestcon plans
of applications including 802.11ac/ax device testing, mobile/
Other companies planning to exhibit at Autotestcon include
Internet of Things device testing, 5G design and testing, RFIC
VTI Instruments, which will highlight its aircraft testing capatesting, and radar prototyping.
bilities. The company tests airframes, entertainment systems,
“The NI VST gives us incredible flexibility that accommoengines, auxiliary power units, wings, control surfaces, landing
dates a more focused test solution in a smaller footprint than
gear, radar, and weapons stores and launchers. Specifically, the
traditional benchtop instruments. The reprogrammable FPGA
company indicated it would highlight the EMX-4250 and EMXallows us the ability to quickly tailor the system to meet specific
4251 Smart Dynamic Signal Analyzers, which VTI says “… intest objectives while maintaining a common architecture across
corporate best-in-class analog design methodology to deliver
many test platforms,” said Don Miller, senior staff engineer,
industry-leading measurement accuracy.” These PXIe instruLockheed Martin Space Systems, in a press release.
ments serve a range of applications including noise, vibration,
Pickering Interfaces announced in June that it is expandand harshness; machine condition monitoring, rotational analing its range of PCI fault insertion switching products with
ysis, acoustic test, modal test, and general-purpose high-speed
the introduction of two modules (models 50-200 and 50-201)
digitization and signal analysis.
designed for use with differential serial interfaces. These modVirginia Panel said it would exhibit its Snap-In-Modular
ules will find application in testing the response of safety-criti(SIM) VTAC right-angle insert. Capable of speeds beyond 10
cal communication systems used in automotive and aerospace
Gb/s, the SIM VTAC right-angle insert serves a variety of apenvironments.
plications that require a high-speed PCB solution. The inserts
Also in June ADLINK Technology announced the release of
are available individually or as full-size or small PCB adaptthe MVP-6000 Series, the first in its new line of fanless embeders. The small PCB solution comes with a retention insert to
ded computing platforms for use in harsh environments. The
provide added rigidity and ensure proper connections between
MVP-6000 Series incorporates 6th generation Intel Core procesthe right-angle insert and the double-ended SIM VTAC insert.
sors, which boost compute performance by up to 30% over preThe SIM technology is compatible with many commercial-offvious generation CPUs.
the-shelf interfaces, including USB 3.0, RJ45, HDMI, RosenIn a June announcement, JTAG Technologies introduced a
bergerHSD, Mini-SAS HD, and HDMI.
family of hardware adapters designed for testing a variety of
In addition, Elma Electronic plans to highlight its rugged,
DIMM and SODIMM sockets (sizes and styles) using a JTAG/
high-performance embedded vision system that incorporates
boundary-scan controller and supporting software.
four configurable Camera Link ports and a front-removable,
The JT 2127-Flex system comprises two basic elements:
multiterabyte storage bay with an SATA III interface. Powered
a high-speed multichannel IO module (the JT 2127/DMU)
by an Intel Quad Core i7 processor, the new OptiSys-5101 feaand a personality adapter for the chosen DIMM type (the JT
tures a high-definition image frame grabber suitable for optical
2127-Flex). The combination of the DMU and
inspection and video capture. A miniPCIe exFlex adapter allows test signals to be sent to
pansion site facilitates easy I/O customization.
and from the boundary-scan source device
The system offers support for I/O options inon the UUT performing a thorough check for
cluding HDMI, USB 2.0, GigE RJ45, ARINC 429,
open pins and short circuits. In addition the
and CANbus.
voltages on the power pins of the DIMM socket
And Pico Technology will demonstrate twoare measured.
channel, four-channel, and mixed-signal PicoChroma in June released the 63224A 24Scope models that have the functionality of an
kW DC electronic load. Designed for testing a
oscilloscope plus a logic analyzer (on MSO modrange of power conversion products including
els), a spectrum analyzer, a function generator,
AC/DC and server power supplies, DC/DC
and an arbitrary waveform generator. PicoScope
converters, EV batteries, automotive charging
2000B Series models are equipped with deep
stations, and other power electronics compobuffer memory from 32 to 128 MS and feature
nents, these loads can be synchronously paralbandwidths of 50, 70, or 100 MHz supported
leled up to 480 kW and dynamically synchrowith sampling speeds to 1 GS/s and hardware
nized for generating complex multichannel
acceleration to deliver more than 80,000 wavetransient profiles. The 300% peak overpower
forms-per-second update rates.
capability provides extra headroom for faultFrom PXIe VSTs to radio test sets
condition simulations in automotive batteries
As the September print issue goes to press, other
and fuel cells.
Autotestcon exhibitors had not detailed specific
Last May at the International Microwave
intentions for the event, but announcements
Symposium, Boonton and Noisecom, both
over the past few months suggest what they
Wireless Telecom Group companies, highlightmight highlight. For example, in July National
ed enhanced products: a wideband USB power
Instruments (NI) announced a second-generasensor and a carrier-to-noise generator, respection vector signal transceiver (VST): the NI PXIetively. Boonton added a new fast measurement
5840 module (Figure 4), which the company
mode to the 55 Series USB wideband power sencalls the world’s first 1-GHz-bandwidth VST de- Figure 4. NI PXIe-5840 vector
sor, which includes 6-, 18- and 40-GHz models.
signed to solve the most challenging RF design signal transceiver
Noisecom highlighted a new CNG-EbNo proand test applications.
Courtesy of National Instruments
grammable precision carrier-to-noise generator
testing of complex digital devices, SoC devices, and board-level
products with capabilities that have, until now, only been available in proprietary ATE systems.”
September 2016
17
8/11/2016 9:11:38 AM
SPECIAL REPORT
Sponsored by
ATEasy reaches 25 years
July 2016 marked the 25th year of ATEasy’s
commercial deployment. “Featuring multigenerational compatibility and designed specifically for functional ATE applications, ATEasy is
the only test executive/test-development product with comprehensive simulation capabilities for both the test system resources and the
UUT,” said Mike Dewey, director of marketing
at Marvin Test Solutions. The simulation capability comes with today’s version 9, which also
incorporates source/version control. Like previous versions of ATEasy, version 9 maintains
backwards compatibility between file formats
and its programming language.
What’s now Marvin Test Solutions was Geotest at its founding in 1988. According to Loofie
Gutterman, cofounder and now president of
MTS, ATEasy was on the company’s roadmap
from the beginning. “Our goal was to come up
with a product that hardware engineers and
software engineers alike can use,” he said in a
recent phone interview. “So it’s going to be easy
enough that hardware engineers can use it, but
it’s going to be robust enough that software engineers can use it.”
ATEasy today, he said, “which is [version] 9
going on 10,” has a lot more functionality than
the 1991 version, but the overall concept is the
same: a single integrated environment that supports development, debug, integration, implementation, and maintenance. But it’s also an
open-architecture environment that lets you use
external software components.
Dewey elaborated on version 9’s capabilities for today’s user. “With software simulation,
you are able to fully simulate a test system and
UUT (not just low-level driver code), allowing
the test developer to debug and verify the test
program without hardware and without modifying the test program, expediting the program
development and verification process,” he said.
“Additionally, MTS has recently introduced
ATEasy-Lite, a full-featured, cost-effective test
executive and test development software suite
that can be bundled with ATE systems supplied
by OEMs. Applicable to all sectors including
commercial, industrial, automotive, military,
and aerospace markets and with more than 25
years of field-proven deployment, ATEasy offers a full spectrum of ATE features including
simulation, a hardware abstraction layer architecture, and unrivaled long-term support and
version compatibility that ensure extended system life-cycle support.”
See the online version of this article for more
on ATEasy and its history.
18
Figure 5. R&S FSVA signal and spectrum analyzer
Courtesy of Rohde & Schwarz
with an integrated spectrum analyzer designed for communication systems data streams that include multiple carriers in the frequency band.
At the end of May and after IMS, Rohde & Schwarz said it has expanded its portfolio of midrange signal and spectrum analyzers. The
new R&S FSVA (Figure 5) offers a 160-MHz analysis bandwidth over its
entire frequency range. The company said it is the only analyzer in its
class to do so at frequencies between 26.5 GHz and 40 GHz, adding that
with its enhanced phase noise performance, the instrument offers users
high accuracy in spectral measurements on narrowband modulated signals and in phase noise measurements. Like the R&S FSV, the R&S FSVA
is available in five models covering frequency ranges from 10 Hz to 4
GHz, 7 GHz, 13.6 GHz, 30 GHz, and 40 GHz. The R&S FSVA supports
all R&S FSV hardware functions and firmware options. Plus, the R&S
FSV and the R&S FSVA
are fully remote-control
compatible for use in
complex test setups.
Also in May, Universal
Switching updated its
System MS2010A DC to
18-GHz modular matrix,
which now is available
in configurations up to
12x12 in a 2RU package
that is 24 inches deep.
The company estimates
that a user can change a
relay element in the field
in one to two minutes
Figure 6. CTS 6000 Series radio test set
Courtesy of Astronics
while the unit is on. Applications include ATE
and satellite installations.
And in April, Universal Switching introduced the SLX128 modular 128
x 128 L-band matrix. The company says it eliminates a rat’s nest of multicouplers, manual patch bays, and patch cords and is designed for routing L-band signals (850 to 2450 MHz) while being modular. The matrix
is configurable up to 128x128 in increments of eight and can find use in
satellite ground stations.
