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7/12/2016 9:12:40 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?
I
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
IFC-01_EE_201608_TOC_FINAL_eb.indd CoverII
7/7/2016 2:28:41 PM
August 2016, Vol. 55, No.8
C O NT E NT S
C O M M U N I C AT I O N S T E S T
SPECIAL REPORT
5G Test
6
Algorithms, instruments rev up 5G
By Rick Nelson, Executive Editor
Industry Happenings
27
IMS sees chips and instruments
targeting mmWave applications
I N S T R U M E N TAT I O N
SPECIAL REPORT
Modular DMMs
10
DMMs extended and refined
By Tom Lecklider, Senior Technical Editor
Additive Manufacturing
16
Building parts one layer at a time
Sensors
24
EMC
EMC Product Focus
28
Accurate and integrated temperature
measurement
Keeping EMI in its place
Industry Happenings
26
Sensors Expo topics span MEMS
to robots and drones
S P E C I A L F E AT U R E
Salary Survey
20
Research Insights
32
Taking the pulse of the industry
GaN shows promise for transportation,
communications applications
D E PA R T M E N T S
2
Editorial
4
EE Industry Update
30 EE Product Picks
31 Index of Advertisers
AT E
Design for Test
14
Impacting accuracy of chipmaker’s
quality tests
By Peter Sarson, Gregor Schatzberger, and Andreas Wild,
ams AG
@EE_Engineers
www.facebook.com/EvaluationEngineering
Written by Engineers
…for Engineers
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August 2016
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1
7/8/2016 12:14:16 PM
EDITORIAL
Westinghouse’s 19-inch
rack accommodates
8x8 MIMO test
F
rom an email chain among a group of technical editors, the following questions
recently arose: Why does the idea of mounting electronics in a 19-inch rack
persist? Further, why was 19 inches chosen in the first place?
As I point out in a recent blog post, Practical-Home-Theater-Guide.com traces
the 19-inch rack back to George Westinghouse in 1890, who used 19-inch shelving
to house railroad relay gear. The site notes that telephone companies eventually
adopted the 19-inch width, and the EIA standardized the 19-inch structure in 1965
with its 310-D standard.
According to Wikipedia (under the entry “19-inch rack”), a revised EIA standard
in 1992 gave us today’s 1.752-inch (44.5-mm) 1U height.
Responses to my blog post offer several opinions. Brainstorms writes, “Ultimately, all dimensions are arbitrary. That they correspond to a nice, round number [or prime number in the case of the 19-inch rack] in some equally arbitrary
measurement system is coincidental (whether intended or not). Of course, those
round numbers fascinate human beings. But what’s really of importance is that
the dimensions be standardized and that those standards be adhered to by various
manufacturers.”
Steve Alonso comments of the 19-inch dimension: “It ranks up there with the
4-foot 8.5-inch rail spacing based on the standard Roman chariot/cart width
conforming to the width of two horses side-by-side.” The myth-busting website
Snopes.com questions whether the rail gauge actually descended from Roman
times, calling the claim that it did “… partly true, but for trivial and unremarkable
reasons.” In any event, Alonso is certainly correct when he concludes, “We are all
victims of historical choices for better or worse.”
Sam Simione writes, “… the 19-inch rack-mounting size is manageable and
works well from the viewpoint of a practical size we can build, handle, mount, and
ship. Also, 19-inch rack enclosures are built such that they are relatively mechanically stable even at 40 and 45U heights.” William Ketel agrees that a 19-inch assembly would be easy for one person to grab with both hands, adding that the width
might be a multiple of the widths of the relays Westinghouse wanted to mount as
well as a submultiple of a standard width of sheet metal available at the time.
Simione adds that anyone believing the size is not optimum for modern electronics should bring the issue to the attention of the EIA.
In fact, there seems to be no need for revision. As Wikipedia notes, “The 19-inch
rack format has remained constant while the technology that is mounted within
it has changed considerably, and the set of fields to which racks are applied has
greatly expanded.”
That’s for sure. The latest example of the technology that fits within the format comes from National Instruments, with the introduction last month of its new
PXIe-5840 vector signal transceiver, which combines a 6.5-GHz RF vector signal
generator, a 6.5-GHz vector signal analyzer, a user-programmable FPGA, and
high-speed serial and parallel digital interfaces.
Charles Schroeder, vice president of product marketing for RF at NI, said in a
recent interview that NI engineers worked hard to fit the new VST’s functionality into a two-slot PXI Express module. (The original VST, introduced in 2012, required three slots.) They succeeded, enabling eight VST modules to fit it in a single
18-slot, 19-inch chassis, forming an 8x8 MIMO test setup.
As Simione put it, “Whatever the reason for the 19-inch dimension, history has
proved it was a good choice and is here to stay!”
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INDUSTRY
UPDATE
ChipMOS selects Xcerra test cell
for high-volume MEMS test
After evaluating several alternatives,
ChipMOS has selected Xcerra’s total test
cell solution as its preferred test platform
for high-volume production of MEMS
devices at its Shanghai facility. ChipMOS
is a provider of semiconductor assembly
and test services with factories in Hsinchu and Southern Taiwan Science Parks
in Taiwan and Shanghai. ChipMOS now
is prepared to support further MEMS
5
Number of carmakers earning
“positive” rating for autonomous
vehicle efforts
Source: Lux Research
$300 billion
Market forecast in 2026 for
single-board computers
Source: IDTechEx
19
Number of fabs and lines
forecast to begin construction
in 2016 and 2017
1.5%
Semiconductor fab equipment
spending growth forecast for 2016
13%
Semiconductor fab equipment
spending growth forecast for 2017
Source: SEMI
> 20
Average days of vacation
taken by full-time American
employees in 2000
16.2
Average days of vacation
taken by full-time American
employees in 2015
Source: Project: Time Off
fabless and IDM customers’ mobility,
automotive, and IoT volume production
requirements for MEMS calibration and
test in Shanghai.
The Xcerra MEMS test cell incorporates the cost-efficient LTX-Credence
Diamondx tester and the high-throughput Multitest InMEMS/InCarrier solution. ChipMOS chose the Xcerra test
cell solution because it combines Diamondx’s high parallel test capability
with Multitest’s advanced package handling and MEMS stimulus options. The
fully integrated solution delivers a prevalidated test cell directly to ChipMOS’s
manufacturing floor, minimizing the
time to high-volume production. The initial cells are equipped to switch between
high multisite testing of 3DOF magnetometer devices on a strip or 3DOF and
2DOF accelerometer devices in a carrier.
Companies collaborate on
industrial M2M SoC
Brite Semiconductor, an ASIC/SoC design and turnkey solution provider, has
announced the collaborative development of an industrial machine-to-machine (M2M) system on chip (SoC) with
Semitech Semiconductor, a provider of
power-line communications (PLC) solutions that enable the transformation of
the electricity grid into a smart grid. This
SoC is designed to support M2M communication in the global industrial and
energy transmission market via PLC/
wireless modes.
“This collaboration represents an important milestone for Brite, as designing an industrial SoC product for the
emerging M2M market has been a goal
of ours,” said Jerry Ardizzone, senior
vice president of worldwide sales and
marketing for Brite Semiconductor. “The
primary application for the Brite and
Semitech collaboration will be smart
meters, and we will develop additional
solutions for broader industrial applications including smart home, smart grid,
and automotive.”
“The next evolutionary step for smart
grid applications is to move toward
heterogeneous PLC/wireless networks
while accommodating aggressive cost
and power budgets,” noted Zeev Collin,
CEO of Semitech Semiconductor. “Our
existing PLC architecture and the extensive experience of our team in narrowband communication across different
media make it possible to take this step.
Partnering with Brite puts us at the leading edge of the M2M market and will ensure that we yield a superior product.”
QualiPoc remote control measurement probe
at the LHC
Courtesy of Rohde & Schwarz
SwissQual AG monitors mobile
network at CERN’s LHC
CERN requires a stable and reliable
network to provide mobile telephony
and data services to employees in its
Large Hadron Collider (LHC) 27 km
in diameter. Comprising several surface radio base stations and 46 underground repeater sites, the specially designed network supports 2G/3G/4G
technologies. To monitor real-time
service quality (QoS and QoE) in
line with Service Level Agreements
(SLAs), Rohde & Schwarz announced
that CERN has selected the QualiPoc
Remote Control measurement solution from SwissQual AG, a Rohde &
Schwarz subsidiary with headquarters
in Zuchwil, Switzerland.
CERN evaluated the SwissQual
measurement solution based on comprehensive technical specifications.
“QualiPoc Remote Control meets
our requirements and offers the most
flexible and cost-effective solution,”
said Frédéric Chapron, head of communication services at CERN. Also,
the smartphone-based network probe
fulfills the stringent criteria regarding
compactness, reliability, and energy
consumption. QualiPoc Remote Control can be fully remotely controlled,
allowing remote configuration, data
analysis, and reporting.
Network-wide, SwissQual deployed
60 probes to continuously measure
multiple RF parameters (including
KPIs, signaling, layer 3) and run scheduled QoS and QoE tests to verify SLAs
and monitor communication services.
The data is reported to a central server
where a fully featured backend application processes it and provides a realtime overview of the network.
For more on these and other news items, visit www.evaluationengineering.com/category/industry-update/
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August 2016
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SPECIAL REPORT
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Algorithms, instruments
rev up 5G
E
ngineering functions including algorithm exploration and channel
sounding are driving the emergence of 5G technology. Tools able to
help drive 5G evolution include software, instruments, and measurement
systems, as evidenced by exhibits at the
International Microwave Symposium in
May in San Francisco.
Mark Pierpoint, vice president and
general manager, Internet and Infrastructure, Keysight Technologies, chose
an IMS press conference to outline his
view of technology’s evolution.
Pierpoint described a bimodal distribution of opportunities. Initiatives like
SigFox, he said, focus on low bit-rate,
low duty-cycle applications that can run
20 years on an AA cell. In contrast, many
5G prestandardization efforts promise
better than 10-Gb/s continuous data
rates with battery life undefined but perhaps measured in minutes.
Pierpoint cited several challenges
on the horizon: simulation and characterization for IoT, WLAN evolution to
802.11ax, millimeter wave (mmWave)
channel modeling, and radio access technology with regard to 5G rollout, 5G
frequency selection, and waveform technology selection. However the evolution
proceeds, he said, it would be a mistake
to view mmWave technologies as simply
a tenfold speedup of RF. Complications
arise from issues such as path loss, which
may be mitigated by high-gain directional antennas, and coexistence with existing mmWave applications.
On the IMS show floor, Keysight highlighted a variety of instruments and
software, including the X-Series signal
analyzers, the CX3300 Series device
current waveform analyzers, and an Eband testbed solution that enables the
generation and analysis of wide-bandwidth mmWave signals for 5G and other
emerging communications applications.
As for software, Keysight highlighted
the EEsof EDA SystemVue 2016 release
(Figure 1), which includes a phasedarray library and a 5G baseband verification library. The W1720EP Phased Array Beamforming Kit is a new add-on
software simulation personality for the
SystemVue 2016.08 design environment.
The software enables researchers and
system architects working on platforms
using beamforming algorithms for 5G,
satellite, NewSpace, radar, and EW applications to reduce interference and
power consumption while increasing
physical range.
Active electronically scanned array
(AESA) systems can range from 16 to
256 elements for 5G applications to hundreds of elements in satellite systems and
many thousands of individual baseband
and RF signal paths in military systems.
Keysight said its EEsof EDA’s W1720EP
kit addresses two key challenges with regard to AESA systems:
• Engineers can model highly parallel architectures across multiple simulation domains, allowing multiple teams to use the
same tool and make architectural trade-offs.
• Engineers can model the signals as
single beams or maintain access to the
individual signals passing through the
arrays, thereby enabling multifunction,
3D conformal arrays to be validated in
higher-level system scenarios using active
signaling between multiple transmitters
and receivers.
By incorporating MathWorks’ MATLAB Script, SystemVue seamlessly integrates existing algorithms and extends
array design tools to the RF and system
design communities. This allows system
modelers to explore the realistic performance of baseband and RF beamforming architectures to save cost and complexity and streamlines R&D design
efficiency across disciplines.
Strengthening
design support
Figure 1. SystemVue 2016 release with phased-array library
Courtesy of Keysight Technologies
6
06-09_EE_201608_SpecialReport_5G_FINAL_eb.indd 6
MathWorks itself was at IMS,
highlighting capabilities to
strengthen design support for
digitally assisted RF MIMO
systems. Updates to RF Toolbox, SimRF, and the Antenna
Toolbox in Release 2016a of its
software will help engineers
ramp-up on RF simulation,
assist in performing a firstorder RF budget analysis that
is extendable with advanced
models, and help integrate
the results of RF design in system-level simulation. The RF
Budget Analyzer App simplifies the creation and analysis
of RF architectures and automatically generates a block
diagram model for simulation
in Simulink.
August 2016
7/7/2016 4:16:58 PM
SPECIAL REPORT - 5G TEST
Ken Karnofsky, senior strategist, signal processing, outlined some of the
challenges and MathWorks’ approach
to meeting them. Innovation drivers,
he said, include ultrahigh throughput,
massive connectivity for IoT, and device integration—all of which must
be achieved in the face of accelerating
product cycles. One result is a change in
the need for particular engineering roles
and skills.
Next-generation wireless designs,
Karnofsky said, require at least seven
different skills in the areas of system
architecture design, DSP algorithm
exploration, software development,
digital-hardware design, mixed-signal
design, RF design, and antenna design.
MATLAB and Simulink, he said, span
these areas from system architecture
investigations through prototyping and
product implementation. The software
supports rapid and flexible algorithm
exploration, design, and analysis while
enabling unified simulation of digital,
RF, and antenna elements.
Karnofsky outlined 5G requirements,
including better than 20-Gb/s data rates,
less than 10-ms latency, and LTE/WAN
coexistence. Candidate technologies include massive MIMO and beamforming,
active phased-array antennas, and new
waveforms, including UFMC, FBMC, and
GFDM. Candidate waveforms, Karnofsky
said, can be defined and evaluated using
MATLAB, with the goals of minimizing
interference, assessing the impact of digital and hybrid beamforming techniques,
and modeling and assessing the impact of
antenna configurations. He described Ericsson’s use of MathWorks tools to develop an FPGA-based 5G testbed employing
beamforming algorithms for multi-user
MIMO, achieving 25-Gb/s data rates in a
field trial.
mmWave transceiver
National Instruments highlighted a
number of innovations at IMS, including advanced mmWave technology for
channel sounding and 5G prototyping
as well as advanced solutions for RFIC
test from lab-based characterization
systems to high-volume manufacturing
test solutions using the NI Semiconductor Test System.
