Introducing an industry oriented graduate course: Testing of digital systems
According to the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), for more than four decades, the semiconductor industry has distinguished itself by the rapid pace of improvements in its products. However, the cost of the increased functionality of components, circuits, and systems, is the requirement of more verification and test of the electronic products. In current projects, verification engineers outnumber designers, with the ratio reaching two or three to one for the most complex designs. Additionally, the present globalization trends and needs are driving the universities worldwide, to find new avenues in the programs that they are offering, to be attractive to their prospective students. Addressing the above mentioned matters, an industry oriented graduate course “Testing of Digital Systems” was created and offered for the first time in the academic year 2009–2010 at Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana. The paper presents the rationale, integration of the new course in the ECE curricula, description of the course and laboratory activities developed around an industrial grade Automatic Test Equipment, preliminary assessment plans and conclusions.
Testing digital circuits using a Mixed-Signal Automatic Test Equipment
This paper presents the results of parametric testing of digital ICs using a dedicated Mixed Signal Automatic Testing Equipment. Due to the prohibitive price of the ATE equipment and dedicated Device Interface Board (DIB) for digital Integrated Circuits (ICs), a DIB for analog circuits was used to perform the testing. Despite the challenges presented by the experiments, the results prove to be accurate for the performed tests, according to the data sheet of the digital ICs and production test data provided by the manufacturer.
Microstructure of the solder-casting zone in bridges of dental gold alloys.
The composition and structure were studied in the cast and in the solder of bridges which had failed clinically. Both materials were gold alloys but with different contents of Pt, Ag and Zn. The metallographic investigation revealed defects mostly in the solder, situated in the subsurface layer. SEM studied of the fracture surface revealed large porosites and a structure of dense parallel lines--striations--, indicating that the material had failed from fatigue. The materials in the fractured bridges were identified by micro-probe measurements. It was stated that cast material and solder material used together, were of different composition.