Electronics News February 2013

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news Australia’s Premier Electronics Magazine

www.electronicsnews.com.au INSIDE

RĂ˜DE to innovation An Australian company discovers the secret of successful local electronics manufacturing.

Page 12

FEBRUARY 13

News 4

Winning projects La Trobe students recognised for innovative practical projects Technology 7

2D and high speed New nano-material from CSIRO and RMIT University for next-gen high-speed electronics Feature 17

Multilayer PCB simulation Avoiding common traps associated with high-speed multilayer PCB design Design Corner 20

Extended evolution Aluminum-clad copper wires extend operation temperature range Design Corner 22

Frequency response insight

Post Print Approved PP255003/00319

Why probes are often the weakest link in a measurement system, and what to do about it Product Feature 24

Flexible and speedy

Design | Communications | Environmental | Industrial | Research | Medical | Consumer

How a new class of instrumentation enhances RF test capabilities

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Mixed-Signal MCU with DSP and FPU Cortex-M4 core with a rich analog peripheral set

STM32 F3

Get 43% more performance for critical routines using CCM-SRAM With the STM32 F3 series, STMicroelectronics innovates in embedded digital signal control (DSC) design by combining a Cortex-M4 core with rich analog peripheral set plus core coupled memory (CCM-SRAM) to optimize code execution time. Critical routines loaded in the safe 8-Kbyte CCM-SRAM at startup can be completed at full speed with zero wait states, achieving 90 Dhrystone MIPS at 72 MHz. This compares with 63 DMIPS when executing from Flash or SRAM; equivalent to a 43% performance increase for critical routines.

For more information, visit www.st.com/stm32

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NEWS

ne ws

EDITOR’S MESSAGE

Innovation is here to stay

Published five times a year Reed Business Information Pty Ltd Tower 2, 475 Victoria Avenue Chatswood NSW 2067 Tel: (02) 9422 2999 Fax: (02) 9422 2977 www.electronicsnews.com.au Twitter: @ENMag Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ ElectronicsNewsAU

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• Defence Applications • Enclosures • Security • Contract Manufacturing

It was in 1995 that Harvard Professor Clayton Christensen introduced the concept of “disruptive innovation”. Over the years, there have been a few small innovative companies that have demolished established players.

But all that may seem like a sideshow to what is going to unfold over the next few years. Companies are concerned and this has come through loud and clear in GE’s third Global Innovation Barometer that was released in January 2013.

The accelerated pace of technological advancement is cause for worry for most, but it also presents an opportunity. If we examine recent technological advances, many of them fall under the broad umbrella of electronics and allied fields.

We’re talking robotics, medical electronics, 3D printing and synthetic biology.

Here, Australia has a once-in-an-era opportunity to play a major role. In many cases, all it requires is a smart, well conceived idea that can demonstrate a more-than-even chance of success.

According to the GE survey, executives in Australia believe there is a huge appetite for innovation among the younger generation. They also have faith in our education system.

Where we fail, and fail spectacularly according to this study, is in government support. But slowly but steadily, things will change, as the government comes to realise that mining is a cyclical industry.

One of the questions posed in the GE survey was: What economic sectors do you believe would benefit most in terms of job creation and increased profits if

your country’s government were to implement a more efficient innovation policy?

Executives in Australia overwhelmingly picked the healthcare and energy industries. If we are to transform into a nation of startups, these two sectors would be two safe bets. Smart electronics, intelligent sensors and the growth of wireless are opening up huge possibilities for smaller companies.

There are already several agile companies charting new courses for the world of today. An example is a wi-fi enabled blood glucose monitor that connects to social networks enabling the user to build a support network. Then there’s the headband you wear at night – next morning it tells you the ‘quality’ of your sleep.

There’s an innovation explosion on the way and Australia must find a way to be part of this change – with or without government support.

Companies large and small must embrace innovation and for those who don’t, there will soon be nowhere to hide.

I’m not sure if many of us recall that the digital camera was really invented in 1975. It ran on 16 NiCd batteries and was built using computer parts and lenses stripped from a Super 8 movie camera.

It took 23 seconds to record one digital image on a cassette deck.

It was invented by an engineer working at a company that practically owned the photography market at that time, but which failed to see the future.

Kodak filed for bankruptcy exactly one year ago. kevin.gomez@reedbusiness.com.au

tel: 08 8240 2244 Standard and modified diecast aluminium, metal and plastic enclosures

www.hammondmfg.com www.electronicsnews.com.au FEBRUARY 2013 3

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NEWS

IN BRIEF

NEW ROHS REQUIREMENTS FOR ELECTRONICS EXPORTERS TO EUROPE COMPANIES which ship electronics equipment into Europe will be subject to new obligations under RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) legislation.

According to Premier Farnell/element14, the new requirements, called RoHS Recast 2011/65/EU, came into force on 2 January 2013.

The European RoHS legislation now covers items dependent on electric currents or electromagnetic fields to fulfil at least one intended function. For example the legislation now captures gas cookers with an electric clock and petrol lawnmowers with an electric ignition need to comply from July 2019.

The responsibility for ensuring these new items comply and meet the CE obligations can sit with the manufacturer, importer or distributor.

Depending on where a company sits in the supply chain there will be obligations around the provision of many new documents, including a technical file and declaration-of-compliance.

