Advantest expands market coverage of T2000 test platform with two new power device test solutions

TOKYO, JAPAN: Advantest Corp. announced that two new power device test solutions for its flagship SoC test system, the T2000, will be available from January 2011.

The new Integrated Power Device Test Solution (IPS) incorporates a high-power module, a Matrix Module and a High-Voltage Mixed-Signal Module that deliver a comprehensive, configurable solution for “one-stop” test of multifunctional power ICs such as those used in automotive and consumer electronics.

The solution is supported by a dedicated set of software-tools developed to serve the specific test requirements of this industry. The new IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) test solution is an integrated solution enabling users to force and measure very high currents and voltages for reliability test of the IGBT power devices widely used in automotive and other applications.

Bolstered by the increasing popularity of hybrid and electric automobiles, mixed-signal devices and power management ICs now account for an expanding percentage of the semiconductor market, playing a key role in building greater intelligence and lower power consumption into the process of vehicle development.

Likewise, emerging economies such as BRICs and VISTA, now make up a growing market for electronics and household appliances, adding to the increase in demand for power switches and other widely used types of power ICs. Advantest’s new integrated power device test solutions ( IPS ) meet an urgent need for cost-effective power device reliability test.

Integrated Power Device Test Solution (IPS): features
Advantest’s new integrated power device test solution (IPS) builds upon analog technology inherited during the company’s 2008 acquisition of Credence Systems GmbH (CSG), then a trusted provider of automotive IC test systems. Synergizing this technology with the highly reliable test technology Advantest developed for its own T7700 series mixed-signal testers, the new solution provides easier, more efficient multisite testing of power devices within the open-architecture T2000 environment.

Previous test systems for automotive mixed signal devices and power management ICs required users to configure dedicated modules for each test type, such as DC test, functional test, and time measurement, leading to longer debug times, limitations on multisite test capability, and the proliferation of peripheral circuits on test boards.

The new integrated power device test solution from Advantest combines multiple test functions on one module, enabling multisite test capability 4x greater than previously achieved. This level of functionality becomes more critical as the number of pins on a given device increase in proportion to the number of chips incorporated into automobiles to improve passenger safety, convenience and in-car entertainment.

With Advantest’s new power device test solutions, manufacturers can now customize their test systems with a High-Power Module, a High-Voltage Mixed Signal Module and a Matrix Module to enable devices with a range of pin counts to be tested with an optimal configuration.

IGBT Test Solution: features
With the growing demand for IGBT devices used in power switches and other applications, there is a clear need for the ability to flexibly test varying types of modules in a single platform configuration.

IGBTs, manufactured largely in Japan and the EU, were previously tested with electronic measuring instruments. However, the diversification of IGBT products, including smaller and higher voltage devices, increases the need for a test system capable of easy programming and module changes, while lowering test cost.

Advantest’s new IGBT test solution takes advantage of the flexibility of the T2000 platform to provide the optimal solution for IGBT chip and IPM (integrated power module) test, incorporating a high-power unit and a high-voltage module. It further lowers test cost by enabling parallel test of multiple medium- and low-power devices.