Feature: Aerospace, Military & Defence
How to ensure zero failures during qualification of highly complex integrated circuits
By Rajesh Sur, Staff Product Engineer, Analog Devices
Tis article will present an overview of the Apollo MxFE AD9084, an advanced wideband mixed-signal front end. During its qualification, a diverse set of protocols were implemented to ensure a flawless outcome. Tis article outlines some of the key procedures that were employed and how undertaking similar design approaches can help reduce risk. Te conducting of a pre-test or pre-screening before
A
qualification is very important to eliminate potentially weak components. Any devices that fail electrical tests should not proceed to further steps, which involve subjecting them to the qualification stress. One challenge arises when some units are near the test limits’ extremes. While they may initially pass the tests, these components might driſt outside the limits during stress, leading to failures in the automated test equipment (ATE) results. Terefore, it is imperative to filter out these components that are close to the test limit outlier. One approach is to perform an electrical test (etest) of the
component beforehand using the production test limits, which offer three sigma protection from the actual test data limits. Tis
32 May 2025
www.electronicsworld.co.uk Figure 1: Statistical tools utilised during the pre-testing process
ssessing components for aerospace and defence applications can be inherently demanding due to strict requirements and system complexity. However, adhering to precise protocols can markedly reduce the chances of failures in the qualification phase.
constitutes the first round of testing. Te second round of testing involves doing the pre-etest using qualification test limits that correspond to the data sheet limits without the guard bands. Tis two-step screening process significantly reduces the
likelihood of failures due to qualification stress. By eliminating components that are near the outliers, the risk of failure during the qualification stress phase is mitigated. Tis proactive approach enhances the overall reliability and performance of the components.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46