Finally, in April Astronics introduced the CTS 6000 Series radio test
set, (Figure 6), which incorporates nine test capabilities into a single
tester with an easy-to-use, modern touchscreen interface for testing radio communications systems at the factory, at the depot, or in the field.
The CTS 6000 is suitable for use by all branches of the military, TSA,
police, fire, private security, and airline personnel requiring secure, reliable radio communications. It provides extensive test capability for any
radio system to reduce testing time and cost, maintenance and calibration costs, lifecycle ownership costs, and the number of “no fault found”
results. Users can test tactical handsets, amplifiers, antennae, and any
other component of a radio system. EE
September 2016
8/10/2016 3:49:56 PM
8/10/2016 3:58:54 PM
INSTRUMENTS
LAN power sensor represents new
category of RF, microwave instrument
By Sook-Hua Wong, Keysight Technologies
T
raditional power-meter solutions typically consist of the
benchtop form factor with a separate power sensor that
is changeable to adapt to different applications based on
frequency range or power range requirements. Over the past
decade, an increasing number of portable power meters in the
USB form factor have been introduced. These USB power sensors have made inroads into many major applications, including fast production testing of wireless communication chipsets
or radar pulsed components in both wireless and aerospace/
defense applications.
Recently, a new category of power sensors with local area
network (LAN) connectivity has emerged. These power sensors have created excitement in many markets and applications, generating new applications or use cases that were not
possible or convenient in the past. This article explores the benefits of the LAN power sensor in certain applications such as
multichannel satellite transmitter tests and outlines two minor
limitations associated with LAN-based instruments.
allowing anyone who is on the network to connect to the sensor
from any part of the world and receive nearly instant feedback.
This remote monitoring and control capability can significantly
reduce operational downtime, enhancing system efficiency.
Why are LAN power sensors unique?
Easy programming
LAN power sensors operate over a long distance. LAN connectivity allows users to access the LAN power sensor from any PC
on the network. The use of LAN connectivity makes it possible
to place the sensor far away from the host PC and closer to the
device-under-test (see figure). This can be beneficial in two ways.
First, the sensor can be physically located in critical areas (such as
on top of an antenna mast or radar tower), providing more accurate power measurements without needing to connect a long RF
cable between the sensor and the device-under-test. Second, users
are able to control the sensor from thousands of miles away, and
the results can be monitored by many parties at the same time.
In a satellite uplink or downlink fault-monitoring system, personnel who monitor the satellite’s performance often are located
separately from the actual antenna towers, often in different locations altogether. By using a LAN, users can control the system remotely and observe sensors that are located physically far away,
LAN sensors are ideal for both programmers and nonprogrammers. Users with little or no programming knowledge
can employ the bundled PC software to configure settings and
retrieve measurement results from the power sensor. Programmers have the flexibility of using any programming software
of their choice to develop their codes. The LAN sensor is programmable via SCPI, IVI-COM, IVI-C, or NI LabVIEW drivers.
This programming versatility allows the sensor to be easily integrated into any current test platform.
Multichannel operations
LAN power sensors are ideal for multichannel power measurements. Multiple power sensors can be tied together easily over
a network via LAN switches or routers. This setup is useful to
offload high-performance analysis to multiple PCs to scale the
processing performance. Each sensor can be configured to perform parallel or sequential measurements, log data, and stream
only necessary measurement results over the network to the
control center. The built-in trigger input and trigger output
ports of the LAN sensors enable users to daisy-chain the power
sensors (as many as they like) for acquisition timing control and
synchronization with other equipment, such as a signal source
or a spectrum analyzer.
LXI-compliant
LXI is the standard for LAN-equipped instruments, and it helps
to reduce the time it takes to set up, configure, and troubleshoot
a test system. The LAN power sensor is LXI-compliant and can
be controlled via an Internet web browser or PC software. This
simplifies the sensor’s configuration and setup. The built-in
web browser makes it easy for users to configure and view the status
of the LAN sensor. Simply launch
the PC software to start configuring the sensor’s measurement settings and monitoring the results in
real time on a soft front panel.
Simplify test setup and save
rack space
Remote monitoring of a multichannel satellite
transmitter’s output power over a long distance
20
20-21_EE201609_Instruments_MECH_eb.indd 20
A LAN power sensor can be connected to the LAN port or router
directly without occupying any
space on the test rack. It is a standalone device that does not require
PC software to process measurements. All measurement acquisitions, data conversion, and analysis are completed in the onboard
electronics and signal-processing
circuits, offering fast and accurate
power measurements. The PC is
only required as a user interface
and to display the results.
September 2016
8/10/2016 4:26:45 PM
INSTRUMENTS
Potential drawbacks
Conclusion
Despite the benefits, users also should be aware of the limitations of LAN-based instruments:
• Long latency—Latency is the time delay between the stimulation and the response. The long latency of LAN sensors when
compared to USB or GPIB instruments will cause slower measurement rates, especially for applications that require a large
number of simple commands or data to be transferred. But LAN
(especially Gigabit Ethernet) offers high bandwidth for data-intensive applications such as transfer of high-resolution waveform
data to the PC for post-processing. This is extremely useful for
transferring raw sampling points of measured pulsed signals for
reconstructing the pulse envelope on the PC software.
• Complex configuration—In general, setting up a LAN power sensor is simple, but it requires more steps than setting up a USB sensor.
LAN needs an IP address and other network configurations, which
might be subjected to the IT policy of individual companies. Some
of the remote capability of the LAN instrument might be compromised due to firewalls or the company’s network security policy.
The easiest way to connect to a LAN power sensor is through
the dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP), whereby an
IP address will be automatically assigned to the sensor connected to the network. However, the IP address assigned by the
DHCP can change without warning during disconnection and
reconnection. For instance, a system that contains two power
sensors may have their IP addresses reversed due to DHCP
configurations. This will result in a mix-up of measured signals
and may lead to the wrong data being collected.
Users also can assign a hostname or a statically configured
IP address. This will prevent the sensor from receiving a new
IP address every time it is being disconnected and reconnected.
Setting up a static IP address requires a few more steps and will
need some instruction to do it correctly.
LAN-based instruments simplify the test setup and enable easy
system integration with standard SCPI commands or IVI and
LabVIEW drivers. LXI-compliance with a standard web browser enables long-distance remote access of the instrument from
any part of the world. Multichannel measurements can be carried out with the addition of a LAN switch or router.
The Keysight U2049XA LAN/PoE (Power over Ethernet)
power sensor is the first LAN power sensor with a wide dynamic range of 90 dB, and it enables accurate RF and microwave
power measurements from 10 MHz to 33 GHz. The U2049XA
LAN power sensor is suitable for long-distance remote monitoring when paired with a standard RJ45 LAN cable for a distance up to 100 meters. Longer distance monitoring is possible
by connecting the sensor to a shared network via a PoE switch
or hub. The power sensor can be controlled remotely from any
part of the world with a standard web browser and Keysight
BenchVue software. With its patented internal zero and calibration technology, the U2049A enables automated performance
monitoring without human intervention. EE
About the author
Sook Hua Wong, who has been with Keysight Technologies for 16
years, currently is an industry segment manager residing in Penang, Malaysia. Previously, she was the product planner responsible
for strategic planning and product portfolio development for RF/
microwave power meters and sensors. Wong received her bachelor’s
degree in electrical engineering from the University of Technologies
Malaysia (1999) and a master’s of science degree in electronic system
design engineering from the University of Science Malaysia (2003).
[email protected]
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20-21_EE201609_Instruments_MECH_eb.indd 21
8/10/2016 4:27:08 PM
EMC GASKETS
Sealing against EMI and
the environment
E
MC gaskets are available with combinations of properties
to address virtually any application. Metal finger stock
made from beryllium-copper (BeCu) or stainless steel
(Figure 1) is a very effective, proven type of gasket but does
not provide a seal against dust or moisture. Because each finger
moves independently to make electrical contact, the effective
gap length is very short, ensuring good high-frequency performance. Gaskets based on elastomers, either filled with conductive particles or covered with conductive material, are made in
many profiles and can be good solutions, especially if a dust
and moisture seal also is required.
Figure 1. Typical BeCu and stainless steel EMI finger stock profiles
Courtesy of Parker Chomerics
Finger stock
In a typical enclosure door application, mechanical as well as
electrical characteristics must be considered. BeCu alloy 25
commonly is used for finger stock because it is the strongest
copper alloy, it retains about 22% to 28% of the conductivity of
pure copper, and it has excellent shielding performance. Chemically, alloy 25 consists of copper with between 1.8% to 2.0% of
beryllium and a minimum of 0.2% of nickel and cobalt but no
more than 0.6% of nickel and cobalt and iron.
A number of BeCu finger stock profiles available from Schlegel Electronic Materials, such as Folded Series FS, have compression forces from about 20 lb/linear foot to 40 lb/linear foot.
Force is a function of the material thickness, the spring temper, the amount of deflection, and the bend radius. The Schlegel catalog includes a graph showing an almost linear inverse
relationship between a gasket’s compressed height and the required compression force.1 Although these parts may be typical, a wide range of deflection force is available for finger stock
from different manufacturers.
