Latest Test and Measurement News

Test of Power Management ICs and High-voltage Devices

26 October 2022 – Advantest launched the latest addition to its Extended Power Supply (XPS) card series: the DC Scale XPS128+HV. This universal voltage-current (VI) instrument combines a high channel count (128 channels per card) with per-channel voltage ranges of up to +24V creating a test solution that efficiently addresses the test requirements for high-voltage devices such as USB Power Delivery components and charger functionalities in power management ICs (PMICs).

The XPS128+HV provides full channel compatibility with the existing XPS256 card, enabling efficient, highly parallel test of power management devices with enhanced capability for high-voltage applications while continuing to cover existing applications in the low-voltage domain. The new card meets these device requirements for a cost-efficient, large-pin-count ATE system with many power VI channels.

“Our customers are increasingly asking for solutions that can perform multisite parallel test of PMICs with multiple high-current power domains,” said Jürgen Serrer, general manager and executive vice president of Advantest’s V93000 Business Unit. “With its full four-quadrant operation, high channel count and extended voltage ranges, the XPS128+HV is an excellent fit for testing high-voltage PMIC applications.”

The XPS uses Advantest’s Xtreme RegulationTM technology, enabling a seamless change of operating modes from a force voltage to a force or sink current mode. This is often required when testing power management components such as low-dropout (LDO) or DC/DC regulators. Another capability of the Xtreme RegulationTM is its sequencer-controlled range changes, allowing extremely fast, deterministic test times without signal spikes that can damage a device under test (DUT).

The XPS128+HV instrument can supply ICs ranging from -10V to +24V with sufficient current rating on all 128 channels in parallel. Flexible ganging allows a combination of multiple channels to achieve an even higher current, enabling testing of DC/DC converters, which require multiple-ampere load current.

In addition, the card offers excellent force and measurement accuracy, which is a prerequisite for precise device trimming. Besides being used for PMIC testing, the new card can act as a standard power supply for high-performance computing and automotive applications, as well as microcontrollers (MCUs).

Already in use at several customer sites, the DC Scale XPS128+HV will be available to the global market next month.

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