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Pack a Punch for High-Power Semiconductor Device Testing

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October 1, 2019 - Vista, California - Axiom Test Equipment, an electronic test equipment rentals and sales company headquartered in North County San Diego, has published a blog post entitled "Pack a Punch for High-Power Semiconductor Device Testing ," explaining how to source the right electronic load for your next project.

Pack a Punch for High-Power Semiconductor Device Testing

Axiom Test Equipment Blog – Pack a Punch for High-Power Semiconductor Device Testing - RF CafeSemiconductor devices are rapidly gaining in output-power capabilities, whether used in continuous-wave (CW) circuits or in pulsed applications. Because they have continued to increase power levels while remaining at such smaller sizes, power semiconductors have made vacuum-tube devices such as klystrons, magnetrons, and travelling-wave tubes (TWTs) all but forgotten except for designs at the highest power levels. But packing so much power into such small semiconductor chips and packaged devices poses the problem of properly testing these devices, for such parameters as breakdown voltage, leakage power, maximum output power, and typical operating lifetimes. Last month's blog reviewed ways to perform capacitance-voltage (CV) measurements; this month's blog will look at high-power semiconductors and some of the best and most reliable ways to test them for their most essential characteristics.

Of course, "high" is a relative term and there is no generally accepted definition for what constitutes high output power for any type of transistor, such as a bipolar or a field-effect transistor (FET). Each type of power semiconductor device, whether on wafer in chip form or in packaged form, must be tested for a set of characteristics by which a device supplier or circuit designer can determine whether that device can perform under various current and voltage (I-V) conditions. Typically, a power semiconductor is swept through a range of minimum to maximum current and voltage values, with constant or pulsed power, during a process known as curve tracing, testing for trends in device behavior over those ranges.

To do this, high-power semiconductor test equipment must serve as a very precise power supply, with current and voltage limits that typically exceed the range of the power supply to be used in a desired application. The test equipment must also be capable of accurately measuring the voltage, current, and power at each of a transistor gates or ports of other semiconductors, such as diodes or integrated circuits (ICs). Traditional test tools have provided supply and analysis functions as separate instruments although current trends in integration and modularity have resulted in more high-power semiconductor testers that provide precision power sources and high-power analyzers within the same instrument enclosure, with high-resolution display screens and software to automate the measurements. 

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If you would like help selecting any type of test equipment for your project, contact Axiom Test Equipment's sales department at sales@axiomtest.com, call 760-806-6600, or browse Axiom Test Equipment's inventory online at www.axiomtest.com.

 

About Axiom Test Equipment

Josh Shilts Axiom Test Equipment May 2018 - RF CafeGet Exactly What You Need. Rent - Buy - Repair - Trade-In

Established in 2005, Axiom Test Equipment strives to continually improve itself and offer the best value for its customers. We offer our customers several practical, efficient and cost effective solutions for their business or projects' test equipment needs. Whether you need to rent & buy test equipment, repair test equipment, sell or trade equipment, we are committed to providing superior customer service and high quality electronic test equipment.

At Axiom Test Equipment we provide several services. We rent electronic test and measurement equipment. We also sell test equipment. If you have a piece of malfunctioning or broken test equipment we also have an in-house repair lab. For anyone seeking a way to offload their surplus or obsolete equipment, we offer a trade-in program or we can buy the equipment from you.

We stock a comprehensive inventory of equipment and can use our extensive network to find you those hard to get items. We believe in getting equipment to you quickly and at a competitive price.

Contacts

Axiom Test Equipment

2610 Commerce Way 

Vista, CA  92081

Phone: (760) 806-6600

Web: www.axiomtest.com

 

 

Posted October 7, 2019