BeCu finger stock can be flexed a huge number of times, while
staying within its elastic limits, without failing. Recommended
deflection is between 20% and 60% of the gap size to ensure
good contact. Nevertheless, fatigue is cumulative, so the level
to which the material may continue to be stressed is reduced
as the number of bending cycles increases. The fatigue stress
22
22-24_EE201609_EMC_Gaskets_FINAL_eb.indd 22
that causes failure after 100,000,000 bending cycles is about 25%
of the ultimate tensile strength. For EMI applications, failure
caused by fatigue would take so many open/close operations
that it’s usually not a consideration.
However, fatigue depends on a large number of variables
that influence a test specimen’s tendency to form microscopic
surface cracks. Technical papers cite surface finish—test specimens usually are polished—and the amount of corrosion as
two major factors. Actual fatigue testing is a statistical exercise
because even samples cut from the same bar of material will
produce differing fatigue test results.2
A Parker Chomerics catalog states that stainless steel gaskets
can be an economical solution in less demanding applications.
Importantly, the catalog adds, “stainless steel gaskets have
higher compression set than BeCu when used in demanding
applications.”3
Compression set is a measure of how well a gasket returns
to its uncompressed size after being compressed by a certain
amount, for a length of time, at a particular temperature. The
parameter is a common selection variable for elastomer gasket
material but can be used to describe the performance of any
compressible gasket. In the case of stainless steel, “having higher compression set” simply means the material doesn’t make as
good a spring as BeCu.
Finger stock manufacturers provide BeCu gaskets in a range
of finishes from bare metal to several types of plating. When
selecting a plating material, the goals include reducing wear,
increasing electrical conductivity, and protecting against corrosion by ensuring compatibility with the enclosure on which the
gasket is mounted.
The Parker Chomerics catalog explains, “Galvanic corrosion occurs as electrons move from dissimilar metals through
an electrolyte such as water or salt spray/fog. The goal of an
EMI gasket is to be part of an electrically conductive shield, and
Durometer
Material
10
Very soft, rubbery
20
Soft (rubber bands)
30
Medium soft (art gum eraser, bathtub caulk)
40
Firm (red rubber pencil eraser)
50
Bungee strap, auto radiator hose
60
Vinyl feet for chairs, sneaker sole
70
Vinyl garden hose, rubber ducky
80
Extension cord plug, Tupperware
90
Vinyl watch strap
100
Rubber printing press rollers
Table 1. Examples of materials with various Shore A hardnesses
Courtesy of Paramount Industries
September 2016
8/10/2016 3:12:12 PM
EMC GASKETS
the gasket material is typically mated with a structural metal
such as aluminum or stainless steel…. To reduce the [chance]
for corrosion, the electrical potential difference between the two
metals should be minimized. This is where the availability of
different finishes on BeCu parts can help.”
A further consideration is safety. Numerous articles have
been written about the health hazards associated with beryllium, and some authors have questioned the safety of BeCu
gaskets. In fact, OSHA only recently closed the comment period for input to its proposed ruling on “Occupational Exposure
to Beryllium and Beryllium Compounds” Docket No. OSHAH005C-2006-0870. It’s important to note that OSHA’s concern
centers on workers in the beryllium industry who frequently
may be exposed to elemental beryllium, especially as an airborne dust.4
According to information on many beryllium company websites and those of EMI gasket manufacturers, working with
BeCu alloy 25 in the form of finger stock poses no special risk
because the beryllium is alloyed with copper—it cannot become separated as elemental beryllium. Workers in smelting
operations that actually produce raw beryllium or in recycling
plants that remelt products containing beryllium are the people
that OSHA strives to protect.
As yet another alternative material, Laird Technologies has
developed finger stock gaskets based on what the company calls
recyclable clean copper. As the name suggests, no beryllium is
used in the products, yet comparable durability and shielding effectiveness are claimed. To back up computer simulations, a special test jig subjected the new gasket material to 500,000 cycles of
simulated enclosure door opening and closing.5
Elastomers
The list of silicone-based gasket materials available from Specialty Silicone Products makes interesting reading. Both the
range of material characteristics—hardness, flammability, and
resistance to solvents and fuel—and the numerous kinds of
conductive fillers are extensive. Carbon black, silver-aluminum,
nickel-graphite, monel, silver-plated glass beads, silver-nickel,
silver-copper, and silver particles are all used to meet specific
MIL-DTL-83528 requirements.
For example, SSP-547-65 is a silver-copper silicone designed
to meet Type A of the specification, which calls for “silverplated, copper-filled silicone capable of 110 dB of plane wave
shielding effectiveness at 10 GHz with a continuous use temperature range of range of -55°C to +125°C.” In contrast, SSP2426-30 is a soft electrically
conductive silver-aluminum
Profile
Percentage
shielding elastomer with a
30-durometer rating.
Flat Strip
5-10
Table 1 gives examples of
materials
that have specific
Solid O
20-25
Shore A hardness values.
Solid D
15-20
Although it isn’t the only
consideration, a material’s
Hollow O
20-50
hardness relates to its appropriateness as a gasket.6
Hollow D
25-50
Table 2 lists recommended
deflection depending on the
Hollow P
25-50
type of gasket for Laird’s
Interference Fit 15-25
ElectroSeal profiles.
Also addressing gasket
Table 2. Recommended
hardness and comprescompression percentages for
sion, the Parker Chomerics
various ElectroSeal conductive
website states, “We do not
elastomer profiles
recommend basing mateCourtesy of Laird Technologies
rial selection primarily on
hardness. Unlike unfilled elastomers, material hardness is not
always an accurate indicator of deflection properties [for filled
elastomers]. The geometry
of the gasket is generally the
most important determinant
of deflection under load. For
applications requiring large
gasket deflection with minimum closure force, a hollow
part geometry is recommended” (Figure 2).
A gasket’s force vs. deflection characteristic often is
quoted as lb/inch or lb/foot.
This is the amount of force
required to deflect a 1-inch
or 1-foot length of material
by a certain amount—20% to
50% listed in Table 2 for a hollow “O” section such as Laird
Technologies’ ElectroSeal Ostrip tubing number 8864-0110.
One of the advantages of BeCu
finger stock is its low compresFigure 2. Typical conductive elastomer
sion force that still gives good
EMI gasket profiles
shielding performance. Solid
Courtesy of Parker Chomerics
conductive elastomers typically require a higher force for a
similar deflection. A hollow section of a relatively hard material
can have better mechanical wear than a very soft rubber and
still exhibit a reasonable compression force.
Rather than fill an elastomer with conductive particles, some
EMI gasket manufacturers, such as Vanguard Products, co-extrude a thin layer of conductive material over a nonconductive
elastomer core (Figure 3). In addition to reducing cost because
less of the expensive filler is needed, Vanguard claims that the
mechanical properties of the core material are unaffected in the
company’s dual-elastomer Ultra-Vanshield range of EMI gaskets. In particular, the compression set of a filled elastomer gasket generally is higher than that of a plain unfilled elastomer.7
For example, Auburn Manufacturing’s website states that
the company’s solid silicone rubber exhibits a lower compres-
Figure 3. A selection of Ultra-Vanshield dual-elastomer EMI gasket profiles
Courtesy of Vanguard Products
sion set than any other elastomer—about 15% after 72 hours
at 302°F. Intertek’s Plastics Technology Laboratory website
describes a compression set under constant deflection test according to ASTM D395-B. The site states, “The thickness of the
original specimen is measured. The specimen is then placed
between spacers and in the compression device. The specimen
is compressed to 25% of its original height, using spacers to accurately measure the compression. Within two hours of assemSeptember 2016
23
8/10/2016 3:12:27 PM
EMC GASKETS
bly, the compression device is placed in an oven at a specified
temperature for the suggested time periods of 22 hours and 70
hours. After removing the sample from the oven, the specimen
is allowed to cool for 30 minutes before measuring the final
thickness.”
Compression set is expressed as a percentage of the original
deflection
CB = [(to - ti)/(to - tn)] x 100
where: CB = compression set
to = original thickness of the specimen
ti = final thickness of the specimen
tn = thickness of the space bars used
For a 0.5-inch thick specimen, the compressed height would
be 0.125-inch—25% of the original height. The spacers used to
ensure the compressed thickness are 0.125-inch thick. Assume
the final thickness is 0.45 inch. Then the compression set is 100
× (0.5 - 0.45)/(0.5 - 0.125) = 13.3%—similar to the performance
Auburn quotes.
In comparison, the Parker Chomerics website lists a large
number of conductive elastomer molded or extruded Cho-Seal
gaskets that typically have compression set between 30% and
50%. No doubt, the type of filler makes a difference, but the
conclusion on the Vanguard Products website that fillers increase silicone compression set seems broadly correct.
The force required to cause 10% deflection of a solid 0.125inch diameter filled Series 5000 elastomer EMI gasket (part No.
5011-12000-xx, where xx designates the combination of elastomer and conductive filler) from MAJR Products is approximately 6 lb/linear inch, or 72 lb/linear foot.8 In comparison,
a Vanguard co-extruded dual-elastomer Ultra-Vanshield tubular gasket requires about 2 lb/linear inch (24 lb/linear foot) to
deflect 40%.7
Interestingly, Parker Chomerics makes a type of coextruded
gasket that molds conductive next to nonconductive material.