In addition, NI showcased a softwaredefined radio (SDR) for the mmWave
spectrum. David Hall, principal product
manager for RF test systems at NI, said
the new NI mmWave transceiver system
(Figure 2) can transmit and receive wide-
Figure 2. NI mmWave transceiver system
Courtesy of National Instruments
Chipmaker looks to 5G
Dedicated 5G chips are, of course, not in production
as the standard remains in the R&D stage. Nevertheless, at IMS 2016 Qorvo highlighted a variety of chips
and capabilities suggesting how cellular technology
is evolving. Sumit Tomar, general manager of Qorvo’s
Wireless Infrastructure Business Unit, said that with
the advent of 5G techniques such as massive MIMO,
it’s an exciting time for a semiconductor company
providing RF solutions.
Tomar said he expects to see extensive activity
both below and above 6 GHz as researchers evaluate
trade-offs in range and data rates. He suggested that
higher carrier frequencies may find use in extending indoor data-carrying capacities—in arenas, for
example. He further said he doesn’t expect 4G to go
away—rather, 5G functions will appear on top of 4G
capabilities.
Tomar highlighted Qorvo’s new TQP92xx and
TQP94xx families of power amplifiers (PAs) for smallcell base stations, which, he said, promise to improve
connectivity, expand capacity, and minimize disruptions on LTE/LTE-Advanced networks. The devices target distributed antenna systems. Systems using these
PAs can eliminate the need for linearization or digital
predistortion correction, reducing system complexity.
Qorvo’s eight new PAs cover 3GPP bands between 1.8
to 2.4 GHz and are pin-for-pin compatible.
Tomar said, “Multimode, multiband small-cell base
stations pose significant RF challenges in terms of
size, power-added efficiency, and co-existence between WLAN and cellular frequency bands. Qorvo has
worked closely with customers to address these RF
challenges to create a portfolio of PAs, LNAs, filters,
and duplexers to enable carrier aggregation in smallcell base stations, and we’re pleased to add this new
family of multistage PAs to that offering.”
Earl Lum, president of EJL Wireless Research, said
in a press release, “While mobile operators continue
to deploy outdoor macrocell sites to increase capacity, the wireless industry is transitioning to in-building
wireless solutions. LTE/LTE-Advanced drives the need
to extend wireless signal coverage indoors for corporate offices, hospitals, shopping malls, and other enterprise clients. Distributed antenna systems and carrier-grade OEM small-cell solutions like Ericsson Radio
Dot, Huawei LampSite, Nokia Flexi Zone, and ZTE’s
Qcell are key technologies that address the ever-growing in-building wireless coverage/capacity problem.”
Qorvo’s multistage PAs integrate matching in a lowcost surface-mount package to allow for compact system design. With linear performance at -47 dBc ACLR
using a 20-MHz LTE signal, the TQP92xx product family provides 24-dBm average linear power, and the
TQP94xx family offers 27-dBm average linear power.
August 2016
7
7/7/2016 4:17:13 PM
SPECIAL REPORT
Sponsored by
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bandwidth signals at a 2-GHz real-time
bandwidth, covering the spectrum in
the E-band, 71 to 76 GHz. Engineers and
scientists have used SDRs in the spectrum below 6 GHz for years. However,
Hall said, with companies investing in
mmWave as a potential core technology
for 5G, researchers now have a full-featured SDR platform to drive initiatives
based on this technology.
The mmWave transceiver system includes new PXI Express modules that
collectively function as an mmWave access point for a user device. Because of
the transceiver’s flexibility, users can develop mmWave communication prototyping systems or perform channel measurements using the same system.
The mmWave baseband software
delivers a complete mmWave physical layer including channel coding in
LabVIEW virtual instrument source
code to expedite system development
while alleviating many of the system
integration tasks. Researchers also can
use the mmWave transceiver system
baseband with the E-band mmWave
heads or other third-party RF front
ends to offer maximum flexibility for
exploring other mmWave and microwave frequency bands.
According to Hall, 5G will undoubtedly include frequencies above 6 GHz,
and the mmWave transceiver system will
assist in understanding the propagation
models of higher frequency signals and
building real-world prototypes.
Hall said that Nokia, as a key participant in NI’s RF/Communications Lead
User program, has been working with
early versions of the mmWave transceiver system in its 5G research initiatives for more than a year. Tod Sizer,
head of mobile radio research for Nokia
Bell Labs, said in a press release, “NI’s
mmWave transceiver system has been a
key research platform for our mmWave
research. The platform delivers the right
combination of hardware and software
necessary to expedite our research and
has given us confidence that mmWave
will indeed be a critical technology for
5G.” He added that at this year’s Brooklyn 5G Summit in April Nokia demonstrated a high-data-rate mmWave system
using a phased array at 60 GHz using
NI’s platform.
Rohde & Schwarz at IMS highlighted
several products with applicability to 5G
test, including its R&S TS-5GCS 5G channel sounding software together with an
R&S FSW signal and spectrum analyzer
(Figure 3) and an R&S SMW200A vector signal generator. The R&S SMW200A
has a frequency range of up to 40 GHz
and, in channel-sounding applications,
Figure 3. R&S FSW signal and
spectrum analyzer
Courtesy of Rohde & Schwarz
is used as the sounding signal source.
The R&S FSW operates as a receiver and
can be employed with various frequencies and bandwidths. The R&S FSW85,
for example, enables users to analyze
sounding signals up to 85 GHz without
an external mixer. Adding the R&S FSWB2000 option extends the possible analysis bandwidth to 2 GHz.
Vector network analyzers
efficiency, analysis, and tuning of a data transmission signal path, allowing users to see
the results of circuit changes
in near real time.
Copper Mountain Technologies (CMT) highlighted two
new VNAs and a reflectometer, and the company said it
has teamed up with Farran
Technology to develop a product for making mmWave Sparameter measurements. The
result of CMT’s collaboration
with Farran Technology is CobaltFx, (Figure 5) which, the
companies said, provides labquality results in a compact
and affordable solution. They called the
system the first mmWave frequency extension solution built on a 9-GHz VNA.
It is available in three dedicated waveguide bands: 50 to 75 GHz, 60 to 90 GHz,
and 75 to 110 GHz.
The system is anchored by a 9-GHz
VNA from CMT’s Cobalt Series. It features fast sweep speeds down to 10 μs
per point and a dynamic range of up to
162 dB in a compact USB form factor. The
C4209 works seamlessly and exclusively
with Farran Technology’s mmWave FEV
frequency extenders. Tom Scanlon, director of marketing and sales at Farran
Technology, said the Cobalt Series’ high
performance made possible the use of a
9-GHz VNA as opposed to the usual 20GHz VNA.
The extenders are packaged in small
and versatile enclosures that allow for
flexible port arrangements with respect
to waveguides. Waveguide ports are
manufactured in accordance to the new
IEEE 1785-2a standard and ensure industry-best alignment and repeatability
of connection, allowing for long interval
times between calibration.
Utilizing a lab-quality yet low-cost
9-GHz USB VNA and other innovations
in the extension modules makes CobaltFx
more compact and less expensive—about
half that of existing solutions in the same
frequency range, CMT said. The size and
flexibility of the waveguide ports allow
for significant improvements in portabil-
Anritsu showcased its high-frequency test
instruments that address the challenges
associated with emerging microwave and
mmWave technologies, including 5G. The
company highlighted its VectorStar and
ShockLine (Figure 4) vector network analyzer (VNA) families, both of which feature Anritsu’s patented nonlinear transmission line technology. The company
demonstrated a measurement system featuring the VectorStar MS4640B VNA and
the MG3710A RF signal generator that
conducted modulated measurements,
with the VNA configured with 200 MHz
of instantaneous bandwidth. Anritsu exhibited the E-band option for its ShockLine MS46522B two-port VNA, which can
make accurate measurements from 55 to
92 GHz in manufacturing environments.
Anritsu also highlighted a new eyediagram option for VectorStar; the option can help SI engineers responsible for
the design of high-speed data transmission requirements necessary for emerging systems such as 5G. The new Eye
Diagram option updates the VectorStar
display via a trace-based
process rather than a conventional file-based method, eliminating the need
to manually transfer .SnP
files. Unlike other VNAs,
there is no need to store the
S-parameter performance in
a file and then recall the file
to observe the eye diagram.
The company said the option improves measurement Figure 4. ShockLine vector network analyzer
Courtesy of Anritsu
8
August 2016
7/7/2016 4:17:28 PM
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Figure 5. CobaltFx including 9-GHz VNA and Farran Technology frequency extenders
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ity and the lab-quality measurements,
making it suitable for 5G applications.
CMT also announced that it has expanded the frequency range of its Compact VNA line to 6.5 and 8.5 GHz. The
S5065 operates in the frequency range
from 20 kHz to 6.5 GHz while the S5085
addresses the frequency range from 20
kHz to 8.5 GHz. These compact VNAs
have a typical dynamic range of 138 dB
at 1-Hz IFBW, can make measurements
as fast as 70 μs per point, and are fully
programmable.
“The rise of the Internet of Things
(IoT) and 5G has RF engineers searching for test and measurement solutions
that fit their changing needs. Smaller,
lab-quality USB vector network analyzers help address that,” said Alex Goloschokin, CMT managing director, in a
press release. “Increasing the frequency
range of our Compact Series will allow
even more engineers to make lab-quality
measurements for the rapidly growing
number of IoT devices they’re creating.”
Looking to next year
IMS 2016 concluded with a keynote
from National Instruments’ president,
CEO, and cofounder Dr. James Truchard
about the importance of 5G, in which
Dr. Truchard explained how a softwarebased approach will enable the explosion of wireless connectivity. He added
that 5G will be a key technology of the
IoT, offering the promise not only of
high-speed data rates and low power,
but also the low latency required for
control applications.
“The concept of the platform will
play a significant role in test and design
in general,” he said, where millions of
applications can run on one platform.
“We at NI have hundreds of thousands
of measurement apps all built around a
common set of software and a common
set of hardware.”
He proposed a hybrid approach
with multiple models of computation
to support quick prototyping and de-
sign. What’s needed, he explained, is a
common platform for the entire design
cycle—from algorithm engineering to
end-device production test.
5G efforts are continuing. Since IMS,
Keysight and National Applied Research Laboratories (NAR Labs), Taiwan, announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding to establish
a strategic partnership on research and
development of 5G communication
technologies. Both parties are committed to working together on the 5G enabling technologies as well as prototype
verification and evaluations with a goal
of enhancing future Taiwan wireless
communication innovations.
The partnership between Keysight and
the National Chip Implementation Center of NAR Labs started with mmWave
front-end circuit design technology and,
the organizations said, will lead to the
launch of next-generation high-speed
broadband mmWave wireless communications experimental networks. The
system will include a Keysight PSG vector signal generator, a 12-GS/s arbitrary
waveform generator, and an Infiniium
oscilloscope. Keysight’s SystemVue 5G
Baseband Verification Library will accompany these hardware solutions. This
advanced software library increases
productivity for system architects and
baseband physical-layer designers by
providing trusted algorithmic-reference
and signal processing capability for 5G
technology research.
5G promises to be a key topic at IMS
2017, scheduled for June 4-9 in Honolulu. “5G is the next horizon for wireless connectivity and the catalyst to
make the Internet of Things a universal
reality, but the transition still presents
a number of challenges for the microwave and RF industry to address,” said
Dr. Wayne Shiroma, IMS 2017 general
chair. “The sharing of knowledge and
collaboration that IMS enables are the
keys to bringing 5G, and technologies
beyond it, to life.” EE
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August 2016
9
7/7/2016 4:17:41 PM
SPECIAL REPORT
MODULAR DMMs
Sponsored by
DMMs extended and refined
T
oday’s DMM designs are all about increasing a test system’s capability to comprehensively address diverse applications. For example, because DMMs already need
to make isolated measurements, several manufacturers have
added isolated digitizer functionality. This means that the same
module can accomplish data acquisition and logging as well as
conventional DMM measurements. In another case, DSP-based
algorithms are performing RMS computation, but this is just
one of the many signal processing jobs that a DSP can do.
In the process of developing DMMs beyond their basic measurement roots, trade-offs must be made. Very high measurement resolution and accuracy generally imply slower speed.
High speed and high input impedance often attract more noise.
And, safety clearances and maximum voltage ratings come under greater scrutiny as a module’s component density increases
to accommodate new features. A manufacturer’s emphasis on
certain application areas determines how these and many other
performance issues will be balanced in a new design.
Changing the name
To better describe the mix of capabilities in its PXMe7820 (PXIe
interface) instrument, VX Instruments calls it a high-speed
multimeasurement device. The company’s Christian Plötz,
technical sales engineer, explained, “Our philosophy is to have
a digitizer that also is able to be a DMM. So we are thinking
in MS/s. [Most] manufacturers of DMMs design a DMM and
update the device with digitizer functionality, so they are
thinking in reading/s.”
The PXMe7820 functions as a 40-MS/s, 16-bit high-speed
digitizer that can handle 250-V peak signals and has a 5-MHz
bandwidth. In addition, it is a fully isolated 24-bit resolution
DMM that measures inductance, capacitance, and two- and
four-wire resistance as well as the usual AC and DC voltage
and current. As shown in Figure 1, the typical front-panel banana jacks have been replaced by coaxial connectors to handle
high-speed signals.
“Our customers often have
the need to realize shorter
test times to generate a higher
product throughput,” Plötz
said. “The PXMe7820 therefore
combines high-speed measurement and the high-speed interfacing of PXIe. Furthermore,
the combination of different
functions in one device reduces
the need for additional elements such as cabling and matrix units in the test setup. This
also can reduce the test times of
the application. Moreover,” he
continued, “there is a rising demand for measurement devices
that have a minimum influence Figure 1. PXMe7820 high-speed
on the measured signal. That multimeasurement instrument
Courtesy of VX Instruments
is why we focused on high
input impedance.”
VX Instruments produces a number of digitizers, power supplies, source-measure units, arbitrary waveform generators,
and DMMs. Plötz said that the company’s experience gained
10
10-13_EE_201608_SpecialReport_ModularDMMs_FINAL_eb.indd 10
through its digitizer and power supply designs was especially
helpful when developing the multimeasurement PXMe7820. In
particular, he said, the very low-noise and low capacitance to
ground of the power supplies that drive the isolated measurement circuitry are key to high AC accuracy.
Pickering Interfaces distributes the PXMe7820 in the
United States.