Components which do not fall within the scope of RoHS will have to be compliant and certified if they are used in the manufacture of equipment that is in scope.

The 2 January 2013 activation will be followed up in July 2014, with further product categories being phased in, from medical devices and monitoring and control instruments.

In Vitro Diagnostics equipment will be covered by the legislation in July 2016 and industrial monitoring and control instruments in July 2017.

By July 2019, all electrical and electronic equipment will be subject to the RoHS requirements.

According to Premier Farnell, it is watching for the effects of the legislation on semiconductor development kits. Development boards are considered finished products as they are simply plugged in to other equipment to make them work, and thus fall under the scope of the legislation.

Many manufacturers of development boards make them RoHS compliant but there are several notable exceptions that now need to work on ensuring their products are compliant and, from January, actively provide all the necessary documentation as part of their CE obligations.

4 FEBRUARY 2013 www.electronicsnews.com.au

INDUSTRIAL

Tough 2013 for solar UPSTREAM solar photovoltaic suppliers will see a year of intense consolidation in 2013, as the industry is buffeted by rapidly falling prices, mounting losses and massive operational costs.

According to Mike Sheppard, senior photovoltaics analyst with IHS, most upstream PV supply operations will simply cease to exist, rather than being acquired.

“Most of these suppliers have already stopped production—and will never restart,” Sheppard said.

IHS claims smaller thin-film cell providers likewise will face low sales and limited market sizes.

Many suppliers who have invested on integrated facilities will shut down, since a glut in supply will see their factories underutilised.

With panel prices still dropping, low-cost players will dominate the market. Upstream second- and thirdtier suppliers of polysilicon, ingots, wafers and cells will struggle to survive the year in markets that do not have local-content requirements.

Even though the consolidation will benefit remaining players in the market, the weak market conditions underlying the problem means even surviving companies at the end of 2013 will be in a difficult position.

Local perspective Tindo Solar’s Richard Inwood said Chinese manufacturers will be most

The consolidation of the photovoltaic industry in 2013 presents both risks and opportunities.

impacted by the changes predicted

by IHS, and differentiation is the key to survival.

Tindo Solar is Australia’s sole photovoltaic manufacturer. It manufactures AC modules, with a focus on high quality materials, systems and processes.

According to Inwood, there is a healthy segment of the market which seeks high-end, high quality and innovative products, and automation also keeps overhead costs down to yield an acceptable margin.

He claimed the downward spiral in panel prices is due largely to intervention by Chinese local governments, which have under-

pinned Chinese manufacturers with $242 billion in the last two years.

“That’s allowed them to be clumsy manufacturers,” Inwood said.

Additional pressure on low-cost manufacturers in China comes as a result of various countries closing their doors to product dumping.

Inwood says the Australian government’s termination of feed in tariffs and other programs has resulted in a solar industry which can stand on its own two feet, but that the government needs to do more to regulate the standard of panels being imported. Q www.ihs.com www.tindosolar.com.au

ENVIRONMENTAL

STMicroelectronics’ Australian projects STMicroelectronics’ technology has been implemented in three projects across Australia: with the NSW city of Parramatta, Qantas and Bluechiip.

Bluechiip is an Australian startup which provides a MEMS-based tracking solution which can cope with the extreme environments experienced by samples in bio lab and medical settings.

Its solutions can survive and still function in temperatures as low as –196 degrees Celsius, and as high as 200 degrees Celsius, and are immune

to gamma irradiation.

STMicroelectronics is Bluechiip’s manufacturing partner for the MEMS-based tracking tags.

Qantas’ automated contactless check-in system utilises the Q Card as e-ticket and frequent flyer cards.

RFID-embedded Q Bag Tags complement the system in allowing fast and automated check-in processes.

STMicroelectronics’ secure microcontroller technology is at the core of the Q Card.

Parramatta’s ParraSync project

provides participants with unified smart cards or NFC-enabled mobile devices in order to access car parks, work buildings and libraries, purchase items from local businesses and access loyalty programs. Up to $100 of value can be loaded onto the ParraSync card.

STMicroelectronics and SGS Technologie Australia developed the NFC-based solution, beating out competing technology giants Google (Wallet) and Commonwealth Bank. Q www.st.com

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NEWS

RESEARCH

Winning projects at La Trobe IN November 2012, electronics engineering, computer science and IT students at La Trobe University had their work recognised as part of the Hooper Memorial Student Project Presentation.

The awards program is named in honour of Prof. Darryl Hooper, the founder of the La Trobe University Department of Electronic Engineering.

It aims to showcase the work of the very best students in Electronic Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technology. According to La Trobe University, the presentations demonstrate the culmination of a year’s worth of practical work by the students.

Electronics News was happy to sponsor the awards, with the 2012 winners each receiving a yearly subscription to the magazine.

The prizes and winners:

Winners at La Trobe University.

“The Weller Tools Prize for PCB Engineering & Construction”, Sponsored by Apex Tool Group Won by: Matthew Anson, for his project “Data Logger for an Antarctic Solar Car Expedition”.