One form is a strip with a thicker cross section near both edges. The edge with the conductive material performs the EMC
shielding. The other edge is positioned toward the outside of
the enclosure and makes the environmental seal. Because there
is no galvanic incompatibility—there are no metallic filler particles in that part of the gasket—there is no corrosion caused by
the gasket.
Elastomers can be processed to have a foam structure, which
generally is much easier to compress than the same material in
solid form. Parker Chomerics’ Soft-Shield 3500 is one of several series of gaskets that the company makes based on a foam
urethane core wrapped or plated with conductive material. As
information on the company’s website states, the “… commercial EMI gasket product offering consists of multiple profiles of
a conductive fabric wrapped around open cell urethane foam.
The more than 250 product profiles consist of rectangular, Dshape, P-shape, stealth, C-fold, and knife-edge. These profiles
offer an EMI gasket which can perform with less than a 1 lb per
inch force.”
Alternative gasket materials
Continuing with the foam elastomer theme, several companies have combined metallic or plated fibers with elastomers
to make low-resistance gaskets that also have environmental
sealing capabilities. Parker Chromerics’ Soft-Shield 4850 Z-axis
conductive strip gaskets provide up to 80-dB EMI shielding at
lower cost. Like coextruded gaskets that retain an unfilled elastomer core, the 4850 products exhibit very good compression
set and yet require low deflection force.
Rather than a foam core wrapped with a conductive fabric,
some products such as Laird’s knitted conductive gaskets have
a knitted covering made from conducting fibers or metal wire.
As a document on the Laird website explains, “Knitted gaskets
24
Figure 4. EMI gaskets based on tin-plated BeCu spiral
Courtesy of Spira Manufacturing
can be made from a variety of metal wires, including monel,
tin-plated copper-clad steel, or aluminum. It is cost-effective for
low cycling applications with high shielding effectiveness over
a broad frequency range.… Popular product lines include the
ElectroNit All Mesh, which is the most economical gasket for
low cycling applications and is designed to offer the highest levels of attenuation.… CuBe Mesh offers superb resiliency for consistent, point-to-point contact requiring the lowest compression
forces among all other shielding materials and configurations.
Elastomer Core Mesh is an optimum solution for combining excellent shielding performance with a high degree of elasticity.
Electro-Con oriented wire provides EMI protection and seals
against moisture or rain on cast or machined surfaces.”9
Taking a very different approach, Spira Manufacturing’s
Spira-Shield gasket uses a tight spiral wound from spring
temper BeCu that is tin plated to improve conductivity
and shielding properties (Figure 4). Three resiliencies are
available: standard with 30 lb/linear inch force vs. deflection,
moderate with 10 lb/linear inch, and low with 1.5 lb/linear
inch. The product can be made with diameters from 0.034
inch to 1.5 inches and offers shielding effectiveness up to 165
dB depending on the application. EE
References
1. “EMI Fingerstock,” Schlegel Electronic Materials, January 2016.
2. “Metal fatigue—why metal parts fail from repeatedly applied loads,” EPI.
3. “Fingerstock Product Catalog, Beryllium-Copper and Stainless Steel EMI
Gaskets,” Parker Chomerics, 2016.
4. “Occupational Exposure to Beryllium and Beryllium Compounds,” Federal
Register, October 2015.
5. “Laird Technologies launches beryllium-free shielding material for slotted
applications,” Laird Technologies Press Release, Aug. 15, 2006.
6. “Durometer made easy, durometer hardness scales—general reference
guide,” Paramount Industries, 2008.
7. Ultra-Vanshield RFI/EMI dual elastomer shielding gaskets,” Vanguard
Products, 2009.
8. “Conductive elastomer,” MAJR Products, 2016.
9. Noto, J., et al, “Automotive EMI Shielding – Controlling Automotive Electronic Emissions and Susceptibility with Proper EMI Suppression Methods,”
Laird Technologies, April, 2010.
September 2016
8/11/2016 9:08:52 AM
By Rick Nelson, E xecutive Editor
INDUSTRY
HAPPENINGS
IoT, supply chain take center stage
at SEMICON West
S
EMICON West took place July 1214 in San Francisco, with the colocated imec Technology Forum
(ITF) held July 11. Luc Van den hove,
president and CEO of imec, delivered
an opening presentation focusing on IoT
and “connected everything.” Subsequent
speakers provided a deep dive into the
semiconductor process technologies that
will make the connected world possible.
In an opening keynote address, John
Kern, senior vice president for supplychain operations at Cisco, elaborated on
the supply chain, which, he said, must be
digitized, and Cisco can help.
During an evening workshop presented by Leti, Marie Semeria, CEO, said the
organization sees opportunities in highperformance computing and IoT. The
focus of the presentations was sensor
and MEMS technologies, access to Leti’s
3S advanced silicon platform, and Leti’s
collaborative ecosystem for accelerating
tech startups.
Flexible hybrid electronics (for wearables and many other applications) was
the subject of two full-day workshops at
SEMICON West as well as two hours of
exhibit-floor presentations and a panel discussion. See the related article on page 26.
Atul Mahamuni, vice president for IoT
at Oracle, delivered the final morning’s
keynote address. He noted that only
27% of businesses have a coherent digital strategy. That will have to change, he
said, for companies to take advantage of
80% growth in digital revenue by 2020.
ATE makers
Several ATE makers were represented on
the exhibit floor. Advantest highlighted
its new Wave Scale V93000 channel
cards, which, according to Dieter Ohnesorge, product manager for RF solutions,
deliver groundbreaking parallelism,
scalability, and throughput for testing RF
and mixed-signal ICs.
National Instruments highlighted the
Semiconductor Test System (STS), which
is available in three configurations: T1
with one 18-slot PXI chassis, T2 with two
chassis, and T4 with up to four 18-slot
PXI chassis internally. All STS models
use NI’s TestStand test executive software. The company also showcased its
next-generation vector signal transceiver.
Marvin Test Solutions exhibited its
PXI-based TS-900 Series product line,
which includes the TS-960 semiconductor
test platform. Featuring the GX5296 PXI
digital subsystem, the TS-960 offers subnanosecond edge placement, timing per
pin, multiple time sets, and a PMU per
pin—making the TS-960 suitable for both
digital and mixed-signal test applications.
Roos Instruments displayed the Casini ATE test system with 40-, 60-, and
80-GHz instruments. With 16 instrument
slots, the Casini 16 supports poweramplifier test requirements with four
independent DC supplies, a 10-MHz to
20-GHz digitally modulated RF source
in an auxiliary rack, an RF/microwave
receiver with 50-MHz to 20-GHz timeand frequency-domain capture, a 4-GHz
to 40.5-GHz power measure/multiport
VNA, and a 0 to 20-GHz RF combiner for
RF mixing in multitone tests.
Micro Control highlighted its burn-in
and test products, such as the HPB-5C,
which offers power dissipation per DUT
to 150 W maximum and the test vector
memory available per DUT to 32M. A
total of 384 devices can be tested at temperatures up to 150°C with an 800-MHz
clock rate.
Astronics Test Systems demonstrated
its semiconductor test solutions. The
company presents itself as offering an alternative to “one size fits all” test equipment. The company’s engineers work
with customers to build a system that
meets technical specs and achieves business goals of reducing test cost and improving yields.
Pickering Interfaces exhibited new
products within its Series 40-760 50-Ω,
600-MHz PXI RF multiplexers. Available configurations include dual, quad,
and octal SP4T; single, dual, and quad
SP8T; single and dual SP16T; and single
SP32T.
Optimal+ highlighted its data-mining
software. The company reports that it enables a comprehensive, transparent view
into manufacturing operations in support of real-time, data-driven decisions.
Inspection systems
Inspection-related companies also were
on hand. KLA-Tencor highlighted six
new wafer-defect inspection and review
systems for leading-edge IC device manufacturing: the 3900 Series (previously
referred to as Gen 5) and the 2930 Series
broadband plasma optical inspectors, the
September 2016
25_EE201609_IndustryHappenings_FINAL_eb.indd 25
Puma 9980 laser scanning inspector, the
CIRCL5 all-surface inspection cluster,
the Surfscan SP5XP unpatterned wafer
inspector, and the eDR7280 e-beam review and classification tool. Mark Shirey,
senior director of marketing, said the
new systems help meet complex IC process inspection challenges relating to 3D
devices, multiple patterning, new materials, scaling, and increased variability.
Rudolph Technologies touted its new
patented Clearfind technology. Sonoscan
highlighted its nondestructive acoustic
microscopy technology. Ultratech reported a multiple-system follow-on order for
its AP-300 lithography systems, which
will be used for high-volume fanout
wafer-level packaging applications. And
TeraView introduced its EOTPR 5000 automated IC package system, which uses
the company’s proprietary EOTPR terahertz technology to detect weak or marginal interconnect quality.
Handlers and asset management
Kevin Brennan, group vice president at
Boston Semi Equipment, was present to
highlight the company’s new quad-site
gravity feed handler. The system, named
Titan, will start shipment in late Q3 2016.
Brennan said the handler addresses the
industry’s need for a quad-site, highperformance handler at an attractive
price point.
