News - Component Test

New Version of Automated Characterization Software for WLR and Power Semiconductor Testing

09 February 2014 - Keithley released a new version of its Automated Characterization Suite (ACS) software with more support for the development and characterization of semiconductor power devices and wafer level reliability (WLR) testing. Also ACS now supports the Model 2657A High Power Source Measure Unit (SMU) Instrument's ability to source or sink up to 3,000V and the new 10kV Model 2290 Power Supply.

The need to improve energy efficiency is driving new semiconductor technologies associated with power generation, distribution, and consumption. New materials like silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) require new measurements and in-depth characterization in the R&D phase before they can be fully commercialized. In response to these new requirements, Keithley enhanced the latest release of ACS (version 5.2) with more testing support for the development and characterization of semiconductor power devices and wafer level reliability (WLR) testing for device development and process quality improvement. These enhancements increase the flexibility of the software and support a broader range of applications. For example, Keithley added high voltage capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurement libraries. These libraries provide the tools needed to characterize power semiconductor devices fully, including multiple capacitance values within multi-terminal DUTs.

In addition, the VDS WLR sample project provided in ACS now supports the Model 2657A High Power System SourceMeter Source Measure Unit (SMU) Instrument's ability to source or sink up to 3,000V. This allows ACS-based systems to include the Model 2657A to address a broader range of tests and DUTs. Keithley also added support for the new 10kV Model 2290 Power Supply for the same purpose. Finally, Keithley enhanced the looping functions and the graphical user interface for WLR testing to help device development and process quality engineers create more powerful tests with a simpler GUI approach.

ACS, first introduced in 2007, is a flexible, interactive software test environment designed for semiconductor device characterization, reliability test, parametric test, and component functional test. It's designed to address a broad range of use cases, from in-depth interactive manual measurements to measurements with automatic wafer probers. ACS supports a wide range of Keithley instrumentation, as well as Keithley's S500 and S530 Parametric Test systems.

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