Emphasizing measurement accuracy
National Instruments’ PXIe-4081 DMM (Figure 2) follows on
from the earlier PXI-4071 model and continues to focus on measurement accuracy. Several factors such as long-term stability,
built-in calibration standards, and good thermal design contribute to measurement accuracy.
Basic inductance and capacitance measurements are not included in the 4081. Instead, they are available on NI’s PXIe-4082,
a 6½-digit instrument with reduced specifications compared to
the 4081: 1-A maximum
current rather than 3 A,
300-V maximum voltage
rather than 1,000 V, and
25 ppm of reading + 6
ppm voltage accuracy
on the 10-V range vs. 12
ppm + 0.5 ppm.
According to Mike
Watts, product managermodular instruments at
the company, “The PXIe4081 7½-digit DMM
builds on the technology used in the PXI-4071
Figure 2. NI-PXIe-4081 7½-digit DMM
DMM, using a unique
Courtesy of National Instruments
combination of off-theshelf high-speed ADC
technology and a custom-designed sigma-delta converter to
provide the noise, linearity, and speed performance required
to achieve high-speed and high-precision measurements in a
single instrument. Additionally, the PXIe-4081 DMM uses one
of the most stable onboard voltage references available, Linear
Technology’s LTZ1000 Ultra Precision Reference, to provide
stable performance across temperature and time.”
Having an accurate onboard voltage reference certainly
makes calibration convenient, but including a good reference
and actually achieving the best possible performance from it
are two different things. The LTZ1000 datasheet identifies some
of the possible pitfalls.
Small temperature differences can generate error voltages
that are significant compared to the reference’s basic specifications. One way this occurs is through the thermocouples
formed when the device’s Kovar leads are soldered to copper
PCB traces and via the thermocouples inherent in resistors and
other associated components. In addition, mechanical stresses
caused by temperature differences or because of the way a PCB
has been mounted can change the reference output.
A design that successfully avoids degrading the voltage reference accuracy provides several benefits. Obviously, the DMM
accuracy can be directly linked to that of the reference. Beyond
that, a reference with long-term stability implies that a DMM
requires less frequent external calibration. In a white paper, NI
August 2016
7/7/2016 1:56:20 PM
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SPECIAL REPORT
MODULAR DMMs
stated that, “… the PXIe-4081 includes a two-year guaranteed
accuracy of 12 ppm to further reduce the cost of test by minimizing downtime for instrument calibration.”1
The PXIe-4081 also uses advanced DMM measurement techniques such as offset compensated Ohms and higher-order DC
noise rejection.
Ohms
The Ohms function in the 4081 forces a current through the
unknown resistance and measures the resulting voltage drop
across it. Many applications involve not just the resistance in
question, but also an accompanying voltage source. Examples
given in an NI technical note include switching systems using
uncompensated reed relays with Kovar leads (because of the
Kovar-copper thermocouple voltage), in-circuit measurements
on live power supply conductors, and measuring the resistance
of batteries or forward-biased diodes.2
Sponsored by
Offset Ohms compensation operates by measuring the voltage across the unknown resistance one time without any test
current and again with test current. In the first measurement,
any voltage that is measured is caused by an associated voltage source. Subtracting that value from the second reading effectively eliminates the voltage source from the measurement.
The technique works well but does have limitations. In the
technical note, NI cautions against trying to eliminate offsets
larger than 1 V. The offset Ohms compensation mode is intended for use when measuring low resistance values that usually
produce a small test voltage. Because the test voltage is small,
thermal EMFs can have a significant effect on accuracy.
Noise
9.9
0.707115028
0.707091726
0.707105897
9.955
0.707145561
0.707101900
0.707107558
Noise rejection typically focuses on reducing contributions at
the AC supply frequency and its harmonics. One of the advantages of a sigma-delta converter, such as is used in the PXIe4081, is the noise reduction it provides by bandwidth shaping.
As noted in an EE-Evaluation Engineering special report, Analog
Devices’ Walt Kester explained that in a sigma-delta ADC, the
modulator shapes the noise, ”… so that it lies above the passband of the digital output filter, and the ENOB [effective number of bits] is therefore much larger than would otherwise be
expected from the oversampling ratio.”3
Interestingly, Linear Technology recently released a 24-bit
successive approximation ADC that operates at a 2-MS/s rate
and includes an integrated digital filter capable of performing
up to 65,536 averages.4 With this number of averages, the company claims the output achieves a 30.5 reading/s rate with less
than 1 LSB of noise at a full 24-bit resolution. Of course, it takes
more than an ADC to make a DMM, but it is important that sigma-delta ADCs no longer are the only path to high resolution.
The PXIe-4081 digital output filter provides additional noise
reduction, and in the 4071, three selections are available. Normal DC noise rejection implements a digital filter with equal
weighting for all samples. This means that transmission nulls
occur at frequencies that are integer multiples of the inverse
of the ADC aperture period. For example, specifying a 20-ms
aperture corresponds to nulls at 50 Hz, 100 Hz, 150 Hz…. This
type of noise rejection is similar to that used in DMMs with
conventional dual-slope ADCs that typically measured for a
number of power line cycles.
Second-order DC noise rejection creates nulls only at even
multiples of the inverse of the aperture period, but the nulls are
wider and the overall response falls off faster with frequency
than for normal DC rejection. This means that the aperture time
must be twice as long as with normal DC filtering to attenuate
the same frequencies.
Finally, high-order DC noise reduction provides more than
100 dB of rejection for frequencies greater than about 4.5/aperture time. Using the same 50-Hz example, the aperture time
must be at least 90 ms. The high-order filter has the benefit of
very large attenuation for any frequency higher than 4.6/aperture time, but it does significantly reduce the readings/s rate.
10.123
0.707113748
0.707091002
0.707105962
Addressing field operation
Noninteger number of samples improves
RMS accuracy
A DMM performs uncorrelated sampling because the position
of a sample relative to a cycle of the input frequency is completely random. RMS measurement accuracy improves as the
number of samples per signal cycle increases, but a significant
error can remain if only integer numbers of samples are used.
Requiring a very large number of samples isn’t practical in a
power monitoring application because determinations need to
be made within only a single cycle or even a half cycle. Instead,
a research paper1 proposes interpolating the zero-crossing
position between the last sample within a cycle and the first
sample of the next cycle. By using a fractional sample period
for the last sample, RMS accuracy can be greatly improved.
To see how this might work, an Excel spreadsheet was used
to model a 3-MS/s sample rate and a 300-kHz maximum input
frequency sine wave. At a 375-readings/s rate, 8,000 samples
could be acquired. A few noninteger sample rate-to-signal frequency relationships close to 10:1 were tried to simulate uncorrelated sampling. In this model, the first sample was aligned
with the beginning of the waveform and was not interpolated.
More generally, the paper discusses treating both the first and
last sample differently to account for their positions relative to
the beginning and end of complete cycles. The table shows the
results of the experiment.
Sampling
ratio
Using last
sample
Using one
more sample
Theoretical result
Linearly
interpolating
0.707106781
Excel RMS simulation comparing accuracy of integer vs.
noninteger number of samples
Reference
1. Mog, G. E. and Ribeiro, Dr. E. P., “Mean and RMS calculations for
sampled periodic signals with non-integer number of samples per period
applied to AC energy systems,“ Universidade Federal do Paraná – UFPR,
Centro Politécnico da UFPR, Brazil, October 2004.
12
Marvin Test Solutions’ (MTS) Mike Dewey, director of marketing at the company, positioned the MTS GX2065-M DMM
(Figure 3) as, “… a rugged, extended temperature version of
the GX2065 DMM. Developed to address the demanding environmental conditions associated with portable/flightline test
applications, the GX2065-M retains the same features and capabilities as the GX2065 but extends the operating and storage
temperature ranges. Specifically, the GX2065-M is designed to
operate from -20°C to +70°C.”
Several of the trade-offs associated with the GX2065 design
are discussed in a 2012 Autotestcon paper.5 Rather than using
August 2016
7/7/2016 12:15:46 PM
SPECIAL REPORT - MODULAR DMMs
the 22-bit DC path, AC measurements are made by the 3-MS/s,
16-bit isolated digitizer. This approach allows a large number of
samples to be acquired for each
RMS calculation. The exact details
of the RMS algorithm aren’t available, but it obviously increases
resolution from the basic 16 bits
of each sample to the 6½ digits (22
bits) quoted in the datasheet.
As the paper describes, “The
DMM returns raw measurements
Figure 3. GX2065-M
and stores correction values in- ruggedized, extendedternally as 64-bit fixed-point inte- temperature range DMM
gers. Every DMM measurement Courtesy of Marvin Test Solutions
requires at least the multiplication
of two 64-bit integers and the division of the result by a 64-bit integer. The multiplication …
can be done easily and quickly in software, [and] … takes only
about 100 clock cycles…. However, … to speed up the [divide]
computation, a custom 128-bit by 128-bit division peripheral
was created in Verilog and instantiated in the FPGA.”
In another example of hardware/software trade-offs, “… logic-based state machines were implemented wherever possible,
with interrupts used for servicing the various measurement and
communication events.” This approach allowed most tasks to be
handled outside of the main processor, such as, “… communicating across the isolation barrier, transferring data to the PCI bus,
and reading the PWM outputs from the temperature sensors.”
The paper highlights some of the design considerations necessary to support the wide operating temperature range: “For
high-temperature operation, careful layout and board cuts are
required to minimize self-heating effects…. The PXI DMM uses
the LM399 voltage reference, which includes a built-in, automatically controlled heater. For high-temperature operation,
the heater’s power dissipation isn’t a problem because it automatically reduces its power consumption. However, at low
temperatures, the heater must use the maximum amount of
current to bring the voltage reference up to temperature.”
MTS solved the problem of a large current load at start-up
by carefully sequencing the power supplies. Only after all of
the supplies are operating and the voltage reference is near its
final temperature are the analog supply regulators enabled. As
the paper explains, “The complete sequence requires about 10 s
at room temperature but can require up to 1 minute at -20°C.”
Dewey concluded, “Besides offering the capability to work over
an extended temperature range and be rugged enough for portable applications, we see the need for enhanced functionality. The
capability to incorporate digitizing functionality and associated
waveform analysis functions helps make the DMM a more useful
and capable multifunction measurement instrument. The capability to measure and analyze waveform amplitudes, frequency, and
even spectrums helps to drive down a test system’s footprint.” EE
References
1. PXI Express DMMs form foundation for more accurate, smarter test
systems, National Instruments, White Paper, April 2016.
2. “Offset compensated Ohms,” NI Digital Multimeters Help 3.0, June 2009.
3. Lecklider, T., “Taking signals to bits, modularly,” EE-Evaluation Engineering, March 2016, pp. 6-8.
4. “24-Bit 2-MSps SAR ADC Achieves 145-dB Dynamic Range,” Linear
Technology, News Release, November 2015.
5. Dewey, M. and Robins, J., “Incorporating advanced instrumentation
capabilities into a PXI digital multimeter instrument,” IEEE Autotestcon
Proceedings, 2012.
7/7/2016 12:16:03 PM
DESIGN FOR TEST
Impacting accuracy of chipmaker’s
quality tests
By Peter Sarson, Gregor Schatzberger, and Andreas Wild, ams AG
N
ear the beginning of every chip design project, the design team will have a debate about the trade-off between cost and quality. One of the most vexed questions tends to be about the value of incorporating dedicated test
modes into the circuit design—that is, about adopting a design
for test (DFT) approach.
On the one hand, DFT adds design work and increases the
die area to accommodate test functionality that is not used in
the end application. On the other, DFT can enable more precise and/or more accurate testing of the chip’s characteristics.
This enables the manufacturer to improve quality because the
performance of each shipped unit can more closely match the
device’s specifications as documented in the datasheet.
At ams, an automotive-qualified (ISO/TS16949) manufacturer of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors, quality is of
paramount importance, and this gives the company a close-up
view of the value of DFT—even in the digital parts of mixedsignal products. This article uses the example of an EEPROM
IP block to show how DFT enables more accurate characterization of the block and the impact that this has on the quality of
devices shipped to automotive customers. Figure 1 shows the
architecture of an EEPROM bit cell.
cycles. (In a fast bit, the cell programming/erasing voltage is
very low.)
Fast bits occur as an inherent feature of the silicon fabrication process. They are created when aluminum in the wet etch
contaminates the oxide layer.
The problem for the IC test engineer is that, although these
fast bits might work properly when the EEPROM is initially
programmed and erased, after multiple cycles, the low programming voltage will result in the bit cell failing prematurely.
Automotive quality requirements, however, call for zero defects in any bit cells in any EEPROM device. So how can the
manufacturer guarantee that no single unit will become unprogrammable before its specified number of write/erase cycles?
The solution is to screen out all dies containing one or more
fast bits. And this is where the value of DFT becomes clear.
Figure 2 shows a distribution of dies with fast bits in a wafer.
To meet its quality standard, ams must be able to guarantee that
devices close to the pass/fail threshold will stay good after the
specified minimum number of write/erase cycles.
1152
1152
SOURCELINE
MP0
800
748
MP1
WORDLINE
WELL
MP2
400
BITLINE
312
Potential Fast
bit device
FAST bit device
Figure 1. The architecture of an EEPROM bit cell
EEPROMs: the determinants of quality
For the user of an EEPROM, a type of nonvolatile memory,
quality normally is specified in the following terms:
• the number of write/erase cycles it can support, and
• the length of time it can retain data. A typical requirement is for
10 years’ data retention.
These quality measures are, in turn, determined by three
characteristics of an EEPROM die:
• endurance loops (the number of write operations the EEPROM
can withstand before it can no longer be programmed),
• the input voltage at which a bit cell can be programmed and
erased, and
• the charge held in a bit cell after a write operation.
The bit cell charge is important because, over time, charge
leaks from a programmed cell. The initial charge when programmed must be sufficiently high to allow for this leakage
while still guaranteeing the full 10 years’ data retention capability. Likewise, the input voltage when the device is new must
be above a certain minimum to guarantee that no fast bits are
present and to ensure that a device can withstand n write/erase
14
14-15_EE_201608_DesignforTest_FINAL_eb.indd 14
144
0
0
8
1
0
0
1
1
0
2
3
0
1
3
6
2
3
8
56
32 22 45
9
75
10
4 0
11
Volt1stEraseBitA/MEAS_DIR_VI16
Figure 2. Distribution of fast bits within a wafer
Precise characterization of EEPROM devices
For its foundry customers, ams must be able to characterize
production wafers containing EEPROM blocks to filter out
failed dies and guarantee the lifetime and data retention of
known good dies.