Michael Zunino, director, semiconductor, at EquipNet, was on hand to describe
the company’s corporate asset-management program for the semiconductor
industry. The company can help address
challenges related to project management, procurement, global consignment,
appraisals, and worldwide logistics.
Thermo Fisher Scientific highlighted
its new temperature-control devices
for semiconductor manufacturing applications. The company exhibited its
ThermoFlex Series recirculating chillers,
which offer cooling capacity to 24,000 W
and temperature ranges to 90°C.
And finally, although Reno Sub-Systems did not exhibit at SEMICON West,
sales and marketing senior vice president Christopher Davis was on hand to
note that the company, incorporated in
2013, is emerging from stealth mode. The
company offers RF power and gas-delivery systems aimed at solving critical
roadblocks in extending Moore’s Law. EE
25
8/10/2016 11:23:08 AM
FLEXIBLE ELECTRONICS
Heterogeneous integration boosts
sensor systems
F
lexible electronics technologies are showing promise in
applications ranging from home healthcare to aerospace.
To realize the benefits, organizations including SEMI FlexTech and NextFlex are supporting the funding of and education
in the technologies. And companies such as GE and Lockheed
Martin are looking to exploit flexible hybrid technologies.
Indicating the significance of the topic, it was the subject of
two full-day workshops at SEMICON West as well as two hours
of presentations and a panel discussion on the exhibit floor.
Speaking at SEMICON West, Dr. Melissa Grupen-Shemansky, CTO of SEMI FlexTech, said a new era of electronics is
emerging, enabled by flexible hybrid electronics (FHE). Scaling
in silicon is reaching its limit, with efforts now focusing on 2.5D
and 3D technologies to extend Moore’s Law. At the same time,
she said, “The IoT is affecting all of us as well as connecting us
to each other and to our data.” Personal electronics are becoming wearables—in the form of biomonitoring devices or even
e-textiles. Flexible displays have been with us for a while, she
added, but new products are appearing that will let us wear our
smartphones on our wrist. Flexible displays are driving a great
deal of innovation. Human-skin-like materials are incorporating a host of sensors. All are driving demands for innovation in
flexible hybrid electronics.
To assist in the adoption of the technology, she said MatWeb
and FlexTech are developing a materials and equipment registry (flextech.matweb.com) for the flexible- and printed-electronics industries. The registry is a work in progress with more
improvements to come, she said.
DoD initiative
Jason Marsh, director of technology at NextFlex, explained that
his organization, set up in August 2015, is an institute of the
National Network for Manufacturing Innovation —a DoD initiative focused on coordinating public and private investment
in emerging advanced manufacturing technologies.
Marsh described FHEs as flexible, stretchable, and conformable integrations of heterogeneous technologies. They also
benefit from being lightweight, transparent, and low cost. Heterogeneity has its limits, however: An effective FHE cannot incorporate standard gull-wing silicon devices. A suitable silicon
device for effective FHE integration will have a thickness of less
than 50 μm. Unfortunately, you can’t readily order such devices
off the shelf.
Interconnect also poses challenges, Marsh said. He noted
that NextFlex is not pedantic about interconnect—thin-film,
thick-film, foil-lamination, plating, and conductive-polymer
techniques may all have a role to play, depending on the application. He cited other fabrication challenges, noting that an
FHE assembly typically won’t withstand a lead-free solder reflow process.
Helmet-integrated sensor
Laura Rea, a program manager at the Air Force Research Laboratory, outlined the Air Force’s interest in FHE. In 1996, she said,
a fatigued ground crew failed to refuel an airplane, resulting
in several deaths. And today, fatigued operators of unmanned
aerial vehicles could cause civilian casualties.
The Air Force, she said, is looking to monitor a variety of
biomarkers and investigating innovations such as a helmet-
26
26-27_EE201609_FlexibleElectronics_FINAL_eb.indd 26
integrated neural spinal hydration sensor. Batteries are a huge
problem, she continued. Airmen already carry backpacks
weighing 75 lb so adding weight is not an option. By 2020, Rea
concluded, the Air Force will have the smallest force structure
in its history, making human performance optimization a critical requirement.
Qualcomm is a commercial company interested in flexible
electronics. Urmi Ray, principal engineer, said that packaging
and integration are keys to putting the world at our fingertips.
She noted that the human body is not rectangular or cubic. Consequently, Qualcomm is interested in ways to integrate sensors,
processors, RF front ends, and antennas on conformal, flexible
substrates. Such an approach, she said, could augment applications like remote patient monitoring services.
Lockheed Martin also is interested in FHE. Jeff Stuart, a researcher at Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories, told SEMICON West attendees that each F-35 includes a
big shielded box of printed circuit boards, and a lighter weight
integrated solution would be advantageous. What’s required is
ruggedization and survivability in extreme environments—as
well as effective test strategies.
He said FHE is not the solution for all applications, but the
company wants to understand where FHE might be effective.
Potential applications include asset monitoring, soldier-wearable biosensors, body-wearable antennas, energy harvesting
and storage, flexible computing, stealth wear, medical and
health monitoring, and asset structural health monitoring with
a transition from schedule-based maintenance to conditionbased maintenance.
“Sense, process, and communicate”
Nancy Stoffel, senior engineer for electronics packaging at GE
Global Research, said GE makes big systems that “… build,
cure, move, and power the world.” Such systems require electronics assemblies that “sense, process, and communicate,” she
added.
The company does have an interest in healthcare, but in a
hospital environment rather than in the home or the gym. One
goal of GE, she said, is to get wires out of the hospital environment with wireless approaches to vital-sign monitoring. FHEs
offer the promise of new ways of looking at patients with new
sensors, she said. What’s required are comfortable, stretchable,
soft substrates with good body-attachment methods and—for
disposable applications—very low cost.
In addition to making hospital patient-monitoring products,
GE makes a lot of equipment that’s “hot and spinning,” Stoffel
said, adding that for condition-based monitoring, the company
wants to move the sensors close to the active part—such as a
turbine blade. The sensors and their accompanying processing and communications functions will need to withstand high
temperatures, be low profile, and offer a robust attachment
mechanism. Bare-die chip-scale parts will be required—not
COTS semiconductors. In addition, volumes will be relatively
low, so keeping costs low will present a challenge.
FHE manufacturing
One company contending with FHE manufacturing challenges is Uniqarta. Ronn Kliger, CEO and cofounder, pointed out
that standard ICs are too thick to bend. He put the threshold
September 2016
8/10/2016 6:01:07 PM
FLEXIBLE ELECTRONICS
of flexibility at 50-μm thickness and said Uniqarta works with
25-μm devices. Challenges related to thinning, dicing, pickup,
throughput, and interconnection require a holistic approach to
the assembly process. “We start with the wafer-fab output and
end up with thin, placed, connected chips,” he said.
Kliger added that it’s beneficial to be compatible with standard semiconductor wafers, avoiding the need for custom processes while leveraging existing tooling. For placement accuracy, the company makes liberal use of “handles,” which cause
a thinned chip to look like a standard chip to pick-and-place
equipment. The handles are subsequently removed through
thermal-adhesion processes.
Completed projects
In the run-up to SEMICON West, FlexTech announced the formal completion of three FHE R&D projects under a U.S. Army
Research Laboratory (ARL) technology investment agreement.
The completed projects are with ENrG for a flexible ceramic
substrate, nScrypt and NovaCentrix for a next-generation 3D
printing tool for creating complex and functional objects, and
PARC, a Xerox Co., for a flexible sensor platform. Projects
ranged from 12 to 18 months and were managed by members
of the FlexTech Technical Council—a team of experts in flexible,
hybrid, and printed electronics technologies.
ENrG, located in Buffalo, NY, completed a 15-month project
to develop a high-yield process to create a 20-μm-thick, flexible ceramic substrate that retains its integrity when drilled,
IDTechEx cites flexible-electronics
automotive opportunities
According to IDTechEx, printed and flexible electronics are beginning to proliferate in the automotive sector. Early this year,
the research firm said the market is expected to grow to greater
than $5.5 billion dollars in the next decade, spearheaded by the
projected growth of in-mold electronics (IME) and organic LED
(OLED) technologies.1
The company said OLED displays represent the biggest success of organic electronics, having found use in consumer
products such as smartphones, tablets, televisions, and wearables. For automotive applications, OLEDs offer light weight,
robustness, and design versatility. In the future, the auto indus800
Revenue ($ millions)
700
600
TIMs
Automotive FSR
R
OLED displays
OLED lighting
Seat heaters
IME consoles
Defoggers
f
500
400
300
200
100
0
2016
2017
2018
Revenue for printed and flexible electronics in automotive applications
Source: IDTechEx, “Printed and Flexible Electronics in Automotive Applications
2016-2026.”
cut, rolled, and processed at high temperatures. ENrG developed processes to print thin-film lithium batteries and circuits
as well as to apply copper cladding and other metallization.
The project, valued at $570,000 total, was 56% cost-shared by
the company.
nScrypt, based in Orlando, FL, in partnership with NovaCentrix of Austin, TX, developed a 3D printer for rapid prototyping of electronic devices. The $1,291,000 award was cost-shared
by nScrpyt, NovaCentrix, and FlexTech and completed over a
16-month period. The tool additively builds integrated hybrid
circuits on 3D surfaces as well as flexible, low-temperature,
rigid planar substrates. The first tool has been installed at ARL,
and commercial tools are available from nScrypt.