“The Hooper Memorial Prize

for the Best Oral Presentation”, Sponsored by EMCSI Won by: Richard Carr, for his project “Home Automation System” “The Hooper Memorial Prize for the Best Poster”, Sponsored by Future Fibre Technologies

Won by: Lucas Chenco, for his project “In Car Engine Diagnostics” “The IEEE Prize for Technical Innovation and Engineering Achievement”, Sponsored by Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Victorian Section Won by: Matthew Anson, for his project “Data Logger for an Antarctic Solar Car Expedition” “The RS Components prize for Quality Project Management”, Sponsored by RS Components Won by: Josef de Joanelli, for his project “Low Cost UAV System for Antenna Array Characterisation” “The Electronic Engineering Prize for Best Masters Project”, Sponsored

by The Department of Electronic Engineering, La Trobe University Won by: Nagi F Ali Mohamed, for his project “Wireless Energy Transfer and Broadcasting”. Q www.latrobe.edu.au

www.electronicsnews.com.au FEBRUARY 2013 5

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NEWS

IN BRIEF

BRIBERY INVESTIGATIONS THE Australian Federal Police have confirmed that they are reopening old investigations into Cochlear regarding alleged bribery of foreign officials.

Reports by various media outlets indicate the AFP has resumed investigations regarding Cochlear, its Swiss subsidiary and a local distributor allegedly trying to influence a medical supplies tender in Portugal in 2004.

Bribery allegedly involved family holidays to Disneyland and Italy.

Cochlear explained that one exCochlear employee was convicted of the charges, but has appealed. The company itself says it does not have a case to answer since the matter is outside the jurisdiction of the AFP.

ELECTROTECHNOLOGY APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM PILOT FOR TAFE THE Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE (NMIT) will trial a new electrical apprenticeship program in 2013, aiming to improve electrical apprentice completion rates in Australia.

The national Managing Apprenticeship Program is a pilot initiative overseen by EE-Oz Energy Skills Australia.

EE-Oz is the Industry Skills Council for the Energy sector and provides training package advice, leadership and industry intelligence.

Candidates who enter the program at NMIT will have an assigned industry mentor to help them stay on track with apprenticeship requirements, and be placed on an industry register for employer selection.

The apprenticeship is based on a ‘competency’ based system rather than the traditional ‘time’ based 4-year model, but if additional training is required, support services are available.

NMIT will offer the Certificate II in Electrotechnology (Pre-Apprenticeship) and Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician (for apprentices) through its Heidelberg campus.

The Certificate II in Electrotechnology (Pre-vocational) provides exposure to the various trades which come under the electrical industry umbrella.

The course provides the opportunity to understand the electrical trades industry terminology, basic circuitry and colour coding which enables the student to communicate with prospective employers.

Contact NMIT on (03) 9269 8400 for more details.

6 FEBRUARY 2013 www.electronicsnews.com.au

CONSUMER

Gold rush for Codan CODAN is cashing in on the frenzy of interest after one of its gold detectors was used by an unnamed prospector to find a 5.5kg gold nugget 60cm under the ground near Ballarat.

The nugget is valued at more than $282,000 in weight, but is worth more due to the rarity of a nugget of that size.

The prospector used a $7000 Minelab GPX 5000 gold detector to make the find, and this was widely publicised in the media.

Minelab, based in Adelaide, is part of the publicly listed company Codan and exports gold detectors around the world.

Previously, the company defended itself vigorously against counterfeits of its detector units being made and sold overseas.

According to Minelab, the company has had a massive influx of people interested in its gold detectors due to the publicity around the sensitivity and capabilities of the GPX 5000 flagship unit.

The unit can detect gold buried deeper in the ground than any other detector and can “see through” mineralised ground that gives false positive signals.

Codan said that the nugget was found in an area frequently swept by other detectors, demonstrating the sensitivity of the GPX 5000.

Minelab is one of the world’s major exporters of gold detectors, with machines sent as far away as

Minelab has experienced a flood of interest in its gold detectors. remote parts of Africa and South America. The company expects sales

in Australia to boom. Q www.minelab.com

COMMUNICATIONS

CISCO and NXP invest in Cohda Wireless CISCO and NXP Semiconductors have invested in Australian company Cohda Wireless, seeking to advance intelligent transportation systems and vehicle-to-vehicle/infrastructure wireless communications.

Cohda Wireless specialises in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-toinfrastructure automotive communications technology, having developed a patented technology (based on an enhanced IEEE 802.11p radio) which improves bandwidth and reception

and which works around corners.

The applications enabled by Cohda Wireless’ developments allows vehicles to “talk” to each other, so cars ahead on the road could, for example, warn those behind of an accident, or an obstacle, allowing other vehicles to take evasive action. Cars would be aware of the positions of other vehicles in order to reduce collisions.

The investments from Cisco and NXP Semiconductors are expected to

expand the range of Cohda Wireless’ technology. The three companies will work together to help automotive OEMs, suppliers, enterprises and consumers to connect vehicles with ITS infrastructure.

NXP will exclusively license the Cohda 802.11p technology together with its chipsets as a one-stop shop to automotive customers. Cohda will be NXP’s preferred partner for automotive 802.11p reference designs. Q www.cohdawireless.com

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TECHNOLOGY

RESEARCH

Prime time for nanophotonics

I

BM has announced a major advance in silicon nanophotonics, which uses light instead of electrical signals to transmit information for computing systems.

The IBM breakthrough demonstrates the feasibility of silicon nanophotonics for chip manufacturing.