As shown above, characterization of an EEPROM die calls
for measurements of input voltage and bit cell charge. And
in an EEPROM IP block, these measurements can only be
captured accurately with dedicated test circuitry routed to a
pin (Figure 3).
This DFT circuitry connects the on-chip high-voltage generator in such a way that the voltage needed to program and
erase the bit cells may be driven from outside the chip. Once
August 2016
7/7/2016 11:51:45 AM
MEM BLOCK
DATA LINE
130
MEM BLOCK
DESIGN FOR TEST
140
DATA LINE B
SAEN
SAENB
MP0
MN2
MP1
MN3
150
160
LATCH
MN6
TM1
MN5 MP4
170
IREF
TM2
MP3
180
SENSE
AMP
SAOUT
vices that already had reached the end of
their guaranteed operational lifetime.
These dies then were baked for 4,000
hours at 250°C. According to the standard
Arrhenius equation, this is equivalent to
10 years’ operation at 150°C. After this data-retention bake, the dies were tested to
check for drift in the bit cell current. If the
cell current was found to have drifted by
less than 1 μA, data retention would have
been verified. It turned out that all failures
were actually triggered within the first 24
hours of baking.
If data programmed on the last write
operation of the most marginal device can
be retained for 10 years, then the data retention capability of every other known
good die can be confidently guaranteed.
Transferring the development test
method to production
With the DFT circuitry embedded in the
EEPROM IP, the fabrication plant at ams
now can characterize every cell in every
die in the way described above to screen
MN3 MN0
MN1 MN4
out fast bit dies. Using the test method
outlined here, known good dies with cell
current and input voltage values exceedFigure 3. The DFT circuit implemented in EEPROM IP blocks provided by the ams Full
ing the minimum threshold may be guarService Foundry
anteed for any number of write/erase
cycles and any data retention interval
specified by the user of the EEPROM IP block.
the bit cell is programmed or erased, the bit cell current can be
The production test method includes a 24-hour bake at 250°C,
measured on the same pin, accurate to within a few nanoamps.
after which dies showing a cell current drift of more than 1 μA
If the charge is below the minimum threshold for guaranteed
are rejected.
lifetime, the device will be failed.
With this characterization program in place, more than 10 milThis DFT method guarantees that every bit cell in every chip
lion EEPROMs, containing some 300 billion bit cells, have been
in every wafer will be tested with the same input voltage. By
produced, tested, and shipped to customers. The guarantee of
contrast, in the absence of the dedicated test circuitry, the test
quality supported by this production testing regime has been
routine would use the device’s internal charge pump to generverified in practice: Not a single device has been returned from
ate the voltage, and because of process variation, this voltage
a customer, suggesting no failures have been found in the field.
will vary from one die to another. As a result, the test results
ams could not have verified its test method with sufficient
will be subject to a degree of uncertainty: A bit cell with a low
confidence, nor as accurately identified marginal bad devices,
charge might be a failure in its own right—or it might have
without the test modes implemented in the EEPROM IP block’s
been exposed to too low a programming voltage.
circuitry. This provides real-world proof of the value of impleThe DFT mode implemented by ams eliminates this source
menting a DFT approach from the outset of a new chip design.
of uncertainty, vastly improving the test quality of this block.
Once all bit cells have been programmed or erased, a digital
About the authors
check can be initialized by sourcing an external reference curPeter Sarson, the test development manager for the Full Service
rent to the external test-mode pin. The sense amplifier (Figure
Foundry business unit at ams AG, began his 15-year semiconductor
3) compares the reference current to the current at the bit cell: If
industry career in 2000 when he joined the LTX Applications Engithe bit cell current is greater than the reference, a digital high is
neering Group. He received his Chartered Engineer Status from IET
sent; if the bit cell current is smaller than the reference, a digiin 2003 and his Chartered Manager status in 2014. Sarson holds a
tal low is sent. This produces a digital pattern to verify that all
Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineerbits are programmed or erased correctly, which may be used to
ing from The University of Sheffield.
quickly check operation of the device.
Gregor Schatzberger is principal analog designer at ams AG. He
joined the company in 1998 and since then performed various roles
Characterizing the device for production
The test mode built into the IP block, then, provides for accurate
within the BaseIP group of ams. Schatzberger has several patents and
measurement of the crucial input voltage and cell current pahas written several papers. He holds a degree in Electronic Engineerrameters, enabling ams to reject dies containing fast bits.
ing from the Technical University of Graz, Austria.
The question then becomes, how can ams guarantee 10
Andreas Wild has been working as marketing manager for foundry
years’ data retention in dies that pass the input voltage and
services and technologies in the Full Service Foundry at ams since
charge tests?
2003 and also is responsible for customers in the United States and
To do so, it tested the performance of dies near the threshold
southern Europe. He began his career in semiconductors in 1995 as
of rejection as a fast bit. It exercised these dies with the maxian administrator responsible for the product engineering laboratory
mum number of endurance loops the device was specified to
at Austria Mikro Systeme International AG. Wild holds a high school
withstand. This gave the test engineers a set of marginal dediploma in electronics. EE
SAENDB
August 2016
14-15_EE_201608_DesignforTest_FINAL_eb.indd 15
15
7/7/2016 11:52:06 AM
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Building parts one layer at a time
I
t’s easy to see from the many types of available systems and
the innovative technologies being developed that additive
manufacturing (AM) is an extremely active area. Although
operating details vary widely, all of the approaches build an
object in layers under computer control.
One of these methods, stereolithography (SLA), was invented by Charles Hull in 1983. SLA cures photopolymer resins layer by layer using UV lasers and is one of the technologies used
in machines made by 3D Systems, a company Hull co-founded.
In May 2016, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
designated SLA-1, the first commercial rapid prototyping
machine introduced by 3D Systems, as an Historic Engineering
Landmark.1 In comments related to this recognition, Hull
said, “Although I expected 3D printing to be embraced by
manufacturers, I never could have anticipated how widespread
3D printing is today or the types of things that people are
doing with it.” Hull’s words succinctly describe the current
state of AM—a term now used almost interchangeably with
3D printing.
Rapid prototyping remains a major market for AM tools and
has attracted attention through applications such as making
parts for Jay Leno’s classic cars. In a 2009 article,2 Leno said,
“Let’s say you have an older Cadillac or a Packard, and you
can’t get one of those beautifully ornate door handles. You
could go to the big swap meet in Hershey, PA, every day for the
rest of your life and never find it. Or, you could take the one on
the left side of your car, copy it, use the computer to reverse it,
[3D print it,] and put that new part on the other side.”
For example, the feedwater heater on Leno’s 1907 White
Steamer needed to be replaced, but the badly corroded part was
an aluminum casting. It took 33 hours to 3D print a plastic replica of the original, which previously had been scanned and the
mechanical imperfections removed in software. After checking
the fit of the plastic replica, Leno sent it to a foundry that made
a mold and cast the required replacement part.
In another example, 3D Systems provided the printer used
to make new air-conditioning vents for the custom Ecojet car.3
Leno concluded, “It’s an amazingly versatile technology…. We
used plastic parts we designed, right out of the 3D copier. We
didn’t have to make these scoops out of aluminum—plastic is
what they use on a real car. And, the finished ones look like factory production pieces.”
Figure 1. SLA-printed model of an exhaust manifold
Courtesy of 3D Systems
16
16-19_EE_201608_AdditiveManufacturing_FINAL_eb.indd 16
Some things you can try at home …
In contrast to many high-tech tools, AM has become so popular
that machines are appearing with prices low enough to appeal
to the hobby market. For example, Amazon currently is selling a FlashForge Finder model 3D printer for just under $500.
This type of printer uses the fused deposition modeling (FDM)
technique in which, according to a white paper4 from Stratasys,
a professional-level 3D printer manufacturer, “Thermoplastic
filament feeds through a heated head and exits, under high
pressure, as a fine thread of semi-molten plastic. In a heated
chamber, this extrusion process lays down a continuous bead
of plastic to form a layer.”
A recent PC Magazine blog5 compared the FlashForge Finder
with other low-cost printers from XYZPrinting and LulzBot.
The Finder has one extrusion nozzle so it can only produce a
part in one color. The higher price FlashForge Dreamer model
has two extrusion nozzles and can print in two colors.
LulzBot uses an all-metal “hot end” and a wide range of
3-mm diameter filament materials. The FlashForge and XYZPrinting machines work with 1.75-mm diameter filaments
made from either acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or
polylactic acid; XYZPrinting machines also can extrude a
flexible filament material. Layer thickness is adjustable from
100 μm (about 0.004 inch) to 500 μm (about 0.020 inch) on the
FlashForge and XYZPrinting machines and from 0.002 inch to
0.020 inch on the Lulzbot printer.
… and others you can’t
FDM machines necessarily produce a less well-controlled surface than SLA because the layer thickness is greater. However,
there are lots of parameters to consider when deciding on an
AM technology. A Stratasys white paper4 compared and contrasted the properties of FDM and the company’s trademarked
PolyJet SLA-type printers.
The SLA printers deposit layers of photopolymers that solidify when exposed to UV light. As the white paper states,
“Polyjet gives you a near-paint-ready surface right out of the
3D printer…. That’s not true for FDM. The extrusion process
can produce visible layer lines on side walls and tool paths on
top and bottom surfaces.”
The Stratasys J750 3D printer simultaneously works with up
to six materials, mixing them as required at the print head and
forming layers as thin as 0.00055 inch. This is a highend machine weighing 335 lb and requiring about
1.4 kW of power. Objects as large as 19.3 x 15.35 x 7.9
inches can be printed.
New materials are developed continuously, so
machine capabilities frequently change. Nevertheless, as the company’s white paper explained, FDM
machines can work with a wide range of real plastics
from low-cost ABS for basic models to nylon for engineering parts and even Ultem for high-temperature/
high-performance components. SLA printers are more
limited in the applications they address because of the
lower-performance materials that are available.
Figure 1 shows an SLA-printed structural model
of an exhaust manifold made from 3D Systems’ Visijet M2 RWT (rigid white) material. As described on
August 2016
7/7/2016 11:47:15 AM
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the company’s website, “This material yields plastic parts that
look and feel like white injection-molded plastic and allows for
rigorous testing and use. It is durable and stable under varied
conditions, making it ideal for functional testing and rapid tooling applications.”
Technology variations
SLA upside-down—inverse SLA
Another approach to AM uses a liquid photopolymer resin
in a vat at the bottom of the machine. Rather than selectively
dispensing the build material only where it will form part of
the completed object, as is done in both FDM and conventional SLA printers, inverse SLA systems cover the entire build
area with a layer of resin. The material is polymerized by a
light beam selectively deflected to the required locations. A
similar method is used in high-tech electron-beam (e-beam)
and laser-sintering AM processes in which layers of plastic
or metal powder are laid down at the top of the build and
selectively melted.
Because AM is such an active business area, many technology variations exist. As an example, the Carbon3D M1 printer
uses a relatively deep resin pool with a special oxygen-permeable glass bottom. The resin is formulated so that polymerization occurs only when the material is exposed to both light and
oxygen. So, when an LED light source scans the current 2D
slice, only the thin layer of material in contact with the glass
plate is polymerized. The build platform at the top of the object
in the M1 printer moves upward in synchronism with the succession of layers being scanned. As the printed object emerges
from the resin pool, the effect is reminiscent of the Terminator
rising up out of molten metal in the movie Terminator 2—an
inspiration for the product according to Carbon3D co-founder
Joseph DeSimone.6
Formlabs makes the lower-cost Form 1 and Form 2 printers
that also use the inverse-SLA technique. These machines include an automated squeegee that traverses the clear window
beneath the resin pool before each layer is printed. A video on
the Formlabs website shows a part being raised, the squeegee
traversing, the part being lowered, and then another layer polymerized. Finished parts must be cleaned in alcohol to remove
the coating of uncured resin.
Sintering and melting
By definition, thermoplastics can be melted, and several 3D
printer manufacturers have developed laser sintering machines
that selectively fuse portions of successive thin layers of thermoplastic powder. The basic approach also has been applied to
3D powdered metal sintering.
As a 2012 article7 reports, GE Aviation purchased a small
company called Morris Technologies because Morris had invested in laser sintering technology. The article states, “…
[This] involves spreading a thin layer of metallic powder onto
a build platform and then [selectively] fusing the material with
a laser beam. The process is repeated until an object emerges.
Laser sintering is capable of producing all kinds of metal parts,
including components made from aerospace-grade titanium.”
In 2013, GE acquired the Italian aerospace company Avio,8
which had developed a type of e-beam melting AM process.
Compared with sintering, e-beam melting produces a completely solid part—sintered parts only approach a solid part’s
density, although they can come close.
At about the same time, GE was perfecting a similar direct metal laser melting process capable of forming 100%
solid parts. For a new jet engine fuel nozzle, shown in
Figure 2, the company used a cobalt-chromium alloy fused in
20-μm layers. According to a GE report,9 “The process can take
as long as 120 hours, and the workers use big data analytics to
18
Figure 2. CFM LEAP 3D-printed jet engine fuel nozzle
Courtesy of GE
monitor everything from the size of the weld pool [to] temperature and the stability of the laser.”
Todd Rockstroh, a laser processing expert at GE Aviation,
commented, “When we designed the nozzle, we wanted to
make it from an alloy that was mature, well-known, and thoroughly tested—nothing exotic.” Cobalt-chromium materials
have a long history of successful use in replacement knee and
hip joints as well as dental implants. Rockstroh continued, “Because of their medical applications, there has been a tremendous amount of research done on these alloys. They are also
pretty common because they serve such a large market, which
makes them cheaper.”
Fast-forward a few years, and in 2016 the CFM LEAP jet engine, jointly produced by partners GE and Snecma of France, is
being tested in new airplanes. A GE report10 states that the 19
3D-printed fuel nozzles per engine will take the place of previous nozzles, each assembled from 20 separate parts. In addition, the new nozzles will be 25% lighter and 5x more durable.
The article also notes that GE Aviation will make 100,000 3Dprinted parts by 2020.
Electronics
Rather than interpreting 3D printing as the formation of a 3D
object, you could understand the term to mean more conventional 2D printing on a 3D substrate—a surface that isn’t flat.
Optomec has developed the Aerosol Jet technology, which
deposits a focused beam of atomized ink from a print nozzle.
Relative motion between the print head and the substrate allows
nonplanar applications to be addressed—such as printing the
interconnections for a smart card before it is conformally coated.
Commercially available metal-loaded inks from a number of
sources either cure at low temperature or, for substrates that
can tolerate higher temperatures, are sintered. Sintering in an
oven produces conductivity approaching that of the bulk metal.
