Measurement Tasks • Control Tasks • Communications • Optional software

Vision Software

Vision is a revolutionary software that provides exceptional freedom to design, conduct, and review all tasks associated with any material experiment. The vision test environment will collect all of the data acquired in a test sequence and organize it in archived data structures along with the test sequence definitions, data analysis tools, so that the experiment can always be recalled or reproduced. Data and test conditions can be shared over the Internet to allow collaborative research.

Tasks
Below are descriptions of the some of the tasks included with the Vision Test Management Software operating system. All of the measurements described will be executed into a Virtual Ground measurement circuit so that the Precision tester will maintain the accuracy and reproducibility of the RT6000 but with microsecond precision. Using the Test Editor, any combination of the tasks listed below may be linked together to achieve the desired materials characterization.

Measurement Tasks:

Hysteresis
The hysteresis task includes all of the hysteresis functionality formerly found in the RT6000 CHARGE4 and MANUAL4 programs but with microsecond timing. Hysteresis loops may be completed as fast as 5µs or as slow as 30 seconds on microsecond boundaries. The task will perform automatic scaling of the amplification for capacitors ranging from 1pF to 50µF. Where the RT6000 automatically set a one second delay between the preset and data hysteresis loops, the Precision Pro Hysteresis Task can range between 300µs to 30 second delays between loops. Finally, the auto-amplification function can be turned off to allow fully manual or custom specified drive profiles, a unique and useful feature found in all Radiant testers.

Pulse Polarization
The Pulse Task brings microsecond speeds and tremendous flexibility to pulse polarization measurements. The standard PUND test can be executed with pulse widths ranging from 1µs to 1 second and delays between pulses ranging from 300µs to 30 seconds. Or, the custom pulse format can be chosen allowing any combination of pulse voltages, pulse widths, preset DC biases, and bias times for a five pulse set. For example, using the custom pulse feature the researcher may elect to preset the sample with a 1 microsecond pulse, wait 1 second, read the sample with a 1 second pulse, and then read again 300µs later with a 1millisecond pulse. Finally, the Precision tester will reproduce the Ramtron Q123 pulse set at a flick of the mouse.

Leakage
The Leakage Task measures the charge leakage through a test device as a function of an applied DC bias. The user can specify the DC bias at which the measurement is to be made, the length of time to soak the device at the bias voltage selected, and the length of time to integrate the incoming current. The integration time will range from 300µs to 30 seconds, allowing currents at or below 1pA to be captured by this task.

Single Pulse
The Single Pulse Task executes a single measurement pulse or write pulse at the specified amplification level. The user defines the pulse with the same parameters as the custom pulse in the General Pulse Task: pulse voltage, pulse width, preset DC bias, and preset bias time. Multiple Single Pulse Tasks may be strung together in combination to execute a custom retention and imprint tests.

Small Signal Capacitance
The Small Signal Capacitance Task measures the response of the sample to a series of small signal pulses. The user may specify the DC bias, measurement amplitude, and pulse width of the measurement signal.

Imprint
The Imprint Task executes a manual imprint test on a single capacitor. The user may elect whether to do a thermal imprint, dynamic imprint, or DC Bias imprint test and may specify an initial fatigue stress. The user can select different temperatures for the fatigue, the imprint period, and the polarization measurement.

Other Tasks
The functions of C vs. V, I vs. V, FATIGUE, RETAIN, RESIST, MANUAL, AGEING, FSRT, and ANALYSIS from the RT6000 will exist as individual tasks in the Vision Test Management Software package.

Control Tasks:

Pause
The Pause Task will prompt the user to take some action, such as loading the next sample on the probe station, and then continue testing when a key on the keyboard is pressed.

Long Delay
The Delay Task is a timer for periods longer than 30 seconds. It has 1-second resolution. A progress dialog is presented during the delay.

Waveform
The Waveform Task is a timed function generator for sine waves, triangle waves, square waves, and alternating pulse waves ranging from 1Mhz to 0.03Hz at up to ±15V. The user may select the signal function, max voltage, frequency, and any DC bias to add to the signal. A progress dialog is presented during the waveform.

DC Bias
The DC Bias Task applies a DC bias to the sample for the specified delay period with a resolution of 1 second. A progress dialog is presented during the DC Bias Period.

Branch
The Branch Task will jump the program control to the specified task in the Test Sequence based on the outcome ofuser programmed comparison between a program value and an assigned constant.

Communications:

Networking
The Precision tester was designed to integrate into networks easily through its Vision Software Test Environment. It was designed to facilitate multiple researchers, or one researcher and multiple testers, so that test sequences and data can be communicated between researchers and between machines. The following is a list of the networking features of the Precision testers using the Vision Software Test Environment.

1. Test Sequence and Dataset
   The architecture of the Vision software is built around two features: the Test Sequence and the Dataset. The Test Sequence is a list of tasks selected by the user from a library. The Precision tester will execute the lists of tasks in order, giving the user the ability to customize his or her research or device characterization. The Dataset is the object created by the Vision Software to hold the Test Sequence Definition as well as the data collected when the Test Sequence is executed. The Test Sequence and the Dataset can be treated as objects and shipped over a network or the Internet to other machines running the Vision software.
2. Windows 2000 Operating System
   Each Precision tester has Windows 2000 Workstation installed as the operating system.
3. Vision Software has built-in tasks to encode a Dataset or Test Sequence into a data packet and ship the packet over a network or over the Internet to another machine running Vision software. Vision software has the ability to decode the data packet back into the original data structure, a Test Sequence or a Dataset.
4. PC Version A version of Vision software is available to run on non-tester PC’s. This version of the test environment executes all functions of Vision software on the Precision tester with the exception that it will not execute any test sequences directly. It can be used to construct test sequences and transfer them to a Precision tester and retrieve the results. With this software package, the test engineer can operate the Precision tester in the lab and analyze the data from his desk using the internal company network.

Generic GPIB
The Configure GPIB Task configures the GPIB channel on the Precision tester and allows the user to send messages to/from the Precision tester over the GPIB communication channel to/from specified instrument.

Optional Software

Pyroelectric Software
An optional software that measures the pulse polarization response and small signal capacitance of a pyroelectric material that is being heated and/or cooled within a thermal chamber. From these measurements the Spontaneous Polarization PR(0) and dielectric constant are computed. These are then combined to determine the electric displacement, as a function of temperature. Pyroelectric Evaluation

Piezoelectric Testing
The Piezo Task detects motion at the surface of a Piezoelectric sample that is stimulated by the Hysteresis drive profile Small Signal Displacement Measurements