The development allows the integration of different optical components side-by-side with electrical circuits on a single silicon chip using, for the first time, standard 90nm semiconductor technology.

The technology allows a variety of silicon nanophotonics components, such as modulators, germanium photodetectors and ultra-compact wavelength-division multiplexers to be integrated with high-performance analog and digital CMOS circuitry.

According to IBM, it chose to use the 90nm CMOS technology node because it will meet the performance

Angled view of a portion of IBM Silicon Nanophotonics chip: blue optical waveguides transmit high-speed optical signals and yellow copper wires carry high-speed electrical signals. requirements for optical communications for the next decade, at low cost.

IBM scientists will now commence development of commercial applica-

tions for silicon nanophotonics.

The use of a standard chip manufacturing process means single-chip optical communications transceivers

can now be manufactured in a standard CMOS foundry, rather than assembled from multiple parts made with expensive compound semiconductor technology.

Silicon nanophotonics takes advantage of pulses of light for communication, which allows larger volumes of data to move much more rapidly between computer chips.

Dense integration of optical circuits capable of transmitting and receiving at high data rates will solve the limitations of congested data traffic in current interconnects.

IBM’s CMOS nanophotonics transceivers are capable of data rates exeeding 25Gbps per channel. They can also feed a number of parallel optical data streams into a single fibre by using compact on-chip wavelength-division multiplexing devices.

The technology was first proofed in 2010. Q www.ibm.com

MEDICAL

Smartphone and sensor sense fluctuating heart rates A UNIVERSITY of Sydney PhD candidate is using a smartphone and sensor to gather information about heart rate variability for research.

Currently, heart rate variability research is time consuming, as it is carried out in laboratories and involves attaching electrodes to the

participants’ chests. James Heathers collaborated with Simon Wegerif, a biomedical engineer with HRV Fit, and developed a smartphone app

which works via a sensor which is placed on a finger. Now, dozens of heart rate variability data streams can be harvested at once. Q

www.electronicsnews.com.au FEBRUARY 2013 7

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TECHNOLOGY

RESEARCH

Ultra-speedy 2D nano-material A NEW two-dimensional material from RMIT University and CSIRO could enable next-generation highspeed electronics.

The 2D material is made up of layers of molybdenum oxides crystals, encouraging the free flow of electrons at ultra-high speeds, with minimal scattering.

The details are published in the January issue of Advanced Materials, in an article titled “Enhanced Charge Carrier Mobility in Two-Dimensional High Dielectric Molybdenum Oxide”.

There, the researchers explained that the new conductive nano-material was adapted from graphene.

Graphene, while supporting highspeed electrons, has physical properties which prevent its use in highspeed electronics.

The researchers used exfoliation to create layers of the material which are around 11nm thick. They then manipulated the material to convert it into a semiconductor. They then created nanoscale transistors were then using molybdenum oxide.

By removing impediments to electron flow, the developers of the

Artist impression of high carrier mobility through layered molybdenum oxide crystal lattice. Credit: Dr Daniel J White, ScienceFX.

RESEARCH

8 FEBRUARY 2013 www.electronicsnews.com.au

www.csiro.au

AUTOMOTIVE

Spray-on organic image sensors RESEARCHERS from Technische Universität München (TUM) have developed a new generation of image sensors which are manufactured by spraying electrically conductive plastics onto the sensor surface.

The new sensors are said to be more sensitive to light than the conventional silicon versions, and due to the spray coating mechanism, are simple and cheap to produce.

The chemical composition of the polymer spray coating can be altered so that different ranges of the light spectrum can be captured.

Most imaging sensors are currently produced using complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology.

Organic sensors are up to three

new material make it possible for extremely high speed and fluent electron flow. The material has electron mobility values of >1,100 cm2/ Vs – exceeding the current industry standard for low dimensional silicon.

If electrons can pass through a structure quicker, then scientists and engineers can build devices that are smaller and transfer data at much higher speeds.

The researchers caution that more work needs to be done before the two-dimensional nano-material can be used in actual devices, but the breakthrough lays the foundation for a new electronics revolution.

The work, which was led by RMIT doctoral researcher Sivacarendran Balendhran, was supported by the CSIRO Sensors and Sensor Networks Transformational Capability Platform and the CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering Division.

It was also a result of collaboration between researchers from Monash University, University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA), CSIRO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and RMIT. Q

The organic sensors proved to be up to three times more sensitive to light than conventional CMOS sensors. Photo: A. Heddergott / TUM.

Boosting material

times more sensitive to light than conventional CMOS sensors, whose electronic components conceal some of the pixels, and therefore the photoactive silicon surface.

Organic sensors can be manufactured without the expensive postprocessing steps typically required for CMOS sensors, such as applying micro-lenses to increase the amount of captured light.

Every part of every single pixel, including the electronics, is sprayed with the liquid polymer solution, giving a surface that is 100 percent light-sensitive. The low noise and high frame rate properties of the organic sensors also make them a good fit for cameras. Q www.tum.de

GERMAN company SCHOTT is developing glass-ceramic as a separator material for lithium-air batteries, hoping to extend the life of the next-generation battery technology.

Lithium-air batteries, with greater energy density than current lithium-ion batteries at 1000 Wh/kg, can deliver three to five times higher capacity.

