Development of new approaches to the electrical test

There is a tendency, and a need, to test electronic components and systems remotely, trying to determine their behavior and characteristics in a wide range of situations. This task includes the ability to monitor certain variables and their possible variation: current, temperature, …, etc., to be able to execute parametric and functional test tests in line on digital, analog and mixed signal circuits. These methodologies have a great value in order to perform environmental and reliability tests, even considering the use of new test platforms such as in-flight tests with cubesat, …, etc.

On the other hand, the high performance offered by the current FPGA allows the design and development of test environment for certain applications, becoming necessary tools to be explored and developed.

In addition, the new design tools offer the possibility of incorporating test structures in the circuits themselves, allowing self-test operations and some electrical measurements that will no longer be possible with classical electrical measurement procedures (through the pins). external). The possibilities that this technology is contributing will allow the systems to incorporate means of self-testing, self-healing, and regulate and adapt their performance, which supposes great advantages in certain applications.

The strategy in this area focuses on developing all the necessary actions to advance in this approach, initiating the evaluation of the different communication protocols, establishing remote control and monitoring tools, studying embedded instruments, …, etc., all of them oriented to evaluate / test electronic devices and system behaviors in different environments.