RA Mayes | API | Susceptibility and EMI Scanners

SmartScan™ Immunity (Susceptibility) and EMI Scanners

BASIC, SmartScan, *SmartZ*ap & 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
	Scanning can be used to compare devices from different manufactures to determine relative sensitivities. PC Board remained the same, ICs are from two different manufacturers

	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

	A product that fails compliance testing can be quickly assessed and fixes put in place. 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

The BASIC is manually operated system for performing susceptibility scanning at the system level with minimal data storage capability.

SmartScan Basic

SmartScan-Basic:

The BASIC is manually operated system for performing susceptibility scanning at the system level with minimal data storage capability. This system includes:

Up to 6kV pulse generator (occasional 8 kV use is allowed) for ESD susceptibility testing:

"A low cost manual ESD scanner. Users move the ESD probe by hands over a DUT for scan. Failure levels can be recorded by typing in by users. Pictures of probe positions at the failure location can be taken, and included in the record. More..." API's main hardware platform that most scan technologies can be integrated to this platform. 350 or 550 represents the four-axis robot arm size. 350 is a table top model, and 550 is a stand-alone model.

Camera and camera shutter to take DUT pictures and failing spots.

Manual input of failing location and failing condition over the DUT and separate table.

Control computer.

ESD Probes:

• 2mm Hx/y Field Probe
• 5mm Hx/y Field Probe
• D=8mm Hz Field Probe
• D=8mm Ez Field Probe
• Contact API for custom probes

Available Options for the BASIC include:

2nd camera to zoom in failure locations and probe positions

SmartScan 350/550

Table Top

Stand Alone

The SmartScan 350/550 series are identify susceptibility problems and includes:

6KV pulse generator for ESD susceptibility testing

Full 3 dimensional scanner table under software control

Automatic failure detection

Fully automated DUT failure detection and power cycle by software control. Any digital or analog signal is monitored in real time

DUT location camera - The scan area is edited directly on the DUT picture taken by the camera. The software figures out the coordinates, and moves the probe to the defined scan points

EMI

ESD

API's near field scan solution is implemented using either a 350mm or 550mm 4 axis robot, offering precise control of probe landing points and high speed scan. SmartScan EMI supports standard test of IEC 61976-3 and following core features;

Wide range of probe selection
EMI measurement from below 50 kHz to over 35 GHz
Low frequency probe set: 50 kHz ~ 50 MHz with 2mm probe dimension
Narrow band probes: GSM (860 MHz, 1950 MHz), WiFi (2400 MHz), etc.
Custom probes

Integrated camera to take DUT pictures
Scan points (or areas) are defined over the DUT picture
Image stitching for larger DUT's
Scan results are displayed over the DUT picture automatically

Layout file importing
ODB files can be imported, and scan points can be defined over the layout layer

Flexible Scan Area Editor (SAE) module
Multiple scan areas with different scan resolutions
Points, lines, rectangles, any shape of scan area

Automatic electrical X-Y offset correction

Touch sensor to detect component heights

Continuous run of multiple projects

Flexible display options
3D, multiple layer, cut-planes, histogram, merging multiple scan results to one display

Customizable report generation in MS Word or Excel

Matlab support

Wizard to assist step by step scan condition set-up

Optional emission scan technologies include
Field calculation
Phase measurement
Near field to far field transformation (available with phase measurement option)
Shielding effectiveness evaluation (SEE) package

SmartZap

The SmartZap is a fully automated zap gun tester with automatic failure detection capability, providing far superior performance than manual zap gun test. It is complying IEC61000-4-2 standard.

SmartZap Main Features:

Standard Features:
- Support of any ESD gun model
- Five sides zap (top and four sides)
- Automated failure detection
- Pick and placing
- Gun tip change (contact ←→ air)
- Connector plug/unplug
- DUT flipping
Standard Features:
- Customizable report generation
- Test point definition by graphic interface
- Test point definition by DUT CAD model
- Automatic DUT offset correction
- Key press and touch screen fingers
- Discharge brush
- IEC 61000 – 4 – 2 compliant zap table
- Pin test