The glass-ceramic powder has a defined grain size, offering high conductivity for lithium ions and outstanding electrochemical resistance. It is bound inside an organic matrix to form a highly stable and dense separator membrane between the two electrodes in the lithium-air battery.

GLANZ aims to encapsulate the highly reactive lithium-metal anode and create a model to demonstrate the general feasibility of this approach. Q

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TECHNOLOGY

INDUSTRIAL

Efficient battery production SIEMENS says its planning and design software and technology can help manufacturers automate the production of large-scale batteries.

With the growth in alternative power generation, automation and electric automotive trends, the future will see increased demand for large-scale lithium-ion batteries.

In devising its battery manufacturing solutions, Siemens combined its expertise in the production of energy-storage devices and its technological know-how in the field of automation and control systems.

For current technological trends to continue, energy-storage devices need to become cheaper to produce - especially lithium-ion batteries while offering high quality.

According to Siemens, the process for manufacturing batteries (some of which can be the size of a shipping

ties, determining the required size of the plant, calculating the maximum potential throughput, and optimising production efficiency.

These simulation results can then be applied without further modification to real live plants. Similarly, quality-control systems can be directly integrated within fully automated production machinery.

Siemens’ ideas are being put to test in the real world. The company has signed a cooperation agreement with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) to develop a primary control system.

In 2013, the system is to be installed in the first production facility for lithium-ion cells of the KIT, where it will highlight the benefits in terms of product quality and reduced costs. Q

Increased automation would help industry cope with the demand for lithium-ion batteries. container) has not progressed much.

The chemical processes in the battery cells are complex and highly sensitive but Siemens says it is

possible to make the production large-scale lithium-ion batteries more efficient. Its software creates digital models of planned production facili-

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www.electronicsnews.com.au FEBRUARY 2013 9

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FEATURE

OPINION

On Australian innovation Australian industry, fostered by its isolation and size, is characterised by innovation and a willing embrace of change, writes Jean Claude Pellicer, Australia Country Manager, STMicroelectronics

F

or a country that earns the vast majority of its wealth from commodities and natural resources, there is a surprising amount of innovation taking place in Australia and there is a distinctively Australian character to this innovation.

As a global supplier of semiconductor technologies, what I would call the “source technology” for all product innovations in electronics, STMicroelectronics can easily categorise the specific types of silicon technologies that sell well in each market, including Australia.

The population size of Australia does not promote market-driven innovation, the way it would in the US and increasingly in the likes of China and India. The semiconductor market for China is USD 80 billion compared to USD 0.9 billion in ANZ*. Based on conventional wisdom, Australia’s relatively small market size and distance from the major markets should challenge any business venture dependent on innovation. So what is making innovation tick in Australia, with all of its 23 million people and too many hours away by jet from everywhere else?

Conditions and circumstances together shape the Australian character of innovation. Its relative small size and isolation creates a free-spirited pioneering environment reminiscent of the early years of California’s Silicon Valley. The “have-fun-withtechnology” attitude is still alive in Australia with companies and organisations more willing to “try-stuffout.” Couple this with Australian society’s youth and its diversity (1 in 4 residents of Australia were born elsewhere), it produces a hunger to succeed that is exceptionally strong and certainly provides a vitality boost to innovation.

Australia is not categorised as a major semiconductor market by most vendors, including STMicroelectronics, but its receptive-

ness towards our newest and most cutting-edge technologies is worldclass. The Australian market may be small but it is often an early adopter of our technologies in new and innovative applications.

Take the example of Parramatta, the second largest city in New South Wales outside of Sydney, which recently adopted our latest Near Field Communication (NFC) technology as part of the city-wide ParraSync mobile concierge project.

NFC technology holds great promise for societal benefits while presenting complex collaborative requirements in full-scale, real-life, multi-use implementations. Though challenged by the usual roadblocks, this complicated project was, I believe, made possible by this uniquely Australian environment. The progressive “let’stry-it” attitude, inherent in the Australian mindset, united all the partners. This spirit enhanced the typical desire for a better quality of life, to encourage early adoption of this innovation.

Another good example of Australian innovation is the Automated Contactless Check-In System implemented by Qantas. The airline embraced RFID technologies to create the only automated airline check-in system that is entirely “touch and go,” combining all the functions of e-ticket, loyalty programs and baggage check-in, all within a single smart card.

Australian innovation is well suited to the premium market. It is not ideal for a commoditised item like a netbook that would sell in the tens of millions of units, but is better suited for higher end products.

This is not to say that no one would buy a low-cost netbook in Australia. They do. But it does not make sense to develop one specifically for the local market when you can simply import one.

The premium characteristic of Australian innovation is reflected in the way ST markets its products

10 FEBRUARY 2013 www.electronicsnews.com.au

Parramatta adopted NFC technology as part of its ParraSync mobile concierge project.

“Australia is not categorised as a major semiconductor market by most vendors...but its receptiveness towards our newest and most cutting-edge technologies is world-class.”

here. In all Asian markets outside of Japan and Korea, ST’s bestselling microcontrollers (MCUs) are its competitively priced mass-market controllers. In Australia, there is greater interest in our top-of-the-line STM 32 F4, the most powerful MCU in the market. The rich features and creative value-add of these premium solutions are more relevant to our Australian customers, rather than the price-performance advantage of the mass-market solutions.

The Australian market is proving to be an excellent reference showcase of new technology applications for our products.

