The STS 4020 mixed-signal test system is the new Smart Choice for testing power mixed-signal ICs. Not only does it incorporate all of the features needed for general mixed-signal testing, it also includes the high current and high voltage instrumentation necessary for power testing. Fully compatible with other members of the STS mixed-signal test system family, the STS 4020 is ideal for production testing of automotive, power control and interface integrated circuits.

With the STS 4020, power is not just added on; it’s integrated into the system! All high-power supplies are fully floating, and offer both pulsed and continuous operation up to their full rated output. They employ a high-speed data bus, and offer full modulation and synchronization to other system instruments. Switching these supplies among device pins is convenient, using the expandable PTH high power matrix.

No parameter is more important to the semi-conductor manufacturer than throughput. The STS 4020 provides high throughput than any other system in its class by combining high-speed instrumentation with a powerful UNIX-based Linux Operating System running on a fast Intel CPU. In addition, high-speed processors are incorporated into the system’s instruments to handle all time-critical functions, freeing the CPU for other tasks.

The STS 4020 slashes the time needed to get new devices to market by addressing the test engineer’s two most time-consuming tasks: fixture development and program debugging. To speed the process of developing new test fixtures, the STS 4020 incorporates a unique Programmable Test Head (PTH). The PTH is configured with plug-in modules which provide all of the functions normally needed for mixed-signal testing. This dramatically reduces fixture complexity and the time needed for design, assembly, and debugging.

Program debugging time is also greatly reduced by the windowing and graphical capabilities of the Linux Operating System. Analog Wavetool™ and Digital Wavetool™, ATS’s newest graphical tools, set a new performance standard for the creation, manipulation, and graphical display of complex analog waveforms and digital patterns.

The STS 4020 employs a Layered Focus Architecture to bring the benefits of enhanced accuracy and flexibility to every application. Three distinct hardware layers (mainframe, PTH, and fixture) allow circuitry to be optimally located for high accuracy and noise immunity. Many PTH modules, for example, service as “front ends” for mainframe instruments, providing signal conditioning very close to the test socket.

Each of these hardware layers can be further divided into two layers of focus: standard and custom. A large catalog of standard instruments and modules allows each system to be configured to specific customer requirements. But new requirements emerge constantly, and the custom layer is provided for quick response to these needs while new standard instruments are being designed.