PARC, headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, developed a passively powered, digitally fabricated, communication-enabled,
flexible sensor platform that is customizable to multiple sensor types. The project addressed the availability of an end-toend system design that can be manufactured in large quantities
with digital printing for smart-tag or wearable applications.
The total cost was $409,000 and shared equally between PARC
and FlexTech.
“Each of these projects, chosen and supported by the Technical Council, moves the needle on learning how to fabricate
electronics on flexible substrates,” stated Michael Ciesinski,
president of FlexTech, in a press release. “Especially impressive
is the teaming on the projects, which helps build out the FHE
supply chain.” EE
try may adopt transparent displays to transform the windows
of vehicles into screens that show heads-up information such
as speed, navigation instructions, and location-based information. In addition, the rear windshield could communicate safety
warnings and other notifications to fellow motorists.
IDTechEx also offered predictions for IME, forecasting that the
market of a few tens of millions of dollars in 2016 could reach
almost a billion dollars by 2026. The graph accompanying this
article shows forecasts for IME—as well as OLEDs, force sensing resistors, thermal interface materials, seat heaters, and defoggers—through 2018. The company said that standard manufacturing processes can implement car overhead consoles and
center stacks using IME, reducing weight as well as the size and
complexity of the PCBs integrated into vehicles.
The firm said the technology is already in production, with
Canatu’s CNB Touch Sensors incorporated into a new automotive model for a yet unnamed North American customer. Production and deliveries started in 2015.
In related news, Canatu in May introduced an ultrathin 12μm version of its CNB Flex film. The CNB supports extreme
bending and folding, making it particularly well-suited for
wearable, foldable, and rollable devices. The company’s transparent conductive film portfolio consists of CNB Hi-Contrast
Film, optimized for flat projected capacitive touch devices; CNB
Flex Film, optimized for wearable, flexible, and foldable touchenabled electronics devices; and CNB In-Mold Film, optimized
for 3D formable capacitive touch surfaces.
In addition, Canatu said in July that the European Investment
Bank is supporting Canatu with a EUR 12 million loan for the
development and capacity increase of its Carbon NanoBudbased conductive-film and touch-sensor production in Finland.
The company said the investment will speed up the commercialization of the company’s products and allow Canatu to better serve the consumer electronics and automotive segments.
Reference
1. “IDTechEx: Printed and flexible electronics in vehicles offer $5.5 billion
opportunity by 2026,” EE-Evaluation Engineering Online, Jan. 31, 2016.
September 2016
26-27_EE201609_FlexibleElectronics_FINAL_eb.indd 27
27
8/10/2016 6:01:25 PM
MEMS PRODUCT FOCUS
MEMS get hot as IoT gains steam
M
icroelectromechanical systems (MEMS) represent a mature technology that recently has
received renewed interest because of the growth
in Internet-of-Things (IoT) activity. MEMS are segmented into microsensors, microactuators, and microstructures by the MEMS and Nanotechnology
Exchange, “the world’s most diverse and comprehensive MEMS foundry” according to information
on its website.
MEMS are found all around us—in inkjet printheads; microphones; automotive pressure sensors,
air-bag accelerometers, tire-pressure monitors, and
temperature sensors; and in large-screen displays
that use steerable micromirror devices. In addition
to standard products, many foundries manufacture
custom components. The range of materials and techniques is large, allowing creation of very complex, specialized devices.
Tire pressure monitor
Since the early 1990s, tire pressure has been monitored by a
sensor inside a tire and wirelessly transmitted to a receiver in the
vehicle. The Model FXTH8715 high-pressure family of tire pressure monitoring sensors (TPMS) is highly integrated with a 7-mm
x 7-mm footprint. It also provides an 8-mA transmitting current
and a low-power wake-up feature for very long battery life.
The device includes an 8-kB memory, a Z-axis or a unique
dual X- and Z-axis accelerometer, an 8-bit microcontroller, a
pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a two-channel timer,
internal reference clocks, and a sub-1-GHz transmitter. TPMS
are available with pressure ranges from 100 kPa to 1,500
kPa (approximately 14.5 psi to 218 psi) and in three grades:
standard and precision with ±20 kPa accuracy (±2.9 psi) and high
precision with ±17 kPa (±2.5 psi). Freescale Semiconductor,
www.rsleads.com/609ee-178
Digital pressure sensor
Low pressures from 0.14 psi
to 2.0 psi are accommodated by
the SM9541 Series of RoHS- and
REACH-compliant digital sensors.
Combining a fully temperaturecompensated pressure sensor
with a CMOS mixed-signal-conditioning ASIC supports an I2C
interface and eliminates the need
for additional circuitry, such as a
compensation network or a microcontroller containing a custom correction algorithm.
The 14-bit devices have an accuracy of ±1% of full scale over
the -5°C to +65°C operating temperature range. All members
of the series have two ports that are configured to make either
differential or compound gage measurements. Gage pressure
measurements are made with respect to atmospheric pressure,
and a compound gage capability can cope with pressures above
or below atmospheric. Alternatively, by selecting the appropriate model type, the two ports can be used to make differential
pressure measurements.
Ultra-low pressure measurement is necessary in medical gas-flow applications such as sleep apnea machines, ventilators, and oxygenators. Industrial uses include pressure
28
28-29_EE201609_MEMSProductFocus_MECH_dB.indd 28
switches, safety cabinets, and general gas-flow instrumentation.
Silicon Microstructures, www.rsleads.com/609ee-183
Humidity sensor
The SHTW2 is a digital humidity and temperature sensor in a
1.3-mm x 0.7-mm x 0.5-mm fourcontact flip-chip package. Based
on the manufacturer’s CMOSens
technology, the complete singlechip sensor includes a capacitive humidity sensor, a bandgap
temperature sensor, analog and
digital signal processing, an A/D converter, calibration data
memory, and a digital communications interface supporting
I2C fast mode.
The sensor covers a relative humidity measurement range
of 0% to 100% and a temperature measurement range of -30°C
to +100°C with a typical accuracy of ±3% RH and ±0.4°C. The
1.8-V operating voltage and the low power consumption make
the SHTW2 suitable for mobile or wireless applications. Typical
measurement current drain is 385 μA, which corresponds to an
average 8.6-μW power consumption if measurements are made
once per second. Sensirion, www.rsleads.com/609ee-182
Versatile accelerometer
The ADXL362 is an ultralow power, three-axis MEMS accelerometer suitable for use in hearing aids, home healthcare
devices, wireless sensors, and motion-enabled equipment. It
September 2016
8/11/2016 9:41:09 AM
MEMS PRODUCT FOCUS
consumes less than 2 μA at a 100-Hz output data rate and only
270 nA when in the motion-triggered wake-up mode. Unlike accelerometers that use power duty-cycling to achieve low power
consumption, the ADXL362 does not alias input signals by undersampling; it samples the full bandwidth of the sensor at all
data rates and with 12-bit resolution. Eight-bit formatted data
also is provided for more efficient single-byte transfers when a
lower resolution is sufficient.
Measurement ranges of ±2g, ±4g, and ±8g are electrically selectable with a resolution of 1 mg/lsb on the ±2g range. For applications where a noise level lower than the normal 550 μg/√Hz
is desired, either of two lower noise modes (down to 175 μg/√Hz
typical) can be selected at minimal increase in supply current.
The ADXL362 includes a deep multimode output FIFO, a
built-in micropower temperature sensor, and several activity
detection modes such as adjustable threshold sleep and wakeup operation that can run as low as 270 nA at a 6-Hz (approximate) measurement rate. A pin output is provided to directly
control an external switch when activity is detected. The device
is available in a 3 mm × 3.25 mm × 1.06 mm package and operates on a wide 1.6-V to 3.5-V supply range. Analog Devices,
that the zero offset
point and sensitivity of the sensor
are proportional to
the supply voltage.
However, when the
same voltage is used
for both the sensor
and the A/D converter, the error caused by reference voltage variation is automatically compensated. A digital SPI interface provides control via
several 8-bit commands as well as selectable temperature and
inclination outputs.
The measuring range is ±30 degrees or ±90 degrees depending on the model. Resolution is 0.0025 degee, and the
overdamped -3 dB bandwidth is 18 Hz. A robust self-test feature creates an electrostatic force that causes the proof-mass
to deflect to the extreme positive position, simulating high
acceleration. Because the test signal actually deflects the
proof-mass, the entire signal path can be checked. Murata,
Rugged inertial measurement unit
The M-G364 and M-G354 inertial
measurement units (IMUs) are designed
for demanding environments such as
agriculture and construction. With three
axes of gyroscopes and accelerometers,
the new IMUs provide built-in support
for both SPI and UART protocols. At 24
mm x 24 mm x 10 mm in size, the units
offer 2.2 and 3.0 degree per hour gyro
bias stability, respectively.
Typical applications for the new
M-G364 and M-G354 IMUs include construction machine control, precision agriculture auto-steering, and unmanned
vehicle guidance, all of which can generate high levels of vibration and shock that hinder MEMS
IMU performance. The new units offer enhanced vibration and
shock protection with a redesigned metal housing and internal
architecture that isolate the inertial sensors while also facilitating top/bottom mounting via a high-reliability connector for
easy integration.