MEMS-based tracking tags by our

partner, Bluechiip, are one such example. Bluechiip has adapted STMicroelectronics’ bio-sensor and actuator technologies to create a ground-breaking tracking solution for use in biobanks which could be adapted for use in security, industrial, manufacturing, waste, aerospace and aviation.

The emphasis on product-level creativity and experiential enhancement has transformed the way ST talks to its customers in Australia.

We talk functionality more than features, emphasise product differentiation more than chipset performance, and user experience rather than product specifications.

The Australian market is distinctively innovative in character, as well as spirit. Once you get past the skeptical questions of cost, market size and relative distance, the obvious constant driving innovation in Australia is “quality of life.”

For STMicroelectronics, Australia’s technology sector is an innovation soul mate, since our brand promise of life.augmented recognises that technology is meant to improve the quality of life. Q * Source - World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) 2011. www.st.com

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7–10 MAY 2013 MELBOURNE CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE

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The sound of success How a collapsed company turned around to become a leader in the sound and microphone market, and a leading proponent of manufacturing in Australia. Isaac Leung writes

T

HE STORY of how RØDE Microphones got its name hearkens back to its earliest days.

Founder Peter Freedman started the company in the 1980s by disassembling Chinese capacitor microphones and replacing the electronics inside to yield better performance.

After a particularly successful day demonstrating the product at a convention, the team noted that the microphones were taking off “like a rat up a drain pipe”, which eventually led to the name “Rodent”.

Freedman then arrived at the final form of the brand, RØDE, by replacing the O with the minuscule Ø in tribute to his roots in Sweden, and separating the latter “NT” part of the word to use as a designated prefix for his range of microphones.

Today, RØDE Microphones is global brand in the home recording, cinematography and professional sound market.All its manufacturing is done at its facility in Silverwater, NSW, and it employs 200 people world-wide. It was named NSW Exporter of the Year in 2012, and has also been recognised at the Australian Design Awards, and Red Dot European awards.

In addition to its headquarters in Silverwater, RØDE Microphones has a design and marketing studio in Surry Hills, an office in Santa Barbara in the US, and an adjunct facility in Seattle, dedicated to R&D for the Event line of studio monitors, which RØDE bought in 2006.

The success of the company today is due largely to the drive of Freedman and his staff, their dedication to the world of sound equipment, and his ability to build a business and a highly competent team, as well as a rare dedication to quality Australian manufacturing.

RØDE Microphones founder and CEO Peter Freedman with a casing for a shotgun mic.

Phoenix from the ashes The predecessor of RØDE Microphones, Freedman Electronics, 12 FEBRUARY 2013 www.electronicsnews.com.au

FAST FACTS

Designing a microphone AUDIO quality is the key design consideration for microphones. All other factors are secondary.

The team at RØDE Microphones , recognising the advantage their automated lines provides, also design to exploit precision and automatic manufacturing, avoiding changes which would require manual work.

Microphone design is a pecialised area of engineering, but a starting point is frequency response.

While the ideal is a flat frequency response curve from 20Hz to 20kHz (range of human hearing), real world considerations means the designers may aim to roll-off the bottom of the frequency response curve, to control rumbling from handling.

Where microphones are intended for human voice pick-up, the curve can also be adjusted to include a bit of climb in the mid-to-higher frequencies.

The frequency response is tuned throughout the process, firstly in engineering the capsule, through to noise reduction, and again when the capsule or transducer is ensconced in the enclosure.

Other variables are the polar patterns of the microphones: this can be tuned to be omni, cardio or shotgun, according to the intended use of the unit.

According to Peter Freedman, many of the techniques used in the company are trade secrets.

“There is no magic in engineering, but there are some specialist techniques, and they are hard-won,” Freedman said.

Factors which contribute to performance include circuit layout, component selection, board style, matching microphone performance parameters to the pre-amp, transducer sensitivities, and impedance output. All these, and more, are pieces in an interlocking and interactive puzzle: change one, and the others shift.

“You can’t just look at the circuit by itself. We take a holistic approach to the design to minimise noise and maximise sound quality,” Freedman explained. “It’s not one thing, it’s all those things and they come from years and years of experience.”

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ne was started in 1967 by Freedman’s parents, Henry and Astrid Feedman.

The company initially importing German sound equipment from DYNACORD, and Peter took over the company after his father passed away in 1987. Hoping to expand the company, Freedman borrowed large sums of money in the late 1980s, but then the stock market crash hit.

“I ended up owing a fortune, lost the business, lost my house, lost everything,” Freedman said.

“I was looking for ways to try and make money. It was just being at the right place at the right time, trying things.I had access to a recording microphone which we modified.”

Freedman managed to catch the wave of modern home and digital recording. RØDE Microphones catered to the home users who wanted better microphones, but without the exorbitant costs associated with traditional German units.

From this early success, RØDE Microphones continued building on its capabilities, developing its own products, even collaborating with the CSIRO and academic and industry physicists to push the boundaries of

“The secret of Australian manufacturing: high tech machinery and very clever people”

RØDE Microphones’ advanced SMT line. what it could do in the area of sound.

The secret of Australian manufacturing The decision to retain manufacturing operations in Australia was one that Freedman consciously made throughout the years, even as droves of manufacturers started outsourcing to Asia in the 90s.