Sintering with a built-in laser avoids heating the entire part but
results in resistance 2x to 3x higher.
An Optomec white paper11 referred to multilayer Aerosol
Jet applications such as creating a capacitor from a dielectric
layer sandwiched between two conducting layers, microsensors for avionics, and high-density interconnect backplanes for
flat-panel displays. This technology excels at depositing a few
layers of material to form a circuit or a 5-GHz carbon nanotube
transistor as the University of Massachusetts and Brewer Science have demonstrated.
As a separate initiative that is described on the company’s
website, Optomec also has developed a 3D metal sintering machine, which creates parts layer by layer from powdered metal.
The interesting aspect of this printer is the use of technology
August 2016
7/7/2016 1:59:01 PM
similar to the Aerosol Jet technique. Metal powder simultaneously is deposited by a spray nozzle and sintered by a highpower laser. This method would appear to require significantly
less powdered metal than is used by machines that lay down
complete rather than selective layers. The approach also can be
used to repair parts.
said. “With the cluster now in place, the up-front cost has been
paid for us to make any type of part. Plus, if at any moment in
time we need to change a part, we can change it quickly.”
AM has revolutionized product development time scales and
economics for a wide range of manufacturers. And, it’s being
used in production to make parts that can’t be conventionally
manufactured as well as provide immediate inventory control.
AM in action
EE
Hull’s expectation that 3D printing would revolutionize prototype production has become reality. Nevertheless, AM involves
equipment, processes, and materials that are distinct from conventional machining. Training and experience are necessary before you can get the best results. One way that companies can
take advantage of 3D printing without much risk is to submit
their digital design files to a printing bureau.
For example, 3D Systems provides a range of capabilities via
the company’s on-demand parts-manufacturing Quickparts
3D design-to-manufacturing service—“the world’s leading
provider of unique low-volume and high-volume custom-designed parts,” according to the 3D Systems website. If you do
not have AM experience, partnering with a company that uses
a number of technologies can be an advantage.
On the production side, clusters of 3D printers are being
used—in the case of LulzBot, 140 3D printers run for at least 100
hours per week to manufacture parts for more LulzBot printers.
According to comments made by Stan Middlekauff, cluster production supervisor, in an article on the LulzBot website, “The
alternative to having [a] cluster producing those parts would be
injection molding everything, but the injection molding cost for
a die could be thousands of dollars and upward,” Middlekauff
References
1. Millsaps, B. B., “Celebrating Chuck Hull & the SLA-1 Original
3D Printer—Now a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark,”
3D Print.com, May 19, 2016.
2. Leno, J., “Jay Leno’s Printer Replaces Rusty Old Parts,” Popular Mechanics, June 7, 2009.
3. Newman, J., “3D Printing in Leno’s Garage,” Design Engineering Rapid
Ready, Dec. 11, 2015.
4. “FDM and PolyJet 3D Printing: Determining which technology is right for
your application,” Stratasys, Dec. 18, 2015.
5. Hoffman, T., “FlashForge Finder 3D Printer,” PC Magazine, April 11, 2016.
6. Tilley, A., “How Carbon3D Plans To Transform The Way We Make Stuff,”
Forbes, Nov. 23, 2013.
7. “GE Is So Stoked About 3D Printing, They’re Using It To Make Parts For
Jet Engines,” The Economist, Nov. 24, 2012.
8. Milkert, H., “GE Uses Breakthrough New Electron Gun For 3D Printing—
10X’s More Powerful Than Laser Sintering,” edprint.com, Aug. 18, 2014.
9. Kellner, T., “Joined At The Hip: Where The 3-D Printed Jet Engine Meets
The Human Body,” GE Reports, July 1, 2013.
10. Gilman, C., “A pragmatic view of additive manufacturing,” GE Global
Research, February 2014.
11. “Aerosol jet printed electronics overview,” Optomec, May 2009.
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7/7/2016 11:48:52 AM
SALARY SURVEY
Taking the pulse of the industry
10%
I
n this presidential election year, we’re
getting plenty of conflicting information from numerous political polls.
Even with the great care taken by professional pollsters, it’s still not possible to
assume that a small difference pro or con
actually has statistical significance. Such
uncertainty usually is assigned to the 2%
to 3% margin of error that typically exists.
The average engineering salaries for
the last three years, derived from reader
responses to the annual EE-Evaluation
Engineering salary survey, are shown in
Table 1. Essentially, the average engineering salary has remained flat from
year to year with changes less than
±2%—well within the margin of error. One respondent said, “I have not
had any salary increase in more than 10
years,” seeming to confirm the data. At
the other extreme, another said, “… this
last year has been the best in eight years
for salary increases.” Of the responses
received, this view definitely was in the
minority. About three-quarters of the
respondents indicated that they had received either no raise or a small one in
the previous year, with only 22% getting
an increase greater than 4%.
Year
Average Salary
Percent of Change
2014
$104,914
----
2015
$106,800
+1.798%
2016
$105,131
-1.562%
Table 1. Average salary and changes
To better understand the survey data,
the cumulative dollar-percentage for
each of the last three years was plotted
against a range of salaries. The results
showed that the percentage of total respondent pay falling within either the
lower or higher $50,000-band of salaries
was virtually the same for all three years.
What variation in average salary there
has been occurred because of differences in the salaries from about $90,000
to $150,000. This means that conclusions
drawn from the survey data have not
been skewed by responses from a large
number of highly paid managers one
year or from many less-well-paid technicians another year.
20
20-23_EE_201608_SalarySurvey_DUM_eb.indd 20
33%
$102,768
$109,750
Pacific
Mountain
Northeast
Central
$119,910
19%
Southeast
International
$78,000
$95,000
$98,233
4%
12%
22%
Figure 1. Average salary vs. location
While salaries haven’t altered much,
this year’s survey responses confirm
trends seen in earlier years. For example, no doubt we’ve all read about a
company’s desire for 20-year-old new
employees who also have 15 years of relevant experience. One older respondent
recounted, “I was sitting in an interview,
when the interviewer said: ‘I’m sorry, but
we’re looking for someone with current
knowledge of the state-of-the-art engineering technology, someone who’s recently graduated from college.’” In spite
of having taught engineering courses at
the university level, the respondent did
not get the job and concluded that the
company actually was saying that, “…
Years of Experience
in the Industry
we don’t want to hire someone with
years of experience because we’d have to
pay them more.”
As shown in Table 2, salary clearly increases with years of experience. In the
table, the percentage columns represent
the respondents within each category.
A similar relationship between salary
and the number of years spent with one
employer can be shown, although as
happened in 2014, salaries can level off
or drop slightly for respondents who
work a long time at the same company.
Location, education, and apps
Job responsibility and technical skills as
well as your location may be as impor-
2016
2015
More than 30 years
$111,541
50%
$115,073
25 - 29
$107,187
18%
$108,167
20 - 24
$107,500
14%
$97,130
15 - 19
$95,455
8%
$99,405
10-14
$79,750
4%
$87,188
6-9
$63,750
2%
3-5
$75,625
3%
Less than 3
$70,833
1%
2014
55%
$106,854
46%
15%
$117,183
16%
8%
$108,356
14%
10%
$103,900
6%
6%
$95,385
8%
$48,125
3%
$83,214
4%
$68,750
1%
$72,500
3%
$83,125
3%
$78,929
2%
Table 2. Salary vs. years of experience in the industry
August 2016
7/8/2016 11:54:55 AM
SALARY SURVEY
Design/
Development Engineering
$113,894.20 (39%)
R&D/Scientific/Academia
$113,571.36 (5%)
Component Engineering/
Evaluation
$110,833.33 (2%)
$110,109.92 (19%)
Corporate Management
$103,214.29 (3%)
Field Service
Manufacturing/
Production Engineering
$98,571.39 (10%)
Engineering/Lab Support
$95,625.00 (9%)
QC/QA/Reliability/
Product Assurance
$83,874.95 (7%)
Production Test
$82,857.00 (5%)
Incoming Inspection/
Test
$54,999.67 (.4%)
$-
$20,000.00
$40,000.00
$60,000.00
$80,000.00 $100,000.00 $120,000.00
Figure 2. Average salary vs. job function
B.S.E.E.
$109,597 (11%
%)
$ ,921 (14%)
$122
$127,814 (13%)
$100,750 (11%)
$114,1155 (5%)
$107,767 (9%)
Other Masters
$120
2 ,694 (7%)
$113,250 (7%)
$115,929
2 (4%)
M.B.A.
$77,206 (6%)
$76,591 (4%)
$78,333 (6%)
$133,500 (6%)
$147
1 ,000 (5%)
$136,038 (4%
%)
Ph.D.
B.A.
High School
2014
$76,172 (12%)
$78,667 (11%)
$82,400 (12%)
M.S.E.E.
Technical School
2015
$100,465 (16%)
$94,237
,
(14%)
$106,145 (17%)
Other B.S.
Associate's Degree(s)
2016
$114,5733 (28%)
$108,098 (36%))
$104,546 (27%)
$97,115
9
(4%)
$121,250 (2%)
$130,000 (3%)
$133,333 (1%)
$80,625 (2%)
$81,875 (2%)
Figure 3. Highest education level
August 2016
21
7/8/2016 12:05:58 PM
SALARY SURVEY
70%
2014
100%
2015
60%
90%
2016
80%
50%
70%
60%
40%
50%
40%
30%
30%
20%
20%
10%
10%
0%
2016
2015
2014
Android Tablet
Android Smart Phone
None
iPhone
Surface Tablet
Blackberry
Other Tablet
iPad
Other Smart Phone
Figure 4. Work-related use of mobile devices
Software
Figure 6. Ranking of career issue importance
Wireline/Fiber-Optic
Energy
Communications
$107,857
$114,375
$104,500
3%
3%
2%
Military/
Aerospace
Computers
$118,123
$80,416
Wireless
Communications
4%
$79,643
20%
5%
Medical
$105,882 6%
Consumer
Electronics
14%
7%
$103,472
$106,216
8%
Other
10%
$114,048
9%
Contract Design/
Manufacturing
$81,413
10%
Semiconductors/
Components
$110,803
Figure 5. Average salary vs. industry segment
22
Automotive/
Transportation
Power/Energy
$107,037
tant as experience in determining salary. Similar to past years, and shown
in Figure 1, the Pacific states paid the
highest salaries. The ranking of the
remaining regions changed somewhat this year with the Northeast,
Mountain, Central, and Southeast areas following in that order.
Again this year, design engineers
were the largest group when ranked
by job function (Figure 2). Compared
to 2015, the average salary for design
engineers in 2016 increased by almost
2%, making them also the highest paid
group. The average salaries for corporate managers and production test
each dropped by more than 20%, moving these two categories down two positions in the overall ranking. In contrast, field service salaries increased
by 17%.
Most companies require a bachelor’s degree as a prerequisite for a
technical position. But, higher degrees and bachelor degrees in disciplines other than electronics also are
prevalent in the industries EE-Evaluation Engineering reaches. Figure 3
shows the trend over the last three
years including one very successful
high school graduate.
Regardless of your initial degree,
being successful within a fast-moving
August 2016
7/8/2016 11:55:30 AM
SALARY SURVEY
100%
2014
80%
60%
2015
Benefits and security
2016
For all three years, respondents
have given equal importance to salary and work/life balance, although
from year to year there has been a
clear trend to value both less (Figure 6). In their place, factors such
as professional ethics and outsourcing have been given more attention
in 2016 compared to education and
pensions in 2015. Interestingly, concern about job security has leveled
off to about 50% from a higher 57%
2014 number.
Job security and satisfaction have
not been overwhelming issues in any
of the three years. At least 80% of
respondents feel very or somewhat
confident and satisfied with typically
less than 5% feeling very insecure or
dissatisfied. But security and satisfaction don’t mean complacency, and
it’s doubtful that many respondents
have remained unaware of the continuing reduction in their benefits.
The percentage of respondents being
offered healthcare; 401k or pension
plans; and dental, life, and disability
insurance has reduced in each of the
last three years as shown in Figure 7.
Another indicator of employee
attitude is the large increase in respondents working for small companies—13% in 2016 vs. 7% in
2015—and a corresponding drop
from 27% to 21% in the number of
people working for companies with
from 1,001 to 10,000 employees.
40%
20%
0%
Figure 7. Benefit availability
technically oriented industry requires
continuing education just to keep up. For
the last three years, trade publications and
associated websites have been the favorite
sources of information for at least 40% of
the respondents. The next most popular
sources were webcasts/online events
sponsored by a company or professional
organization and in-person training sessions presented by a vendor. And, for
both this year and last year, about 11% of
the respondents have indicated attending
online classes at a university.
Being familiar with the latest technology and using it to an advantage in your
job also are indications that a worker is
coping well with change. Figure 4 shows
the general increase in mobile device
use—in particular, the growth in iPads
and iPhones while Blackberry popularity continues to decline.
The type of industry in which a respondent is employed also affects salary,
as shown in Figure 5. This year, the three
largest pieces of the pie—military/aerospace, automotive/transportation, and
Are you a ‘work martyr’?
That, according to Robert J. Samuelson at The Washington Post, is the travel industry’s term for employees who don’t use all their vacation days.
Research by a travel industry initiative called Project: Time Off found that since
about 2000, the average days of vacation taken by a full-time American employee
has fallen from more than 20 days to 16.2 days in 2015—leaving a total of 658 million vacation days unused.
Samuelson at the Post suggests that people might be forgoing vacation because of the uncertain state of the U.S. labor market. However, he notes, the trend
is not reversing as the labor market improves. He also comments on connectivity,
which blurs the boundaries between work and the rest of life.
Project: Time Off cites several reasons employees have left vacation time on the
table, including fear of returning to a mountain of work (37%) and the belief that
no one else can do the job (30%).
Perhaps this paragraph from Samuelson best sums it up: “We Americans have
a confused and contradictory relationship with vacation. In theory, we love it; in
practice, we often dread it. So much expectation is heaped on a few weeks of free
time that disappointment, if not inevitable, is common. Worse, our escape from
the job and daily routine fills us with anxiety that, somehow, this interlude will
inflict a gruesome revenge once we return to work.”1 — Rick Nelson
Reference
1. Samuelson, R. J., “Are you a ‘work martyr’?” The Washington Post, June 19, 2016.
August 2016
power/energy segments—are similar
in size to last year.
Summary
Those respondents who chose to
comment very often cited financial
aspects related to their job. One
anonymous person said “… the
H1B visa program is killing the job
market for talented and experienced
engineers.” Another, “… [felt] like
every year we do more with fewer
people.” And yet another said that
his company and a separate company had merged, resulting in many
changes and less job security.