Enhanced components inside the M-G364 and M-G354 IMUs
also yield many benefits including increased long-term reliability, an expanded operating temperature range, improved sensor
stability and resolution, and a 40% reduction in power consumption. Software features now provide delta angle/delta velocity
output and an expanded selection of output data rates. Seiko
Epson, www.rsleads.com/609ee-181
Leveling with an inclinometer
The MEMS-based single-axis Series SCA61T inclinometers feature low temperature dependency, high resolution,
and low noise together with robust sensing element design.
These characteristics support the use of the SCA61T for leveling instruments, platform leveling and stabilization, and acceleration and motion measurement. The inclinometers are insensitive to vibration due to their over-damped sensing elements
and can withstand mechanical shocks of 20,000g.
The analog output uses a ratiometric design, which means
Barometric pressure sensor
The DPS310 is a miniaturized digital barometric air pressure
sensor with a range of 300 hPa to 1,200 hPa (about 4.35 psi to
17.4 psi) that also measures temperature from -40°C to +85°C.
The pressure sensor element is based on a capacitive principle,
which guarantees high precision during temperature changes.
An internal signal processor converts the output from the pressure and temperature sensor elements to 24-bit results. Each
pressure sensor has been individually calibrated and contains
coefficients that are used to convert the measurement results
to true pressure and temperature values.
To facilitate low-power consumption, the sensor has a
32-measurement FIFO that allows the host processor to remain
in a sleep mode for a longer period between readouts. Sensor measurements and calibration coefficients are available via
the serial I2C/SPI interface. Pressure and temperature measurement accuracies are ±0.06 hPa and ±0.5°C, respectively.
The small package and 3-μA current drain when making
one measurement/s make the DPS310 ideal for mobile applications and wearable devices such as health and sports monitors.
Infineon Technologies, www.rsleads.com/609ee-179
Hearing for the mobile and wearable market
The AKU151 is a small, top-port, analog-output MEMS microphone. It consists of a MEMS acoustic sensor and an IC with
a pre-amplifier, a charge pump, and supporting circuitry in a
package measuring 3.42 mm x 1.70 mm x 0.93 mm.
Designed to provide high acoustic performance in a tiny
top-port component, the
microphone is ideal for
space-constrained wearable
accessories,
IoT
nodes, and smartphones
that require good acoustic
performance. The AKU151
offers a 65-dB signal-tonoise ratio, a flat frequency
response, and uniform sensitivity matching of ±1dB between
production parts. The metal lid package is immune to RFI and
EMI, facilitating easy integration into wireless devices. Akustica,
September 2016
28-29_EE201609_MEMSProductFocus_MECH_eb.indd 29
29
8/10/2016 2:47:54 PM
EE PRODUCT PICKS
Magnetics lab kit
Cross-platform development
The new RF Magnetics Lab Kit
helps educators bring practical,
hands-on experience into their
classrooms and instructional labs.
The kit contains a selection of chip
and air-core inductors, LC filter
modules, and wideband transformers, and it is offered free to accredited electrical engineering programs.
The kit is the latest example of Coilcraft’s continuing effort to support the next generation of electrical engineers,
following on the Power Magnetics Lab Kit introduced two
years ago. The company also offers a variety of other resources to students and educators, including design tools,
a library of application notes, and lab posters. Coilcraft,
Now available for download, Qt 5.7 features pioneering UI
creation, including a new Qt 3D module as well as new ways
to create modern touch-based UIs with Qt Quick Controls 2 and
Qt Quick Designer. Qt 5.7 follows the evolution of modern C++,
leveraging C++11 in Qt APIs.
With Qt 5.7 and the new Qt 3D module, it now is easy to create 3D UIs and interact with 3D objects using high-level Qt C++
and QML APIs. Visualizing a 3D model with Qt 3D takes minutes
instead of hours or days of OpenGL programming. In addition
to 3D rendering, Qt 3D is a fully extensible 3D framework for
near-real-time simulations. Qt 3D has been developed together
with KDAB, the vendor’s service partner external contributor.
The Qt Co., www.rsleads.com/609ee-216
Low-power MCUs
The new Models 50-200 and
50-201 PCI fault-insertion switching products are designed for use
with differential serial interfaces.
The Model 50-200 switch handles lower data rate serial interfaces such as CAN and FlexRay.
The high-bandwidth Model 50201 accommodates higher data
rate serial interfaces such as AFDX and 1000BaseT Ethernet.
The PIC32MM product line bridges the gap between the vendor’s PIC24F XLP and PIC32MX families. The new MCUs are
the first PIC32 parts to feature core independent peripherals
designed to offload the CPU for lower power. The PIC32MM devices are supported by the MPLAB Code Configurator to help
simplify and accelerate designs.
Today’s embedded applications targeting the Internet of
Things, consumer, industrial control, and motor control require
flexible MCUs that consume less power, are more cost effective, and have smaller form factors. For applications demanding low power and longer battery life, the PIC32MM has sleep
modes down to 500 nA. Applications with space constraints will
benefit from the small 4 x 4 mm package options. Microchip,
Pickering Interfaces, www.rsleads.com/609ee-214
Base-station simulator
PCI Express 4.0 test
The Signaling Tester MD8475B supports up to four component-carrier-aggregation and 2×2 MIMO implementations in
a single test box. Integrated with the SmartStudio GUI, the
MD8475B lowers cost of test and reduces space requirements
compared with conventional solutions that
require several test instruments. It also can
conduct tests on chipsets, modules, and mobile platforms with the
most recent LTE-Advanced specifications.
Improved IP throughput test efficiency is
achieved via the built-in IP Packet Generator function of the
MD8475B. This feature simplifies the test environment by removing the need for hosting a client/server on an external PC.
SmartStudio Manager facilitates automated UE testing and
improves development efficiency by offering seamless transitions to regression and stress tests. In addition to supporting
existing test cases created with the first-generation MD8475A,
SmartStudio Manager can automate full network tests by calculating the combinations of CC numbers, MIMO numbers,
and wireless frequency bands required for LTE-Advanced evaluations. Anritsu, www.rsleads.com/609ee-215
Enhancements to the vendor’s suite of PCI Express (PCIe)
test solutions include support for the 16-GT/s data rate and automated transmitter and receiver test solutions supporting the
PCIe 4.0 architecture.
With the faster data rates for PCIe 4.0 technology come new
test challenges, such as major increases in channel loss, tightening of the total jitter budget, and more complex link training
and timing requirements. As design margins shrink, accurate
and standard-specific measurement solutions play a vital role
in debug, design verification, and interoperability testing. All of
these needs are met by the vendor’s latest test solutions for PCIe
4.0 and 3.0 in conjunction with DPO70000SX high-performance
oscilloscopes. Tektronix, www.rsleads.com/609ee-218
Fault-insertion modules
30
30-31_EE201609_ProductPicks_FINAL_eb.indd 30
Cold-chain monitoring
The free InTemp mobile
app for the company’s InTemp CX400 Series products for pharmaceutical
cold-chain monitoring applications now supports
Android mobile devices.
The InTemp CX400 Series includes a range of high-performance Bluetooth Low Energy data loggers for monitoring temperatures in refrigerators,
September 2016
8/10/2016 12:06:30 PM
EE LITERATURE
MARKETPLACE
EE PRODUCT PICKS
FAST PULSE TEST SYSTEMS
freezers, and controlled-temperature storage areas. The mobile
app enables users to easily view temperature data from CX400
loggers, check logger status, set alarms, and create and share
secure PDF reports from their Android and iOS mobile devices.
Onset, www.rsleads.com/609ee-219
Frame grabber
The FireBird Camera Link
Deca board now is available in
two form-factors: a full-height
version with a front-panel IO
and a low-profile/half-height
version. The half-height design allows the FireBird to be used in small embedded PC enclosures and rack-mount cases where full-height PC cards are
not suitable. A full-height bracket option accommodates use in
standard PC form-factor enclosures.
FireBird uses the vendor’s proprietary DMA engine technology, ActiveDMA. This technical innovation applies RISC-based
processor techniques and guaranties zero CPU intervention, high speed, and very low latency image data transfers.
Avtech offers over 500 standard models of high-speed pulsers,
drivers, and amplifiers. Some of our standard models include:
AVR-E3-B: 500 ps rise time, 100 Volt pulser
AVRQ-5-B: Optocoupler CMTI tests,
> 120 kV/us
AVO-8D3 B: 500 Amp, 50 Volt pulser
AV-1010-B: General purpose 100V / 1 MHz
pulser
AVO-9A-B: 200 ps rise, 200 mA laser
diode driver
AV-156F-B: 10 Amp current pulser for
airbag initiator test.
PRODUCT SAFETY
TEST EQUIPMENT
ED&D, a world leader in Product
Safety Test Equipment manufacturing, offers a full line of equipment
for meeting various UL, IEC, CSA,
CE, ASTM, MIL, and other standards.
Product line covers categories such
as hipot, leakage current, ground,
force, impact, burn, temperature,
access, ingress (IP code), cord flex,
voltage, power, plastics, and others.
ED&D
LGA socket
IP CODE & NEMA TESTING
CertifiGroup offers a full UL, CSA, IEC and
CE, ISO 17025 Accredited International
Product Test & Certification Laboratory.