“A lot of accountants told us that

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you could get things in China for very low cost, the labour is great, and people want to supply. Even today, we have great relationships with people over there,” Freedman told Electronics News.

“But I could see that companies there were going to eventually want to do their own thing.”

To protect his company, Freedman started investing in

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machinery 16 years ago, gradually building up a formidable arsenal of manufacturing equipment, which allowed him to bring more operations in-house.

According to Freedman, the basic component side of manufacturing has for the most part been equalised, especially in the high-end market.

“There’s no problems making electronics here. We buy the parts the same price as anybody else, whether it’s England, Germany, France or China, the cost is the same,” he said.

Rather, the big challenge for Australian companies is in injecting efficiency into their operations, fostering engineering talent, and selling their bramd.

“Australian companies should start thinking about building brands >>

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Shouldn’t there be one on your bench?

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www.electronicsnews.com.au FEBRUARY 2013 13

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“600,000 dollars in tooling and programming...that’s the future - now.” and building the pipeline. The secret of our success is we’ve got the pipeline, the distribution channels.”

“If we make a new microphone, we immediately get it out to 3000 stores worldwide. That’s hard, but it allows us to design something new, and we know we’re going to sell the first batch as 10,000.”

But the company has had decades to build and develop its operations, not just in its branding and distribution channels, but also its manufacturing operations.

“It’s taken 15 years of learning how to use the machinery, getting the staff and buying these very high tech machines to get to where we are now,” he said. “I have machines that make labour irrelevant. People ask me about low cost labour, and I say I don’t care, I’ve got no labour in some of the stuff we make.”

But it’s not just about the gear: staff training and know-how is the glue that keeps the model together.

“That’s the secret of Australian manufacturing: high tech machinery and very clever people,” Freedman said. “People think you can just turn on manufacturing with money. You can’t. It takes ages to train people to the point where they understand it.

We’ve got many people here who’ve been at it nine or ten years or more.”

18 months ago, finding itself needing to manufacture greater quantities of products, RØDE Microphones upgraded its SMT line with a new Yamaha system, which is ten times faster than its previous SMT machine.

This highly-automated SMT line, which runs the length of an entire room in the facility, has board stacking capabilities, so hundreds of

Kevlar-impregnated cables hang on a rack in the RØDE facility. panels can be loaded up for mostly unattended batch processing.

The machine silk-screens the paste, loads the surface mount components onto the board from reels and carousels, conveys it through the reflow oven, and stacks the completed boards at the output end of the room.

Along the way, the Yamaha machine has temperature controls and humidity controls, as well as scanning capabilities to ensure quality control.

“One engineer can produce as many boards as we ever want,” Freedman said. “We only run one shift at the moment, but we could move up to three shifts with no problems. No matter how big the production gets, we can deal with it.”

According to Freedman, the degree of automation means RØDE Microphones can, in many cases, beat Chinese manufacturers at their

14 FEBRUARY 2013 www.electronicsnews.com.au

own game.

“Other than big companies like Foxconn who does Apple in China, I don’t see this quality in China. They do a lot more hand work,” he said.

As a result of building its own manufacturing capabilities in-house, RØDE Microphones is able to bypass certain cost restrictions on components. For example, the company makes its own transformers for its valve microphones.

“The secret of a good audio transformer is in the laminations, and they’re expensive,” Freedman explained. “Some of these older transformers, their measured frequency response is 5Hz up to 200KHz, amazing.”

But these transformers are manufactured in small quantities by a few companies, and they cost around 400 dollars each – clearly an unsustainable solution for a cost-conscious microphone manufacturer.

“If we want it, we have to make it ourselves. So we bought the best Swiss auto-winders. We get lamination material specially made which has those characteristics we need… all the vacuum impregnation – every single thing you need to make hightech transformers,” Freedman said, as he held a completed transformer in his palm.

The raw material cost of each transformer? 15 dollars.

Precision and speed Automated and highly precise manufacturing has for the most part eliminated variability in the quality of the company’s products – when every part is manufactured and assembled in temperature-controlled environments to micron tolerances, there is little that could go wrong.

However, every microphone master panel is still tested on a bed of nails, which runs a diagnostic

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“We can move fast. You can’t start planning 3 to 4 months ahead.

The world changes.” check in place. Valve microphones have their own rack, on which they are soak tested for 24 hours.

For the casings of the microphones, automation is again the key for RØDE Microphones, which churns them out using a large automatic machining line housed in a room packed with other manufacturing equipment.

“You load up long bars of brass... and you go home. 24/7, it’s a moneymaking machine that just spits out the parts,” Freedman said.

“People say ‘labour cost’ – no labour. But 600,000 dollars worth in tooling and programming? That’s the future -- now.”

The RØDE facility is like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory for manufacturers: name a manufacturing technology, and it’s likely to be here: a chemical machining plant from Germany; electric discharge machining for tool-making; a precision grinding table which produces a mirror finish, again for tool-making; and a five-axis mill capable of turning an aluminium block into speaker chassis within half a day.

To ensure manufacturing precision, the company has a metrology room which can check surface flatness down to 10nm, and a laser interferometer for highly accurate measurements of moving elements.

The move to bring more and more operations in-house is something Freedman relishes. For a company like RØDE Microphones, the cost of the alternative – outsourcing to China – is time. And time, ultimately, is money.