However you weight these and the
many other factors that have been
discussed, engineers do what they do
because they like to. Technical challenges fascinate them, so salary isn’t
the same kind of motivator as it is for
a salesman. Nevertheless, salary is an
important contributor to job satisfaction as are the benefits a company
offers such as insurance, a pension
plan, flextime, and childcare. EE
23
7/8/2016 11:58:17 AM
SENSORS
Accurate and integrated temperature
measurement
M
ost electronic engineers know that a transistor’s baseemitter voltage (VBE) has a temperature coefficient
(TC) of about -2 mV/°C. However, for precision temperature sensors, “about” isn’t good enough. A number of ingenious designs have capitalized on the basic relationship in ways
that guarantee accuracy over the typical -50°C to +150°C range.
Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) and Texas Instruments (TI) have
developed analog sensors based on the difference in VBE (ΔVBE)
for two transistors operated with different current densities. By
working with ΔVBE instead of VBE, IS—the reverse-bias saturation current in the Shockley diode equation—is eliminated in
the math, as shown in equation 1.1
In the ADI reference, the larger area is provided by N identical transistors operated in parallel while the TI description refers to two different size transistors.2
The TI reference also discusses an interesting refinement. “In
order for the circuit to retain its accuracy over temperature, the
leakage currents of each transistor, which can become quite significant at high temperatures, must be equal so that their effects
will cancel one another…. To correct the problem, the circuit is
built with Q1 and Q2 each replaced by a transistor group consisting of both Q1 [with 10x the emitter area of Q2] and Q2.
These transistor groups have equivalent geometries, so that
their leakage currents will cancel, but only one transistor from
each group, representing Q1 in one group and Q2 in the other
pair, is used in the temperature sensing circuit.”2
How the ΔVBE value is processed also varies. Figure 1 shows
a simplified circuit that ADI has used to provide a 1.205-V
bandgap voltage reference. The collector currents are forced to
Figure 1. Bandgap and temperature sensor circuit based on ΔVBE
Courtesy of Analog Devices
24
24-25_EE_201608_Sensors-FINAL_eb.indd 24
be equal by the op amp output that drives the transistor bases
to a common voltage. This means that the current through R2 is
equal to ΔVBE/R2. Therefore, the voltage across R1 is equal to 2x
that current x R1, or
where VPTAT is the voltage output proportional to absolute temperature.
In contrast, Figure 2 shows an op amp used both to
force equal transistor currents and to scale the output to 10
mV/°K. The 100-Ω resistor is used to add a second-order correction current.
Note that in Figure 1, Q2 has the larger emitter area, but in
Figure 2, Q1 has the larger area. Nevertheless, both circuits
leverage the difference of the base-emitter voltages. In Figure
1, ΔVBE appears directly across R2 between the two emitters,
but in Figure 2, ΔVBE is measured across resistor R between
the two bases.
In addition to developing a voltage or current directly proportional to temperature, some of these designs achieve a nominally zero-TC bandgap voltage reference output by adding VBE
with a negative TC of about -2mV/°C to ΔVBE with a positive
TC of about +2mV/°C. Bandgap circuits have an output voltage near 1.22 V—the bandgap voltage of silicon—and are used
in designs for which the much higher voltage of a temperaturecompensated zener is inappropriate.
The AD590 is a two-terminal sensor with current proportional to temperature in degrees Kelvin. The proportionality is
factory trimmed to be 1 μA/°K, so at 0°C, the output current
ideally is 273.7 μA.
Figure 2. Temperature sensor circuit based on ΔVBE
Courtesy of Texas Instruments
August 2016
7/7/2016 2:36:07 PM
SENSORS
Changing the scale
The Linear Technology Corp. (LTC) LTC2996 temperature
The TI reference discusses higher accuracy linearization and
monitor also uses ΔVBE measurement as the basis of the temconversion from a Kelvin to a Centigrade or Fahrenheit temperature sensing circuit. However, instead of comparing the VBE
perature scale output. Rather than the simplified relationship
of two different transistors, the LTC2996 switches the amount
used in equation 1, a more complete VBE model, attributed to
of current driving a single internal or external diode. MeasurNational Semiconductor’s Robert Widlar, is given in equation 3.
ing the diode voltage at two currents is equivalent to the ADI
or TI approach—the saturation current drops out of the equation. A third current can be switched to determine the diode’s
series resistance, and a circuit is included to compensate for it.
In common with the circuits of Figures 1 and 2, the LTC2996 has
The first two terms in the equation are linear, and the last two
an output scaled per degree Kelvin—4 mV/°K in this case. The
are nonlinear. Working with just the linear terms, it follows that
LTC2996 has a guaranteed temperature error ≤±1°C from 0°C to
+100°C and ≤±1.5ºC from -40°C to +125°C.
When used with an external diode—for example, to measure
the temperature on remote equipment—the LTC2996 provides
a current output suitable for driving long lines. As described
where VG0 is the bandgap of silicon, typically 1.22 V; Ve is the
in a LTC article, “Series resistance up to 1 kΩ typically causes
emitter voltage in Figure 2; and 273.7 is the Kelvin equivalent
less than 1°C of temperature error…. the maximum distance is
of 0°C. During the derivation of this result, an equation was
limited more by the line capacitance than by the line resistance.
solved at T = 0°C—the reason the 273.7 number appears. NevCapacitances larger than 1 nF start to impact the settling of the
ertheless, as the TI reference states, “… the rate of change of Ve
sensor voltage at the various sense currents and therefore inwith respect to temperature will be a constant, independent of
troduce additional temperature reading errors. For example, a
the value of Vb [the transistor’s base voltage], the transistor’s
10-m long CAT 6 cable has about 500 pF of capacitance.”3
beta or Vbe.”
ON Semiconductor also uses this apTo complete the design, the two small nonproach and has developed both twoCompany
Analog
Digital
linear terms are approximated by a separate
current and three-current devices. As
compensation circuit that provides a current
you might expect, the two-current senAnalog Devices
8
18
proportional to the square of IPTAT, a current
sors are sensitive to series resistance
Linear Technology
3
9
proportional to absolute temperature. The
so are best used for local temperature
LM35 sensor incorporates many of these
measurement based on the integrated
Maxim Integrated
14
55
ideas and features 10-mV/°C sensitivity and
diode. Like the LTC part, the three±0.75°C accuracy from -55°C to +150°C with
current devices can compensate for
ON Semiconductor
0
25
no external adjustment required.
series resistance, which is important in
the automotive market. About half of
Texas Instruments
12
79
Product trends
the company’s thermal management
Table 1. Available analog and digital
The analog circuitry required to perform acproducts are called digital temperatemperature sensors
curate wide-range temperature sensing has
ture sensors. However, even those that
been refined over several years and supports
don’t have “digital” in the component
both a range of analog-output sensors as well as several digitaldescription still contain a large amount of digital circuitry. It’s
output sensors. Table 1 lists the number of both types of sensors
not clear than any have a truly continuous analog output procurrently available from each of the companies highlighted in
portional to temperature.
this article. Although the number of digital sensors appears to
The company’s NCT475 device gives an idea of the sophisbe much higher than the number of analog ones, many digital
tication that can accompany a digital temperature sensor. This
sensors are similar except for different output formats. EE
IC uses a 12-bit delta-sigma ADC to develop a new temperature reading every 80 ms. The values are stored in bytes, so if
your application requires only 8-bit resolution, you just need
References
to read 1 byte. In addition, because the device draws about
1. Linear Circuit Design Handbook, Analog Devices, Chapter 3, 2008.
500 μA from a 3.3-V supply, a one-shot mode allows you to
2. AN-460 LM34/LM35 Precision Monolithic Temperature Sensors, Texas
make one temperature conversion and immediately revert to
Instruments, Application Report SNOA748C, May 2013.
a shutdown mode that consumes 3 μA. The NCT475 is fully
3. Schwoerer, C., and Trampitsch, G., “High Accuracy (±1°C) Temperature
register compatible with the NCT75 (ON), LM75 (TI, Maxim),
Sensors Improve System Performance and Reliability,” Linear Technology
Journal of Analog Innovation, Vol. 22, No. 4, January 2013.
and TMP75 (TI).
Maxim Integrated lists about 70 types of temperature sensors
Editor’s Note
on its website, most of which have at least some digital circuitThis article is based on information available on various vendor
ry. For the MAX6576, the output square wave period directly
websites at the time of writing. Including details about a technique
relates to absolute temperature. For the MAX6577, frequency is
described by one company does not imply that other companies do
used to indicate temperature. And in the MAX6667, the delay
not also use that approach. The intention in presenting the particular
between an input strobe and an output pulse is proportional to
products and circuit highlights is to show both the theory underlying
temperature. All of these devices have a few scaling selections.
semiconductor temperature sensors as well as many of the variations
For example, in the MAX6576 you can scale the period to repcommercially available. Although five prominent companies have been
resent 10xT, 40xT, 160xT, or 640xT, where T is the temperature
included in this article, that does not imply that other companies do
in degrees Kelvin. Table 1 includes five of these single-wirenot produce temperature sensor devices or that the quality of those
output devices in the total of 14 analog sensors because their
parts is in any way inferior.
output is continuously variable.
August 2016
24-25_EE_201608_Sensors-FINAL_eb.indd 25
25
7/7/2016 2:32:17 PM
INDUSTRY
HAPPENINGS
By Rick Nelson, E xecutive Editor
Sensors Expo topics span MEMS
to robots and drones
S
ensors Expo & Conference held
June 22-23 in San Jose provided a
venue for experts to weigh in on
topics from MEMS to robots while exhibitors highlighted an array of sensors
and related products on the exhibit floor.
Opening keynote speaker Dr. Kaigham J. “Ken” Gabriel, president and
CEO of The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, commented that sensor functionality should represent not just a feature
but a discriminator. Otherwise, sensor
makers must rely on customers who are
closer to the end user. He advocated a
modular hardware approach that would
enable end users to buy sensor modules
the way they buy apps now.
Francis Rabuck, a technology research
analyst at RoboUniverse, discussed the
future of robotics and the role of sensors.
He addressed applications ranging from
Empire Robotics’ Versaball Beer Pong
Robot to the use of drone thermal imaging to help measure the crop water stress
index. He said voice will become the ultimate interface for the IoT world, where
devices will have no keyboards.
The future, he said, will be made possible in part by devices that are smaller,
faster, and cheaper, but data science and
analytics will play a key role as well.
Challenges, he concluded, also will relate to social policy. It’s well noted that
robots can take jobs. And with voice becoming the dominant interface, Rabuck
said, privacy becomes an issue—after all,
a talking Barbie doll also is a listening
Barbie doll.
“Get connected” was the message
from Steve Whalley, chief strategy officer
of the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group,
which was established in 2001 and “…
connects and champions the MEMS and
sensors supply chain in established and
emerging markets.” The group, he said,
has nearly 200 members and partners.
Looking toward the future, Whalley
emphasized the trillion sensor (TSensor) vision and said flexible/printed
technologies are showing promise. He
cited IDTechEx forecasts that the total
market for printed, flexible, and organic
electronics will grow from $26.54 billion
in 2016 to $69.03 billion in 2026. In addition, he said, purely printed solutions
are emerging, large-area electronics are
coming, and big-sensor-array data fusion will rely on deep learning.
A panel on the future of engineering
education commented on the role of
26
26-27_EE_201608_IndustryHappenings_FINAL_eb.indd 26
universities in the furtherance of sensor
technology. Panel organizer and industry consultant Roger Grace said, “If this
industry is to continue in prominence
and importance, we need to have welleducated people coming in to fuel the
design engineer roles needed to create
sensors and sensor-based systems.” Participants included Nadine Aubry, Dean,
College of Engineering, Northeastern
University, as well as panelists ranging
from an undergraduate to a CEO.
In addition, Ken Foust, chair of the
MIPI Alliance Sensor Working Group,
was on hand to explain how chip developers across the sensor and mobile ecosystems will be able to take advantage of
the emerging MIPI I3C standard, which
is expected to be formally approved and
announced by the MIPI Alliance board
later this year.
The two-wire interface will improve
upon interfaces like I2C, which the new
standard will resemble in the idle state,
Faust said, adding that MIPI I3C will
achieve data rates of 30-Mb/s while
maintaining a low gate count.
On the exhibit floor, Linear Technology highlighted practical ambient energy
harvesting for wireless sensor networks.
Cypress Semiconductor exhibited its
PSoC family and its role in the design of
sensor-based systems. Rohm and Mindteck teamed up to demonstrate a lighting
control system based on Rohm’s ambient
light and proximity sensors.
Lapis Semiconductor presented an
ultra-low-power 16-bit MCU and development kit with applicability to IoT
devices, smart-grid meters, home appliances, and industrial equipment. Microchip highlighted motion coprocessors and modules with applicability to
consumer, industrial, wearable, IoT, and
medical devices.
Analog Devices featured industrial
wireless sensor networks, sensing control for building automation, ultra-lowpower devices for smart infrastructure,
Drone position and stabilization, anisotropic magneto-resistive angle sensing
for automotive applications, and power
harvesting for wireless sensor networks.
TE Connectivity demonstrated digital component and piezo-film sensors,
wireless pressure sensors, pulse oximetry sensors, temperature sensors, and
submersible accelerometers. MEMSIC
introduced a family of four sensor components that provides tip-over and acceleration sensing in a range of automotive,
industrial, and consumer applications,
such as motorcycle and off-road vehicle
tip-over detection, vehicle navigation,
and digital SLR camera horizontal-position detection. NXP highlighted a variety
of applications for its devices, ranging
from a dog activity monitor to a microwave oven.
Distributors also were in attendance.
Mouser Electronics showcased technologies from Amphenol, Analog Devices,
Bosch, Broadcom, Fairchild, Intel, Microchip, Nordic, NXP, Rohm Semiconductor, Seeed, Sensirion, TE Connectivity,
and Texas Instruments. Digi-Key highlighted its sensor selector, which helps
customers choose inertial, motion, position, temperature, and pressure sensors
and transducers as well as capacitive
touch/proximity sensors.
