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Fast-growing applications in renewable energy and industrial power will challenge power device manufacturers to develop more efficient devices at a lower cost, driving the need for test solutions specifically designed for high-voltage and high- current probing.
This latest addition meets this challenge and is claimed to be the first fully-automatic on-wafer probe system for high-power device measurement. Rated up to 10k V/400 A, the APS200TESLA delivers excellent electrical performance for high- voltage and high-current device characterisation at production levels.
The system comes with a high-voltage, high-current probe card, a high-voltage, high-power chuck port, and the patent-pending MicroVac high-power chuck that can handle wafer thicknesses down to 50 µm, such as ultra-thin Taiko wafers.
An optimised electrical connection easily integrates the APS200TESLA with a variety of test instruments, and the interlock-enabled safety shield provides a safe environment for the operator. The arc-suppression feature allows the customer to optimise device layout to achieve better yields.
Auto-discharging and the unique probe-pin touch sensing capability prevent device damage due to high-voltage discharge during die-to-die moves. The APS200TESLA also offers advanced prober control software for automatic wafer and die stepping.
“The new APS200TESLA leverages our experience in achieving accurate on-wafer measurement. It is an advanced, turn-key power device measurement system that will help our customers improve cost- of-ownership, increasing test throughput and improving yields,” comments Michael Burger, president and CEO, Cascade Microtech, Inc.
“It allows our customers to save time by avoiding unnecessary dicing and packaging prior to final test. By testing on-wafer in a production environment, the APS200TESLA enables our customers to reduce test costs and get their products to market faster.”
The sensors can handle up to 6000C, a feat that the scientists say was previously impossible. The SiC amplifiers have applications in both the aerospace and energy industries. For example, the devices can take the heat of collecting data inside nuclear reactors and rocket engines. Steven L. Garverick, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science, described the team’s work in a paper he presented May 31st at the 2012 IEEE EnergyTech conference, held at Case Western Reserve. These integrated circuits are constructed on a wide-band-gap semiconductor. According to Garverick, “Most semiconductors are made out of silicon, but silicon will not function above 3000C, and there are some important applications above that range.” His team’s solution is to use SiC, which at high temperatures, the material begins to act as a semiconductor. Engineers at NASA Glenn Research Centre, in Cleveland, pioneered techniques used to manufacture these circuits.
Team members at Case Western Reserve have used them to fabricate complete circuits by depositing three distinct SiC layers on top of SiC
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www.compoundsemiconductor.net July 2012
Integrated SiC sensors handle 600 degrees C
New silicon carbide technology should enable more accurate monitoring and safer control in high- temperature operations
A team of Case Western Reserve University engineers has designed and fabricated integrated amplifier circuits that operate under extreme temperatures.
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