Application

Add-on Current Measurement Instruments

Q-Star instruments are small, high performance, plug-and-play, intelligent measurement instruments for probe and final test application. They are designed for high-speed high-quality (accuracy and high measurement repeatability) current measurements. To enable these capabilities the Q-Star instruments need to be positioned on the interface board (Load-, DUT board or probe card) that links the DUT with the Test platform (hardware integration), thereby extending the ATE functionality, and their operation needs to be synchronized with the test pattern execution (software integration).

Hardware Integration
The hardware integration is simple and easy to realize and has no associated cost factor if it is considered during the interface board design. It requires including the proper instrument footprint, route the supply or ground path so that it passes through the instrument and hook up the module control lines to designated test channels that will be used to control the module operation and synchronize its measurement operation with the test pattern flow.
Recommendations for the Hardware Integration are extensively given in the products Hardware Manual.

Software Integration.
The software integration is required both to allow to configure (selects its operation condition) and to trigger the instrument for making measurements (synchronization with the test pattern flow). It has a cost factor associated as it requires engineering efforts. Supporting tools allow to highly automate this process and keep these efforts minimal, similar as when using ATE resources.

The different aspects of hardware and software integration are fully detailed in the document that can be downloaded by clicking on the file icon below:

Instruments for static/quiescent current measurement applications [IDDQ]:

• QD-xxxx(HC) & QH-xxxx(HC): State-of-the-art IDDQ/ISSQ measurement instrument product families with basic (Lite products) and advanced capabilities, offering pass/fail and digital measurement results, on-board data processing capabilities and supporting a wide range of Delta & advanced IDD/ ISS test strategies.
• Without HC suffix: measurement ranges from 1µA to 30mA
• With HC suffix: measurement ranges from 50mA to 10A

Instruments for Transient/Dynamic current measurement applications:

• QT-14xx: State-of-the-art digital IDDT measurement instrument product family supporting IDDT, dynamic and analog current measurement and test applications, providing pass/fail and digital measurement results and optionally a large on-board sample storage memory.

Instruments for Analog current measurement applications:

• QA-1000 – QA-1000HC: Instruments with configurable measurement bandwidth, providing a continuous analog output signal representing the current measured
• QA-1000 : measurement ranges : 5 or 50mA
• QA-1000HC : measurement ranges from 100mA to 2A

For detailed descriptions about our products please contact us.