Finally, Ray Zinn, the recently retired
long-time CEO of Micrel who founded
the company in 1978, delivered a keynote address on the last day of the sensors event. He attributed Micrel’s success
(it was profitable every year except 2002,
he said) to its focus on employees. At the
conclusion of his address, he signed copies of his book Tough Things First. EE
Sensors Expo 2016 exhibit floor
Courtesy of Rick Nelson
August 2016
7/7/2016 2:03:58 PM
INDUSTRY
HAPPENINGS
IMS sees chips and instruments
targeting mmWave applications
T
he International Microwave Symposium 2016 was held in late
May in San Francisco. At a press
conference early in the week, Keysight
Technologies highlighted its long-term
relationship with Cascade Microtech. On
the show floor, Keysight focused on the
X-Series signal analyzers, the CX3300 Series device current waveform analyzers,
and an E-band testbed solution.
As for software, Keysight featured
the EEsof EDA SystemVue 2016 release,
which includes a phased-array library
and a 5G baseband verification library.
In addition, the company presented Advanced Design System 2016, Genesys
circuit-synthesis software, and EMPro
3D electromagnetic simulation software.
National Instruments highlighted a
number of innovations, including advanced millimeter wave (mmWave)
technology for channel sounding and
5G prototyping as well as advanced
solutions for RFIC test from lab-based
characterization systems to high-volume
manufacturing test solutions using the
NI Semiconductor Test System.
NI said a new EM Socket II architecture within NI AWR Design Environment has been developed. The latest
release of an AWR Connected solution
is for ANSYS’s HFSS software. In addition, Sonnet Software and Computer
Simulation Technology tools have been
upgraded from prior EM Socket implementations to the new format.
Also, NI demonstrated an early-access
version of its WLAN Measurement Suite
with support for the IEEE 802.11ax (draft
0.1) high-efficiency wireless draft standard and highlighted a software-defined
radio for the mmWave spectrum. The
new NI mmWave Transceiver System
can transmit and receive 2-GHz realtime-bandwidth signals.
Anritsu highlighted its VectorStar
and ShockLine vector network analyzer
families. The company showed a measurement system featuring the VectorStar MS4640B VNA and the MG3710A
RF signal generator that conducted
modulated measurements.
Rohde & Schwarz exhibited its R&S
TS-5GCS 5G channel sounding software plus an R&S FSW signal and spectrum analyzer and an R&S SMW200A
vector signal generator. The R&S
SMW200A has a frequency range of up
to 40 GHz and is used as the sounding
signal source. The company also demonstrated its ARTS9510 automotive radar target simulator.
Rigol Technologies emphasized EMI
precompliance test. The company highlighted its NFP-3 Series near-field probes
as well as updated EMI Test System Software, which can be used with any Rigol
DSA Series spectrum analyzer to configure and collect data from precompliance
test, including radiated and conducted
emissions sweeps.
Tektronix, too, addressed EMI, exhibiting the RSA500 Series portable spectrum
analyzers, which bring lab performance
levels to the field. The company also
showed the MDO4000C, which can assist with EMI/EMC precompliance test.
AR focused on EW, wireless, and EMC
testing. Products on exhibit included
the 350S1G6 amplifier as well as the
300S1G6AB and other AB modules.
Pickering Interfaces showcased its
line of PXI and LXI RF and microwave
switching solutions, including the
newly announced PXI RF multiplexer
(Model 40-760). Pickering’s RF and microwave switching solutions extend
from low-level DC to signal bandwidths
up to 65 GHz.
In addition, Averna highlighted a
PIM test system, MathWorks described
its approach to next-generation wireless
design, Copper Mountain Technologies
demonstrated USB VNAs and reflectometers, Mini-Circuits showed an RF
test system, Pico Technology presented a
USB oscilloscope that delivers the functionality of six instruments, and Wireless
Telecom Group’s Boonton and Noisecom
divisions highlighted power sensors and
programmable precision carrier-to-noise
generators, respectively. Also on the testequipment front, Eastern OptX featured
its radar target simulator, which operates
up to 40 GHz with a dynamic range of
greater than 100 dB.
Semiconductor companies also had
a significant presence at IMS. Northrop
Grumman, for example, highlighted several new semiconductor products including high-power amplifiers and enhanced
GaN manufacturing options.
In addition, Analog Devices debuted
its RadioVerse technology and design
ecosystem; NXP highlighted communications, defense, and medical applications; Peregrine introduced several
high-frequency products including an im-
August 2016
26-27_EE_201608_IndustryHappenings_FINAL_eb.indd 27
age-reject mixer; Qorvo focused on new
small-cell PAs and touted ultra-wideband
linearization results; and Wolfspeed demonstrated GaN HEMT devices.
Companies also addressed cables,
connectors, and components. MegaPhase highlighted its KillerBee test cable, which operates from DC to 40 GHz,
and exhibited its Warrior cable, a rugged RF cable that provides long-term
repeatable performance in extreme operating conditions.
Huber+Suhner exhibited its new
SUCOFLEX 500V, a VNA test assembly.
The company demonstrated the quality
and stability vs. temperature and flexure of the SUCOFLEX 500V by placing
the assemblies on a bending machine
and taking measurements on a network
analyzer.
W. L. Gore & Associates highlighted its
expanded microwave/RF solutions that
offer enhanced performance in the 60- to
70-GHz range, where there is increased
need to maintain measurement accuracy when performing communications
testing with network analyzers, oscilloscopes, and analog signal generators.
Molex featured applications including
radar, automotive, and cellular communications. The company highlighted its
portfolio of RF/microwave connectors
and cable assemblies, including more
than 90 RF connector interface types.
Microwave Products Group, a Dover
company, presented a booth hosting several of its subsidiaries, including DowKey Microwave and K&L Microwave.
The latter highlighted its RF and microwave filters, duplexers, and integrated
assemblies. Dow-Key exhibited its Reliant Switch product series.
JFW Industries featured its range of attenuators, RF switches, power dividers,
and test accessories. Cobham exhibited a
variety of products, including spiral and
broadband antennas, flat plate antennas,
mmWave converters, limiters and detectors, switch matrices, integrated microwave assemblies, synthesizers, signal
converters, and RF interconnects.
And Diamond Microwave demonstrated a range of X-band GaN-based
pulsed solid-state power amplifiers offering integrated monitoring and protection. The new product range offers
output power levels up to 300 W and a
footprint of 220 x 150 x 41 mm excluding
heatsink. EE
27
7/7/2016 2:04:17 PM
EMC PRODUCT FOCUS
Keeping EMI in its place
A
statement from a Murata news release1 succinctly
describes the need for EMI suppression in cars,
but also applies to many other application areas
with a significant complement of electronics. The
release states, “As automobiles incorporate an everincreasing amount of electrical parts and as more
and more electrically powered automobiles are
being developed, more noise suppression products
are being used in the powertrain and safety circuits
that require high levels of reliability.”
EMI from internal as well as external sources
can interfere with the correct operation of sensitive
circuits. This product focus highlights devices
that minimize the generation and effects of EMI.
Also included are a magnetic field test system
and a magnetically shielded enclosure suitable for
scientific research.
Reference
1. “Automotive 150°C class ferrite bead, solder mountable,” Murata
Manufacturing, News Release, May 10, 2016.
Pulse test system
The AXOS 8 includes an integrated single-phase coupling/
decoupling network (CDN) and can be configured to provide
7-kV surge combination wave, 7-kV ring wave, 7-kV telecom
wave, 5-kV EFT/burst or dips and interrupts, and magnetic
field test to IEC/EN 61000-4-9. The Compact Test System Model
2490800 has all these capabilities except telecom wave.
Operation is via the front-panel graphic interface or remotely
from a PC. Predefined routines for different standards make
testing easy and reliable. Customer-specific test environments
are supported by additional functions such as external start/
stop. The capability to vary parameters allows performance issues to be thoroughly investigated during the design phase as
well as in precompliance testing.
A range of options and accessories complements the basic
AXOS 8 unit. The MSURGE-A is a 1 m x 1 m antenna plus
cables for use with the AXOS 8 to perform a pulse magnetic
field test. Several types of CDNs, a capacitive coupling clamp,
and data- and control-line decouplers also are available.
Haefely Hipotronics, www.rsleads.com/608ee-189
Automotive common-mode choke
The RA6870-AL common-mode choke is intended for use in
receiver and transmitter sections of MOST 150 coaxial applications. This 0805-size component is RoHS compliant with matte
tin over nickel over silver-palladium-glass frit contacts. For each
winding, the inductance at 100 MHz and the DC resistance are
700 nH and 0.69 Ω, respectively.
Common-mode chokes increase impedance to commonmode signals because the currents have the same phase in
both coils, causing the magnetic
flux to add. In a 50-Ω system,
the typical attenuation of the
RA6870-AL is about 27 dB at
700 MHz. Conversely, a welldesigned common-mode choke
causes minimal disturbance to
a differential signal because the
currents have opposite phases
28
28-29_EE_201608_EMCProducFocus_FINAL_eb.indd 28
and the magnetic flux cancels. In the MOST 150 application,
a common-mode choke restores the balanced differential signal by substantially removing common-mode interference that
may have been introduced in a wiring harness.
Operating temperatures from -40°C to +125°C are supported
with three 40-s reflows at +260°C allowed during soldering. Two
sizes of 8-mm reels are available: 7-inch with 2,000 parts and
13-inch with 7,500. Coilcraft, www.rsleads.com/608ee-187
High-temperature ferrite bead
Automotive applications can be particularly demanding because of the high temperatures that are encountered. Three
new series of 0603-size ferrite
beads feature solder mounting and guaranteed operation
at +150°C.
The BLM18AG_BH1 Series
is optimized for noise suppression over a wide frequency
range and comprises seven
values from 120 Ω to 1,000 Ω.
The BLM18BD_BH1 Series is similar but has a steeper impedance characteristic with values up to 2,500 Ω. The BLM18KG_
JH1 and BLM18KG_BH1 Series handle noise suppression in
power supply lines and have values from 26 Ω to 600 Ω with
current capacity up to 6 A. As an indication of the very low
DC resistance that these beads exhibit, a 100-Ω model in the
BLM18KG_JH1 Series has a maximum 30-mΩ DC resistance.
Murata Manufacturing, www.rsleads.com/608ee-192
Low-frequency ferrite cores
The type 75 material featured both in solid cores and the
manufacturer’s Snap-it form of easily assembled split cores
provides relatively high impedance at frequencies from 150 kHz
to 10 MHz. The Snap-it form is especially useful for cable assemblies and suppresses noise caused by conducted commonmode EMI from sources such as switching power supplies.
With five turns of wire through a solid core, impedances
from 310 Ω to 800 Ω at 200 kHz can be achieved. For split Snap-
August 2016
7/7/2016 11:37:00 AM
EMC PRODUCT FOCUS
it cores at the same frequency, impedance ranges from 330 Ω to 760 Ω.
Applications include automotive inverter assemblies and inductive motors,
power supplies and peripheral cables in consumer electronics, and control
units and motors in white goods. Sample kit No. 0199000041
is available with a total of 17 type-75 Snap-it parts in six sizes.
Fair-Rite Products, www.rsleads.com/608ee-188
Power entry module
The KMF entry module is intended for protection class II
applications that typically require double-insulated modules
without an external metal case and ground connection. The
module is designed to IEC 60320-1, style C18 and meets IEC
60601-1-11, which outlines additional safety measures specific
to medical equipment intended
for use in the home. In addition to a two-pole line switch,
the module is available with
a choice of a one- or two-pole
fuse holder. For medical applications, further choices include
an “extra-safe” fuse holder that
requires a tool to open and an
M5 low-leakage EMC filter.
The standard models have
current ratings from 1-A to 10-A at 250 VAC, and connections are via 0.187-inch quick-connect terminals. The module’s insulation system is guaranteed to withstand >2.7 kVDC
between the mounting panel and the line (L) or neutral
(N) conductors and >1.7 kVDC between L and N. Schurter,
www.rsleads.com/608ee-193
Magnetic-shielded enclosure
A series of Zero-Gauss Chambers provides the low magnetic
field required for sensitive scientific experiments or when developing devices based on magnetic field sensors such as fluxgate compasses. Fabricated from MuMETAL alloy, the chamber
reduces ambient magnetic fields and the earth’s geomagnetic
field (0.25 to 0.65 Gauss)
to the milliGauss level.
The chambers are effective from DC to 100
kHz because of layering.
When two or more concentrically spaced magnetic shields are used
in series (one inside the
other) and magnetically
isolated, the attenuation
of the external field is multiplied, yielding an overall factor of
about 1,500 for three layers. This multiplying effect of successive shields provides substantially greater attenuation of magnetic fields than a single shield of equivalent total wall thickness.
For strong external fields, the outer layer may be manufactured from a high-saturation NETIC alloy. Standard chambers are available in four sizes ranging from the smallest with
an internal 6-inch dia and 15-inch length to the largest with
18-inch internal dia and 54-inch length. Magnetic Shield,
Display screen shielding
WINAL 75-080 transparent conductive shielding is based on
a 75-μm layer of PET polyester film. An indium tin oxide (ITO)
layer provides conductivity, and a clear top layer adds protection. Surface resistance is specified to be 80 Ω/square, achieving shielding >20 dB at 100 MHz. The combination of PET film
and ITO and protective coatings has 76% light transmittance.
WINAL 75-080 film can be grounded by an optional layer of
conductive fabric tape, and both custom die cutting and hole
punching are available. The standard size sheet is 420 mm x
600 mm, and custom-length rolls also can be provided. In addition to EMI shielding and transparency, the film is flame retardant to UL94 VTM-2. Rather than the more common UL94
V-0 standard used for testing self-supporting materials, UL94
VTM-0, -1, and -2 specify flammability limits for thin materials that are tested after being formed into a self-supporting
cone. VTM-2 is the least stringent of the three classifications
but still requires less than 30 s of flaming combustion after
application of a test flame. Kitagawa Industries America,
Dual-stage power line filter
The EMC series of dual-stage RFI filters provides high attenuation in a compact design. Current ratings at 250-VAC range
from 3 A (0.21-mA leakage) to 30 A (1.52-mA leakage) at temperatures up to
+40°C. Above 40°C, derating is necessary.
Differential-mode (lineto-line) and common-mode
(line-to-ground) insertion
loss at 1 MHz measured in
a closed 50-Ω system are
>60 dB for most filter models and >47 dB for the 30-A device.
The metal-cased units vary in size from the 3-A 3EMC1 at
3.35 x 1.81 x 1.16 inches to the 30-A EMC6 that is 6.05 x 3.12
x 2.18 inches. Wires and two types of terminals are available: ¼-inch Fast-on and 8-32 threaded studs. The overall
length dimensions include the terminals. TE Connectivity,
PCB-mounted shielding
Standard and custom board-mounted shielding is manufactured using a photo chemical etching process that makes it
possible to offer custom single-piece and standard two-piece
designs with no tooling charges. For multicavity applications,
internal dividers can be added, and through-holes and slots
also are available for heat dissipation.
