SmartScan™ Immunity (Susceptibility) and EMI Scanners

 BASIC,  AUTOSCAN,   AUTOSCAN EMI  &  PROFESSIONAL Models

Amber Precision Instruments of Santa Clara announces the world’s first fully automated immunity scanner for accurately pinpointing areas of system and device susceptibility to the effects of Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) and other electrical disturbances. By stimulating areas of a board or system and monitoring for system upset, SmartScan^TM plots and displays sensitive areas including relative levels of sensitivity.

 

SmartScan is a diagnostic tool used at both the system and device level to rapidly identify potential susceptibility problems and provide the analysis required to develop a solution. Device manufacturers can for the first time, evaluate and qualify products resistance to upset and unwanted resets. Using a combination of E-field and H-field probes plus direct injection, sensitive areas are not only identified but quantified in terms of relative susceptibility.

 

Sophisticated software analysis provides a range of 3 dimensional color plots overlaying the actual device or board being tested. A complete range of options and potential upgrades are available for SmartScan that allow RF scanning, resonance scanning, multiple failure detections modules and of course, the ability to do full EMI scanning as well

In the design phase of a board, identify sensitivities due to poor circuit layouts

The sensitivity of this mother board would likely be improved by modifying the layout

Eliminates the “Let’s try some ferrites and see if that helps” method of troubleshooting

Instead, the engineer knows exactly where to go and has some clues about what the appropriate fix might be

SmartScan BASIC

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Model

Description

SmartScan BASIC SCANNER

The BASIC is manually operated system for performing susceptibility scanning at the system level. This system includes:

• 4kV pulse generator for ESD susceptibility

   testing
• 4kV Probes
   ◦ 5mm Flat H Field Probe
   ◦ 1mm Vertical H Field Probe
   ◦ 5mm E Field Probe

Available Options for the BASIC include:

• 8kV pulse generator and 8kV probe set for

  ESD susceptibility testing
• Calibration board for field probes
• High Voltage power attenuator
 

SmartScan is a diagnostic tool used at both the system and device level to rapidly identify potential susceptibility problems and provide the analysis required to develop a solution. Device manufacturers can for the first time, evaluate and qualify products resistance to upset and unwanted resets. Using a combination of E-field and H-field probes plus direct injection, sensitive areas are not only identified but quantified in terms of relative susceptibility.

Sophisticate software analysis provides a range of 3 dimensional color plots overlaying the actual device or board being tested. A complete range of options and potential upgrades are available for SmartScan that allow RF scanning, resonance scanning, multiple failure detections modules and of course, the ability to do full EMI scanning as well.

SmartScan AUTOSCAN

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Model

Description

Results of Susceptibility Scan

Dark browns and reds show area of greatest sensitivity

The AUTOSCAN SCANNER is an automated scanner providing both control and analysis capability to identify susceptibility problems and includes:

• 4kV pulse generator for ESD susceptibility

   testing
• Full 3 dimensional scanner table under

   software control
• Basic analysis software
• Internal controller and display
• Alignment Probe
• 4kV Probes
   ◦ 5mm Flat H Field Probe
   ◦ 1mm Vertical H Field Probe
   ◦ 5mm E Field Probe

Available Options AUTOSCAN include:

• 8kV pulse generator for ESD susceptibility

   testing
• 8kV probe set
• Calibration board for field probes
• High Voltage power attenuator
• Resonance Scanning
• EMI Scanning ¹
• Sine Wave Scanning to 6GHz
• EFT Scanning
• Phi axis control ²
• Expanded scan table for large systems
• On site installation and training

[1] Requires Agilent Model N1996A or equivalent Spectrum Analyzer

[2] Phi axis control adds the ability to control the probe orientation during scanning for optimal resolution.

