Testing Evolves to Meet Future Electronics NeedsTesting Evolves to Meet Future Electronics Needs

Hardware and software advances address higher performance demands and accelerated design cycles.

Driven by higher speed and data demands of advanced applications such as electric vehicles and artificial intelligence, suppliers of test hardware are developing products that can keep with the needs of future-generation products. In addition, the role of software and AI in test regimes has increased many-fold as engineers are seeking to test earlier in the engineering design cycle, lessening the likelihood for engineers to do extensive redesign of products later in the design cycle.

Testing needs are becoming more stringent in sectors where quality and reliability are crucial, such as aerospace and automotive. “Quality has always been an important part of getting a product to market, but in industries such as automotive and aerospace it’s critical,” said Rudy Sengupta, VP and GM of Test System and Product Analytics Software for NI, which offers software for data acquisition and test and measurement. “The inflection point is where those critically complex systems have reached a level where standards for quality, reliability, and testing are significantly increased for validation to avoid substantial risks. This is where edge computing and advanced analytics are revolutionizing traditional testing methods. We can now bring high-performance computing power directly to the edge, enabling real-time decision-making. The leap allows engineers to generate actionable insights and make immediate adjustments, significantly reducing delays and resource demands associated with offline data processing.”

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Software, AI make presence felt

The changing profile of test engineers is also rapidly changing as traditional test and measurement engineers are retiring and newer engineers tend to have more software expertise, according to Daryl Ellis, General Manager, Mainstream and Entry Portfolio for Tektronix. “New college graduates are not experts in test and measurement,” Ellis said.

Because software is becoming such an important part of testing, test solution providers are moving to programming languages test engineers are familiar with, such as Python. Tektronix, for instance, offers an open-source Python instrument driver package that eases the task of developing test sequences.

“Automation is a key part of our strategy,” said Ellis. “We are trying to reduce time-to-market with more automated test sequences.

Ellis also noted that AI and machine learning are impacting testing. “We look at AI as more of a co-pilot,” he said. “AI can infer from the sequence of operation and help complete the operation. Within the next year, we’ll see more AI-assisted testing.”

Related:Let’s Redesign Test & Measurement for Next-Gen Technologies

The limitations of existing hardware are driving design engineers toward software-based testing. “The shift toward software-based testing has profoundly impacted the form and function of traditional hardware like oscilloscopes,“ said Ruby Sengupta of NI. “Today’s hardware is no longer just a standalone tool, but part of a larger, interconnected ecosystem. Heterogeneous, low-cost compute allows test engineers to bring high-performance data processing closer to where it is needed, enabling real-time insights at the physical edge. These devices are evolving and now include enhanced connectivity, advanced IP, device health management, and more that enables software-based design and testing. Engineers can now run advanced analytics, automate repetitive tasks, and even make real-time adjustments, all without relying on traditional hardware limitations.”

Hardware still king

Despite the pronounced trend towards incorporating more software in electronics testing, hardware is still king. Toward this end, test equipment suppliers continue making improvements to traditional instruments like oscilloscopes, and well as developing hardware to meet specialized testing needs.

Related:Here’s the Latest in Battery Test, Measurement, & Monitoring Equipment

In September, Keysight unveiled its InfiniiVision HD3 Series, a 14-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) oscilloscope. According to Keysight, the oscilloscope is designed to deliver four times the signal resolution and half the noise floor of other general-purpose oscilloscopes. The scope’s 50 µV_RMS low noise floor reportedly makes it possible to detect the smallest signal anomalies.

Keysight's InfiniiVision HD3 Series, a 14-bit analog-to-digital converter scilloscope (Keysight).

The oscilloscope offers an all-new user interface enabling versatile functionality, including full ADC and vertical resolution on every channel, several bandwidth limiting options, HD mode support, and custom measurement thresholds.

For automated testing, the oscilloscope introduces automatic fault hunter software for general debugging, which analyzes glitches, slow edges, and runts while engineers complete other tasks. Engineers can also automate measurements with a large selection of serial bus protocols and application software.

Benchtop power supplies also retain an important role in test and measurement setups, providing programmable voltages and currents. Last month, Tektronix unveiled its EA-PSB 20000 Triple series, which the company says is the first triple-channel, bidirectional dc power supply. Each of the supply’s independent channels can supply up to 10 kW of power, supporting a range of voltages up to 920 V and currents up to 340 A. The supply features autoranging, allowing a single unit to handle various voltage and current combinations.

Isolated probes

Other test hardware innovations relate to meeting high performance needs. Tektronix recently unveiled current probes the company claims are the first to utilize RF isolation. The TICP IsoVu probes provide complete galvanic isolation between measurement systems and devices under test, delivering high-bandwidth, low-noise current measurements in high-voltage applications compared to existing probes on the market or alternative shunt measurement techniques. Available in bandwidths up to 1 GHz, these probes enable engineers to capture accurate measurements of fast-changing currents on their oscilloscopes across a wide voltage range in nanoseconds – from microamps to kiloamps. 

The probes will make it possible to make measurements in difficult high voltage environments, such as fast switching silicon carbide and gallium nitride power converters as well as low power applications such as battery performance testing in mobile devices.

Cryogenic testing

Another area challenging test engineers is nanoscale semiconductors. Lake Shore Cryotronics has long offered test and measurement solutions capable of making measurements at extremely low voltages. “These voltage and currents get become even lower with the growth of nanoscale devices,” said Chuck Cimino, Senior Director for Electrical Measurement Instruments for Lake Cryotronics. Cimino noted that cryogenic sensors are present on equipment such as the James Webb Telescope.

Recently, Lake Shore Cryotronics announced the availability of a synchronous source measurement system, the M81-SSM, that simplifies the instrumentation setups, combining the convenience of DC and AC sourcing with DC and AC measurement, including a lock‑in’s sensitivity and measurement performance. Highly adaptable for a range of material and device research applications, the extremely low-noise system ensures synchronized measurements from 1 to 3 source channels and from 1 to 3 measure channels per half-rack instrument.

Lake Shore Cryotronics' M81-SSM synchronous source measurement system (Lake Shore Cryotronics).

Field testing

Given the need for testing out in the field, incorporating powerful test capability into a portable form factor is also becoming important. Keysight Technology recently expanded the frequency range of its Fieldfox handheld signal analyzers. Through a collaboration with Virginia Diodes Inc. (VDI), Keysight’s A- and B-Series FieldFox handheld analyzers with 18 GHz or higher, can be paired with VDI PSAX frequency extenders to cover sub-THz frequency range.

According to Keysight, the combination of the analyzer and VDI frequency extender can reduce testing costs by 50% or more. The instrument supports in-band signal analysis with selection of spectrum analyzer mode, IQ analyzer mode, or real-time spectrum analyzer (RTSA) mode extraordinary sensitivity of -155 dBm/Hz typical value.

Future challenges

In coming years, expect trends such as the gradual adaptation of 6G networks and quantum computing to impose additional challenges on testing. “The use of AI will enable us to leverage what we know and understand what we don’t know,” said Daryl Ellis of Tektronix. “For 6G, as we start testing scenarios, we can run examples through machine learning and AI predictive learning.”

In regards to quantum computing, Ellis said Tektronix is partnering with several companies doing quantum computing to develop testing regimes.