The lab includes a unique indoor wetlab, where CertifiGroup specializes in
IP Code & NEMA testing for products
subject to dust, water ingress and similar
hazards. The CertifiGroup indoor IP Code
Wet Lab is one of the world’s largest and
most cutting-edge.IP Code capabilities
up to IP69K! CertifiGroup
TE Connectivity, www.rsleads.com/609ee-221
Index of Advertisers
ADVERTISER
This index is provided as a service. The publisher does not assume liability for
errors or omissions.
30-31_EE201609_ProductPicks_FINAL_eb.indd 31
NEW AR POSTER:
THE NEXT GENERATION
IN IMMUNITY TESTING
PAGE
AR RF/Microwave Instrumentation ....www.arworld.us/systems ............................. 13
AR RF/Microwave Instrumentation ....http://www.arworld.us/html/posters.asp .. 31
Avtech Electrosystems Ltd...................www.avtechpulse.com.................................. 31
CertifiGroup .............................................www.CertifiGroup.com .................................. 31
CHROMA Systems Solutions, Inc. ......chromausa.com/63200a.................................... 9
Educated Design
& Development. Inc. ..............................www.ProductSafet.com ................................ 31
Keysight Technologies .........................www.keysight.com/find/truevoltUS ............. 3
Keysight Technologies .........................www.keysight.com/find/BenchPowerUS . 15
MAC Panel Co.........................................www.macpanel.com/4pointsolution .......... 21
National Instruments ............................ni.com/smarter-test ........................................BC
Pickering Interfaces Inc.......................www.pickeringtest.com/resistors ................ 1
TDK-Lambda............................................www.us.tdk-lambda.com/lp/ ........................ 11
Teradyne ..................................................www.teradyne.com ...................................... IFC
Universal Switching Corp....................www.uswi.com ................................................. 5
Virginia Panel Corp. ..............................www.vpc.com/EE2 ........................................IBC
&2+
2 3&
&
2+
2 3&
&
&
& #'
#(
#
Avtech Electrosystems Ltd.
Active Silicon, www.rsleads.com/609ee-220
The LGA 3647 socket for Intel’s new processors meets the
next-generation design requirements of these latest CPU processors for higher performance and better system scaling.
The LGA sockets provide a compressive electrical interconnect between the processor and the printed circuit board. As
computing power increases, processor chips’ pin counts are
increasing. The LGA 3647
socket features a twopiece design for the larger
processor that improves
issues with warpage and
offers better coplanarity and reliability in connectivity. Flexible tooling
also supports fast turnaround on prototypes so engineers can
have sockets in hand at the earliest stages of the design process.
4 5
AR’s new poster on Multi-Tone
Immunity testing provides a reference
to show just how AR’s MultiStar
Multi-Tone tester can maximize your
efforts by testing multiple frequencies
simultaneously, thus increasing test
speed and eliminating costly chamber
bottlenecks. Download or request a
hard copy of the new poster today at
http://www.arworld.us/html/posters.asp.
AR RF/Microwave
September 2016
31
8/24/2016 12:07:18 PM
RESEARCH
INSIGHTS
By Rick Nelson, E xecutive Editor
Biomedical engineers shine
light on blood-glucose levels
“N
oninvasive glucose sensing
is a Holy Grail of diabetes mellitus management,”
write Professor Vladislav Yakovlev and
his coauthors at Texas A&M University’s
Department of Biomedical Engineering.1
“Unfortunately, despite a number of innovative concepts and a long history of
continuous instrumental improvements,
the problem remains largely unsolved.”
That, however, may be changing, based
on the Texas A&M researchers’ work developing an optical-detection technology
that could monitor blood-glucose levels.
Their efforts build on research into diabetes that extends back at least to 1552
B.C., when the Egyptian physician HesyRa identified symptoms of frequent urination and emaciation. Over the centuries,
“water tasters” diagnosed the disease
based on whether a patient’s urine tasted
sweet. In the 1800s, chemical tests were
developed to measure sugar in urine.2
Blood glucose test strip
glucose systems, including the 1980
Ames Dextrometer, which included a
digital display; the 1986 Ames Glucometer M, which could store results; the
1997 Bayer Glucometer Esprit, which
could download results to a personal
computer; and the 2002 Roche AccuChek Voicemate, which could assist
visually impaired patients.3
But despite efforts at developing noninvasive glucose testing methods, the
predominant test method today continues to require a finger prick to obtain the
drop of blood needed for the test strip.
Consequently, says Yakovlev at Texas
A&M, patients can fail to self-administer
the tests in accordance with typical threetime-per-day instructions. What’s more,
the tests don’t provide real-time continuous monitoring.
Light absorption by
glucose molecules
That’s what the Texas A&M researchers
hope to change. They have demonstrated
what they call “… the first successful implementation of a novel strategy based
on vibrational overtone circular dichroism absorption measurements.” Their
approach employs short-wavelength
infrared excitation (1,000 to 2,000 nm)
and determines glucose concentrations
by measuring how glucose absorbs right
and left circular-polarized light at the
molecular level.
According to Yakovlev, the small but
measureable effect is due to a geometric
property of the glucose molecule known
as chirality, which results in a glucose
molecule absorbing light in a specific
way. The specificity enables glucose molecules to be discriminated from other
surrounding biological molecules, overcoming what Yakovlev calls the calibration problem. In addition, the approach
reaches the penetration depths necessary
to keep water in tissue from masking the
glucose molecules.
“This technology has the potential to
separate the presence of glucose from its
surroundings, avoiding the calibration
problem while circumventing the huge
absorption of water in the fundamental
vibrational region of the spectrum, allowing for clinically relevant penetration
depths in biological tissue,” says Yakovlev in a press release posted at Newswise.
The researchers presented their findings—spearheaded by undergraduate
student Carlos Tovar, under the guidance of Yakovlev and graduate students
Brett Hokr and Zhaokai Meng—at this
year’s SPIE Photonics West conference,
where they reported using Monte Carlo
simulations to show the feasibility of
their approach. They currently are refining the technology in the laboratory and hope to move on to
human trials. They note that
one day the technology might
be implemented in wearable
devices such as smartwatches
and bracelets. EE
However, urine testing had a number of
drawbacks—for example, fluid intake
affected test results—and blood testing
became the preferred method of measuring glucose concentrations after the development of a blood glucose test strip
(called Dextrostix) in the 1960s at the
Miles-Ames Laboratory. The strips had
their own drawbacks—such
as color fading and variations
in color assessment—leading
to the search for an automated
test-strip reader.3
Research in the 1960s led to
the introduction of the Ames
Reflectance Meter (ARM) in
1970, a portable 1.6-kg device
with rechargeable batteries that
could be used in doctors’ offices
and hospital emergency departments. Subsequent improvements have led to the many portable meters available today for
home use—including ones with
wireless connectivity.4
S. F. Clarke and J. R. Foster
of the History Committee at
the Institute of Biomedical Sci- Biomedical engineering student Carlos Tovar (left) and Professor
ence in London provide a list Vladislav Yakovlev preparing a glucose sample for analyzation with
of developments in the evolu- a spectrometer
tion of self-monitoring blood- Courtesy of Texas A&M University
32
32-33_EE201609_ResearchInsights_FINAL_eb.indd 32
References
1. Yakovlev, V. V., et al., “Novel
approach for non-invasive glucose
sensing using vibrational contrast CD
absorption measurements” (Invited
Paper), SPIE Photonics West, Technical Program, 2016.
2. McCoy, K., “The History of Diabetes,” Everyday Health, Nov. 3, 2009.
3. Clarke, S. F., and Foster, J. R., “A
history of blood glucose meters
and their role in self-monitoring of
diabetes mellitus,” British Journal of
Biomedical Science, 2012.
4. Lecklider, T., “Monitoring Blood
Glucose Levels,” EE-Evaluation Engineering Online, July 20, 2015.
September 2016
8/10/2016 11:17:08 AM
Ensure Performance with EMI Shielding
Our iSeries product line currently offers electromagnetic shielding
to preserve signal integrity during operation. From stainless steel
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the iCon and the i2 MX have options to safeguard your signal
transmissions.
iSeries connectors feature interchangeable contacts that are
universally accepted in all of our connectors. Choose from signal,
power, coaxial, fiber, or high speed (VTAC) to help you create the
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Our Wire+ Advantage provides engineered, manufactured, and
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32-33_EE201609_ResearchInsights_FINAL_eb.indd IBCIII
8/10/2016 11:18:03 AM
SMART DEVICES REQUIRE
SMARTER
AU TOM AT ED T ES T SYS T EMS
The old approach to automated test isn’t
scaling, but you already knew that. Look at your
balance sheet. To test smart devices, you need
a smarter test system built on a platform of NI
PXI, LabVIEW, and TestStand. More than 35,000
companies deploy NI technology to lower their
cost of test—what are you waiting for?
Prepare for the future at ni.com/smarter-test
NI PXI, LabVIEW, and TestStand
©2016 National Instruments. All rights reserved. LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, ni.com, and NI TestStand are trademarks of National Instruments. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. 25143
32-33_EE201609_ResearchInsights_FINAL_eb.indd BCIV
8/10/2016 11:19:12 AM

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