System Integration and Software Development
Case Studies:

• All-In-One Software For EMCORE’s Wafer Probing Automated Test System
• Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) High Voltage Pulse Generation Test System

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All-In-One Software For EMCORE’s Wafer Probing
Automated Test System

Fig 1 – CASCADE Micro Probe Wafer Test Station

TEAM built software that is designed to control both EG-2001X (Electroglass, Inc.) and Summit 12K (Cascade Microtech, Inc.) wafer probe stations, and to perform multiple test functions on a device under test (DUT). It is constructed on National Instruments LabVIEW, an object-oriented highly modular and message-based software architecture that enables the implementation and handling of complex All-In-One (AIO) wafer testing.

The AIO software allows a user to configure complex probe-motion paths on a wafer, to perform a masked multi-layered mapping of test-function acquisition, and to display real-time results on user selected maps. The high accuracy of z-height probe positioning is achieved by using an electrical wafer profiling method along with z-height map corrections during the test.

The AIO software is designed to meet a high level of versatility, reliability, and ease of adding new test functions. To achieve these goals, an object-oriented approach to designing the AIO software architecture is chosen. The program is composed of six functional modules: user interface, commands, motion, test function, auxiliary function, and data storage and display. All modules run on separate threads. The commands and data flow between the modules and objects are provided through the messaging network using the “queue-” and “semaphore-” based set of VIs to support the communication protocol.The commands and data flow between the modules and objects are provided through the messaging network using the “queue-” and “semaphore-” based set of VIs to support the communication protocol.




Fig 2 – Software Architecture. Objects and Modules Relationship.

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Sandia National Laboratory (SNL)
High Voltage Pulse Generation Test System

Fig 1 – Height Voltage Test Facility

The test system software (PHVMS) has been designed to accommodate Sandia National Laboratories’ Primary Standards Laboratory need for calibration and maintenance of resistive, capacitive, and mixed high voltage (up to 300 kV) dividers. The system is required to provide a flexible test architecture, an easy to use and safe to operate test environment, an intuitive graphical interface as well as instrumentation and test configuration capabilities throughout the database, and the ability to archive test data in both Excel and Microsoft Access files.

In order to satisfy the system requirements and provide flexibility of operation, the test system software is partitioned into four independent and stand-alone task-oriented software applications:

• High Voltage Utility Control and Diagnostics (Utility Equipment Control)
• Test Configuration, Control and Data Acquisition (Main Test Control)
• Waveforms Analysis, Data Processing, and Data Storage (Data Processing)
• Integrated System Diagnostic Tools

Fig 2 –  System Control, Data Acquisition and Data Processing Work Station

Each of these software components can be run separately as a stand alone program that performs certain test functions or diagnostics; or can be run simultaneously, but not necessarily on the same computer: this set of programs is combined into a distributed system by exchanging messages that carry control instructions and data. Virtual connection/disconnection of running programs is automatic and realized through the NI DataSocket Server. Once connected, these applications can share system controllers of GPIB and PXI/VXI instrumentation networks.