Susceptibility scanners use a pulse generator specifically designed to produce a fast rising pulse simulating the E and H fields produced by an ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) event. The pulse is coupled via E and H field probes and either manually or automatically scanned over the surface of a suspect circuit. Once the susceptibility effect is localized, direct injection probes and software analysis can be used to identify specific IC pins or nodes that are the root cause of a susceptibility problem.

A susceptibility test that can be done by both the system manufacturer and the device manufacturer.

·         It’s a test that can be done by both the system and device manufacturer – and the results are meaningful to both.

·         As a preventive measure during design or device selection, it provides the engineer with a tool to see potential problems before a product is put into production.

·         For resolving EMC susceptibility problems in a sub-assembly or finished product, it provides a method to quickly see those areas likely to be the root cause of upset or malfunction.

·         For the device manufacturer it’s an invaluable tool for determining the sensitive of a device – something rarely done in industry today.

Susceptibility testing doesn’t replace system level testing to compliance standards or device level testing for voltage withstand during handling. What it will do is provide a tool that can be used by both the system level manufacturer and the semiconductor manufacturer to identify susceptibility problems at every level – device, board, sub-assembly and system.

In addition to identifying a sensitive component or circuit, testing must be able to quantify susceptibility levels and ideally correlate these results with the system level test results. Simply doing a system level test on a device is useless unless susceptibility levels can be determined and quantified.

SmartScan AUTOSCAN EMI

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Model

Description

The AUTOSCAN EMI  SCANNER is an automated EMI scanner providing both control and analysis capability to identify sources of EMI from boards and systems. This unit includes:

• Full 3 dimensional scanner table under

  software control
• EMI analysis software
• Internal controller and display
• Alignment Probe
• EMI Probes
   ◦ 5mm Flat H Field Probe
   ◦ 1mm Vertical H Field Probe
   ◦ 5mm E Field Probe

Available Options AUTOSCAN include:

• 4kV and 8kV pulse generators for ESD

  susceptibility testing
• 4kV and 8kV susceptibility probe set
• Calibration board for field probes
• High Voltage power attenuator
• Resonance Scanning
• Sine Wave Scanning to 6GHz ³
• EFT Scanning
• Phi axis control ⁴
• Expanded scan table for large systems
• On site installation and training

[3] Requires additional sine wave generators and amplifier

Device Testing -- for Immunity?

Devices are not really tested for immunity to EMC events -- they’re tested for failure during handling, and it’s a critical difference. Immunity implies the ability to keep functioning in the face of electrical disturbances – ESD, transients, RF – but individual devices are typically only tested to determine the voltage level beyond which the device will be damaged[1]. Several ESDA (Electrostatic Discharge Association) and JEDEC (Joint Electron Devices Engineering Council) standards exist to qualify devices for their ability to withstand ESD during the handling process, but none exist that deal with susceptibility.[2]

SmartScan PROFESSIONAL

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Model

Description

The PROFESSIONAL SCANNER is the most sophisticated automatic scanning system for susceptibility with the highest level of control and analysis. Included with this system:

• 8kV pulse generator using dual supplies

  for ESD susceptibility testing
• Full 3 dimensional scanner table under

  computer control including Phi control
• Failure Detection Unit for monitoring EUT

  voltage and current
• Software monitoring of the EUT
• Resonance Scanning to identify resonant

  circuits and nodes
• EUT Reset control to re-boot the EUT if

  necessary following system upset
• Camera for monitoring probe locations and

  software analysis of sensitive sites.
• EMI Scanning ⁵
• On site installation and training
• Alignment Probe
• 8kV Probe Set
   ◦ 5mm Flat H Field Probe
   ◦ 50mm H Field Loop Probe
   ◦ 1mm Vertical H Field Probe
   ◦ 5mm E Field Probe
   ◦ 50mm E Field probe
• Resonance Scanning Probe

Available PROFESSIONAL Options include:

• High Voltage power attenuator
• Calibration board for field probes
• Sine Wave immunity scanning to 6GHz
• EFT Scanning

Additional special probes are available for all the above systems.