Shields typically are etched from 0.007-inch to 0.020-inch
thick brass, nickel silver, copper, or cold-rolled steel. If spring
qualities are needed, beryllium copper can be used.
The standard finish
is tin plate although
other finishes are
available.
Standard tooling
exists for spring
finger and dimple
designs. Soldered or resistance-welded seams are optional as are custom fences and removable covers. Tech-Etch,
August 2016
28-29_EE_201608_EMCProducFocus_FINAL_eb.indd 29
29
7/21/2016 3:05:12 PM
EE PRODUCT PICKS
DC/DC converter
The NXE2 Series 2-W surface-mounted DC/DC converters are footprint-compatible
with similar 1-W and 2-W devices available on the market
and measure just 12.5 x 4.36 x
10.41 mm. The converter is constructed using fully automated
techniques in a halogen-free
iLGA inspectable package with an integrated transformer. This
approach increases product reliability and repeatability of converter performance.
The series comprises four models with nominal input voltages of +5 or +12 VDC and outputs of +5, +12, or +15 VDC.
Input-to-output isolation of 3 kVDC is standard across the
range. The NXE2 series is suitable for use in industrial automation, instrumentation, and transportation equipment. It
also is intended for use in telecom, wireless, and medical designs that require a low-power isolated DC voltage. Murata,
Functional test platform
The GENASYS functional test platform now includes two
new products. Building on the architecture of the GENASYS
switching subsystem, the vendor has added the GX7017 integrated GENASYS chassis to the GENASYS product line, providing digital, analog, and high-performance switching capability
within a single, compact, 6U PXI chassis footprint. The GX7017
is a 20-slot 6U PXI chassis with an integrated MAC Panel SCOUT
mass interconnect receiver that can accommodate up to nine
GENASYS switching modules, eight high-performance digital
instruments, and additional PXI instrument modules.
To further extend the switching capabilities of the GENASYS platform, the vendor has introduced the GX6864, a 500MHz, 75-Ω RF multiplexer switch module for high I/O count,
video switching/test applications. Marvin Test Solutions,
FFT option
An improved FFT option now is available
for the U5303A PCIe
12-bit high-speed data
acquisition card. This
card features two channels and a sampling
rate from 1 GS/s to 3.2
GS/s. Designed for astronomy, physics applications, and environmental measurements requiring frequency-domain signal
processing, the card allows observation of phenomena never
observed before with previous instruments, offering a step forward in terms of linearity, dynamic range, and spurious free
dynamic range measurements.
While providing continuous real-time FFT at full sampling
rate, this option also enables spectra accumulation capability, a key requirement for radio astronomy. This application
option comes with a dedicated FFT spectrometer graphic
user interface to facilitate fast initial startup, display, and
export of the acquired FFT data. Keysight Technologies,
30
30-31_EE_201608_ProductPicks_FINAL_eb.indd 30
Debug firmware upgrade
A J-Link firmware upgrade supports the embedded ST-LINK
on STM32 Nucleo, STM32 Discovery, and other microcontroller
unit evaluation boards from STMicroelectronics. The upgrade
turns a board’s ST-LINK interface
into a fully functional J-Link,
which then can be employed to
debug the board’s application
processor. By upgrading to the
J-Link firmware, developers subsequently will be able to set an
unlimited number of breakpoints
in flash memory and debug their
applications considerably faster,
resulting in better use of engineering resources and shortened
time to market. SEGGER, www.rsleads.com/608ee-198
TEDS force sensors
HBM’s growing line of force
sensors is available with a
Transducer Electronic Data
Sheet (TEDS) memory module designed to store sensor
properties, thereby simplifying the process of configuring a force measurement system.
A TEDS module speeds the system configuration process
by having the individual characteristics of the force sensor, including sensitivity, nominal (rated) force, supply voltage, serial
number, and transducer type saved to memory when the sensor is delivered. The amplifier system reads the chip automatically and configures the measurement module with the correct
sensor data. HBM, www.rsleads.com/608ee-199
60-GHz development system
The PEM009-KIT 60-GHz development system offers designers the ability to perform product development and experimentation of single and multicarrier high-bandwidth modulation covering 57 GHz to 64 GHz in the globally unlicensed ISM
frequency spectrum.
The development system
supports a variety of I/Q (vector) and FSK/MSK modulation
schemes from a user-designed
baseband system or a vectormodulated programmable arbitrary waveform generator.
The system is configured as a
standalone benchtop wireless
link where transmitted power
directly from the waveguide aperture is equivalent to a 7-dBi
gain horn antenna with a 70-degree wide beam pattern that’s
useful to test and demonstrate various modulation schemes
and data rates. Pasternack, www.rsleads.com/608ee-200
High-voltage reed relays
Series 67 and 68 reed relays are available for up to 10-kV
stand-off, 7.5-kV switching, with an option of either PCB or
flying-lead switch connections. Similar in specification to the
vendor’s Series 60/65, these new relays are manufactured in a
single-in-line format using former-less coils, which dispenses
August 2016
7/7/2016 3:14:12 PM
EE LITERATURE
MARKETPLACE
EE PRODUCT PICKS
with the more usual coil supporting
bobbin, allowing a smaller package
than similar rated devices.
The package design presents some
interesting possibilities for high-density
applications such as multiplexers and
matrices in instrumentation and test systems; Series 67 relays mounted on a 3U
PXI 12-way high-voltage multiplexer module illustrates these possibilities. Pickering Electronics, www.rsleads.com/608ee-201
NEW AR COMPREHENSIVE
PRODUCT CATALOG!
Many exciting new products including high power solid state pulsed
amplifiers and new USB peak power
sensors are featured. Read about our
new RF solid state water cooled amplifiers with respective chillers, see
photos of the expanded microelectronics lab, and learn about AR Europe’s new partnership with CETC41.
USB hub
AR RF/Microwave
The USB-104-IHUB medical/industrial/military-grade USB hub features the company’s Tru-Iso signal
isolation up to 4 kV, extended temperature operation (-40°C to 85°C),
high-retention USB connectors,
and an industrial steel enclosure for
shock and vibration mitigation.
The USB-104-IHUB makes it easy to expand the number of
USB ports and provide up to 4-kV isolation between the host
computer and connected USB peripherals. Applications include factory automation, hospital and medical, energy management, military/mission-critical, transportation, security
systems, and process monitoring. $295. ACCES I/O Products,
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
Spectrum monitoring module
The MS27100A spectrum monitoring module brings the vendor’s RF spectrum-analysis technology to OEM applications. Engineers designing systems to locate illegal and unlicensed interfering signals within wireless networks can integrate the MS27100A
into custom hardware to achieve
a cost-efficient, accurate tool primarily for security, aerospace, and
defense applications.
Covering the 9-kHz to 6-GHz
frequency range, the MS27100A
is capable of sweeping at rates
up to 24 GHz/s, allowing many
types of signals, including periodic or transient transmissions
as well as short “bursty” signals, to be captured. Anritsu,
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
High-density receptacles
Four off-the-shelf receptacles
are suitable for use in high-density configurations down to 1-mm
pitch. Each receptacle contains
the company’s three-finger beryllium copper contact with a diameter range of 0.008 inch (0.2 mm) to 0.013 inch (0.33 mm).
The contact is characterized by a low insertion force, making it
compatible with miniature leads subject to bending.
Two of the receptacles, 0439-0-15-15-04-27-04-0 and 82100-15-15-04-27-04-0, have solder tails for through-hole applications. The 4428-0-43-15-04-14-10-0 is a low-profile, soldermount, open-bottom model. The 9928-0-15-15-04-27-40-0 is a
SMT receptacle mainly used for 1-mm grid socket configurations. Mill-Max, www.rsleads.com/608ee-204
Index of Advertisers
ADVERTISER
AR RF/Microwave..................................www.arworld.us ............................................... 5
AR RF/Microwave..................................http://www.arworld.us/html/catalogRequest .. 31
CertifiGroup .............................................www.CertifiGroup.com .................................. 31
Educated Design & Development. Inc...www.ProductSafet.com ................................ 31
Keysight Technologies .........................www.keysight.com/find/ScopeMVP .......... 11
Keysight Technologies .........................www.keysight.com/find/AmericasOneSource .. 17
Marvin Test Solutions ...........................www.marvintest.com/ateasy25 ..................BC
Measurement Computing Corp ...........mccdaq.com/ethernet ...................................... 9
National Instruments ............................ni.com/smarter-test ....................................... IFC
Pickering Interfaces Inc.......................www.pickeringtest.com/advantage ............. 3
Pico Technology.....................................www.picotech.com ........................................ 13
Virginia Panel Corp. ..............................www.vpc.com/EE2 .......................................... 19
This index is provided as a service. The publisher does not assume liability for
errors or omissions.
August 2016
30-31_EE_201608_ProductPicks_FINAL_eb.indd 31
PAGE
31
7/8/2016 9:37:41 AM
RESEARCH
INSIGHTS
By Rick Nelson, E xecutive Editor
GaN shows promise for transportation,
communications applications
G
gram, which offers joint research and
development on GaN-on-Si 200-mm
epitaxy and enhancement-mode device
technology to a variety of companies
including IDMs, equipment and material suppliers, fabless design houses,
and packaging companies. The program
includes research on novel substrates to
improve the quality of epitaxial layers,
new isolation modules to enhance integration levels, and advanced vertical device development.
Wayne Johnson, head of IQE’s Power
Business Unit, said in a press release,
“The importance of GaN-on-Si for power
devices cannot be understated, particularly as we enter an era of electrically
propelled transportation and increasing
demands for energy-efficient power
control systems that require high-voltage and high-power capabilities.” Rudi
Cartuyvels, executive vice president for
smart systems and energy technology at
imec, added that the organization’s 200mm GaN-on-Si process can be engineered
to fit partner-specific product needs.
In related news, IQE announced in
May that it has successfully transferred
Translucent cREO (for Rare Earth Oxide) semiconductor technology to IQE’s
facility in Greensboro, NC (IQE announced an exclusive license of cREO
technology from Translucent parent
company Silex Systems in September
2015), where a production tool now is
producing cREO templates on Si. IQE
said GaN-on-Si typically exhibits an
undesirable p-type parasitic channel at
the GaN/Si interface that detrimentally
affects RF efficiency. But using patented
technology, IQE said it has demonstrated that the parasitic
channel can be completely eliminated.
Dr. Rodney Pelzel,
vice president, IQE
Group Technology, commented in a press release, “We have demonstrated that we are able
to rationally manipulate
the cREO characteristics
to tune the conductivity
of the III-N/Si interface.
This is a significant enabler for GaN HEMT
technology on Si for RF
applications. In addiForward and reverse diode current at high temperature (150°C)
tion, it is an enabler for
allium nitride is a promising
semiconductor process for power-electronics devices serving applications ranging from transportation to
communications infrastructure. Research
into GaN technology, which compared
with silicon offers higher breakdown
voltages, faster speeds, and lower onresistance, is proceeding as companies
bring practical GaN devices to market.
On the research front, imec, the nanoelectronics research center, announced
in May a strategic partnership regarding
gallium nitride-on-silicon (GaN-on-Si)
technology with IQE, which provides
advanced semiconductor wafer products
and services. The partnership builds on
promising results achieved in a recent
project in which imec and IQE collaborated to fabricate GaN power diodes using imec’s proprietary diode architecture
and IQE’s high-voltage epiwafers.
In that project, imec applied its Gated
Edge Terminated (GET) Schottky diode
device architecture to IQE’s high-voltage
GaN buffers on 200-mm Si substrates.
Thanks to the GET diode device architecture and the low buffer leakage current of IQE wafers, the large GaN power
diodes (10 mm) that were fabricated in
imec’s 200-mm Si pilot line showed a low
leakage current (at up to 650 V) and low
turn-on voltage. The power Schottky diodes reach forward and reverse specifications across the full temperature range,
spanning from 25°C to 150°C with a tight
distribution (see figure). The diodes have
10-mm anode width and an anode-tocathode distance of 10 μm.
IQE will be participating in imec’s
GaN-on-Si Industrial Affiliation Pro-
Courtesy of imec
32
32-BC_EE_201608_ResearchInsight_FINAL_eb.indd 32
other III-N technology on Si such as RF
filter technology.”
The International Microwave Symposium in May provided a venue for companies to tout the GaN devices they are
making for commercial and military applications. NXP, for example, launched
an expansion to its portfolio of 48-V
GaN RF power transistors optimized
for Doherty power amplifiers for use
in current and next-generation cellular
base stations, according to Jim Norling,
vice president, cellular infrastructure. He
added that NXP also has expanded its
portfolio of broadband GaN RF power
transistors for electronic warfare and battlefield radio applications.
Qorvo announced, in conjunction with
NanoSemi, a developer of digital linearization and compensation algorithms,
that it has demonstrated industry-leading ultra-wideband linearization results
with its GaN power amplifiers for wireless infrastructure. The demonstration
employed Qorvo’s QPA2705 integrated
GaN driver and GaN Doherty power
amplifier along with NanoSemi’s proprietary digital compensation algorithms.
Sumit Tomar, general manager of
Qorvo’s Wireless Infrastructure business unit, said Qorvo’s compact PAs
and NanoSemi’s digital-predistortion
IP will help customers meet challenges
that appear when implementing nextgeneration base stations such as those
having active antenna systems with 64
transceivers—which require small form
factors, high efficiency, and linearity to
support multicarrier configurations.
Wolfspeed offered live product demonstrations at IMS. One centered on
the CGHV14800, a high-power GaN
HEMT device designed for L-Band radar applications. Another employed the
CGHV59070 GaN HEMT for C-band radar systems. Yet a third demonstration
showcased a wideband LTE Doherty
power amplifier developed using the
company’s high-performance 0.4-μm
50-V GaN RF foundry process.
Ryan Baker, product marketing manager for RF components, cited a milestone the company has reached. As of
the end of 2015, he said, Wolfspeed had
shipped GaN-on-SiC RF power transistors with a combined RF output power
of more than 1.3 GW (sufficient to power 124,900 U.S. residential homes for
a year). EE
August 2016
7/7/2016 11:54:04 AM
32-BC_EE_201608_ResearchInsight_FINAL_eb.indd CoverIII
7/7/2016 11:54:36 AM
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Test Capabilities
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Unrivaled Long-Term Support
Update and optimize your legacy systems and nextgeneration test needs with PXI-based test platforms
Reduced Footprint
R
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u
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generations and 25 years later, ATEasy
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© 2016 Marvin Test Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. Product and trade names are property of their respective companies.
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