The strength of our software is its direct relevance to your specific needs. A custom-built solution can streamline and optimize your test process to an extent not possible if you use a prepackaged test environment. We build software solutions for both research and development applications as well as manufacturing applications, and our software accounts for the process differences between these two environments. Our software is designed to maximize its speed, accuracy and ease-of-use:
- Speed: our software is highly optimized to your instruments, devices and processes.
- Accuracy: our software is optimized to minimize measurement error, and we work with you to decrease the error introduced by your cabling, interfaces, and probe cards.
- Ease-of-use: our software is designed to allow for easy customization and easy everyday use. We use your knowledge of your test process to provide software that integrates directly into your test environment.
Upon project completion, we provide you with all the source code to your software along with full rights to edit and modify the software.
All the features in our software are dependent upon your specific needs and requirements. A software package typically involves some or all of the following components:
Technical Framework:
- Communication Bus/Port Drivers for GPIB, TTL, RS232 (Serial), and the PC Parallel Port.
- Device and Prober Drivers for communication with all instruments on the bus.
- Test and Measurement Algorithms: these algorithms initialize all instruments using the test settings supplied by the user, test all applicable devices, and gather all required measurement data. These algorithms are highly optimized to your specific application and are flexible enough to account for all expected permutations in your devices and test processes.
User Interface:
- Configuration Screens: typically, there are a number of settings that need to be provided to test a certain device. This can range from simple sweep parameters to all the setup information required to run a complex series of tests of multiple different devices using multiple different instruments.
- Test Walkthrough Wizard: for test procedures that require operator intervention, we can create test walkthroughs that direct your operators to perform specific tasks, thereby optimizing their time with the system.
Data Output and Reporting:
- Data output: common data output formats requested by customers include Excel-readable tab-delimited and comma-delimited files, and MS Access database files. We work with other data formats when requested by the customer.
- Graphing: logarithmic and linear graphs of multiple data sets. All graph settings can be modified in runtime.
Additionally, we provide as needed the following features: post-test binning, pass/fail algorithms, wafermaps, cassette maps, statistical analysis of multiple data passes, fault determination and display, post-wafer-inking, and security access levels. We are continuously providing new features to our customers.
Depending upon the desired platform and the software's intended use, we program in HP-Basic, Microsoft Visual Basic, or C/C++.