“If I order now from a factory in China, it takes them 30 days to get the parts, 30 days to produce it,

and then maybe 30 days to ship it,” Freedman points out. “With this, we can get the parts next week.”

“What’s that worth? That’s speed to market. We can move fast. You can’t start planning 3 to 4 months ahead. The world changes. You can make a mistake or something goes wrong, or it arrives and it’s wrong.

You need to have it all to be able to move that fast.”

Pushing the limits To speak with the team at RØDE Microphones is to realise that more than anything, the company is dedicated to challenging the limits of what can be done from an engineering perspective.

Case in point: the company’s latest pride and joy is an automated painting line which applies a coating 2 microns thick to the enclosures.

“We wanted a black paint finish that was really strong, hard-wearing, wouldn’t scratch, and looked nice and not peel,” Freedman said. “We found this amazing military paint, ceramic-based, and very very hard to apply. So we had to have a custommade machine with robotics spraying and a special oven.”

The paint, which is used to coat guns, is not readily available on the commercial market, and must be kept agitated prior to spraying.

To ensure the strength of the cables used in its headset, the company specifies Kevlarimpregnated cables. To trim the fine Kevlar fibres, RØDE Microphones sourced a machine in Japan capable of trimming a hair.

“Nothing we ever pick is easy,” Freedman said. Even with the headsets (an upcoming product).

We a have stainless steel band. And instead of gluing the band on, I want it to be super strong, so we bought a laser welder.”

The same is true for the running of the machines used in the facility, with the company constantly testing tolerances and accuracy in order

to optimise their performance and speed, pushing the limits of what the machines can do.

“Manufacturers may specify a speed on a turning machine which achieves the best accuracy at a certain speed. But we test that, find where it can hold an even lower tolerance at a certain RPM,” Freedman said.

Because of these optimisations, the company can demand micronlevel precision machining steps for some of its parts.

“We had to go and buy test equipment so we could actually see it, because we were machining it, we were getting results, but couldn’t see the difference,” he said.

The dedication to pushing the limits also applies to product development. When asked about the kickoff point for the development of new products, Peter Cooper, who is the vice president of Design and New Product Development at RØDE Microphones, noted that market need, while relevant, is not the only motivation for launching a research and development effort.

“Sometimes a product will start as a pure R&D exercise to see if we can achieve a technical solution to something that is a general issue,” Cooper explained.

Of course, the feasibility of these technical R&D exercises are considered alongside other factors, such as

>>

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A RØDE mic enclosure coated with the new military-grade paint. the potential future market demand for such a product, and how such an exercise would contribute or weigh up against other projects being considered at the moment.

“We then move forward through a range of phases on the project, brainstorming, initial concept development, proof of concept,” Cooper said.

“We are constantly building prototypes and testing along the route to make sure we are still on path and we are still doing what we want, because usually we’re trying to do something fairly ambitious.”

“Just making another product the same as what’s out there isn’t very interesting to anybody. So we are usually trying to stretch, and that stretch can be fairly challenging.”

The development process is fairly orthodox, with as much of the prototyping done in-house as possible, but also employing the use of outside contractors for tasks like rapid prototype parts, or leveraging the services of third parties if the product requires the exploration of a new technology not available in-house.

As the product’s prototypes become more refined, the team then takes it out for field testing, or engages musicians or recording engineers for the process in order

to gather their feedback during the development stages.

Once the product is finalised, the development team then refines it, making it more friendly for manufacturing, considering environmental factors, packaging, logistics, materials, finishes and testing.

While RØDE Microphones does utilise virtual simulations on its electronics, the nature of its products means a greater focus on physical prototypes, which allow verification of acoustic, electronics and mechanical properties.

Future directions RØDE Microphones is holding on to its lead in the audio market, partly due to its retention of expertise in house, aggressive defense of its IP, and an extremely fast product development strategy.

According to Peter Cooper, the long product lifecycle of microphones, which typically last for ten to twenty years, means there is plenty of time for imitations to edge into the market.

“What we are looking to do to avoid IP issues is continue to improve, particularly around some of the niche spaces, like broadcast mics and on-camera mics, where we are

16 FEBRUARY 2013 www.electronicsnews.com.au

Clean room manufacturing for microphone capsules. very strong,” he said.

“We’ve found our product development emphasis and our agility is moving us faster than we are seeing any knockoffs occurring. A fast pace of new product development, keeping knowhow in house, and defending against any sign of counterfeiting aggressively, legally, has been our strategy.”.

While RØDE Microphones continues to play in the home studios and recording market, it is also seeing enthusiastic uptake in the video space, especially with newer film-makers leveraging large-sensor DSLR cameras for film making.

Cooper says the company is still looking for the next big wave, but will continue to explore on-camera microphones. The company is also looking into units with integrated chip-based digital storage as a product path. As such, RØDE Microphones is building in-house expertise in the flash memory area.

But the development team is taking a cautious approach to this new technology. In January 2012, the company released teaser images and a press release for the VideoMic HD, a condenser super-cardioid shotgun microphone which would store recordings onto a microSDHC card.

As of publication of this article, the product has yet to make it to release.

“We’ve been developing that, particularly looking to refining the feature-set,” Cooper explained.

“We found our teaser sparked an incredible response and has given us reason to pause and think and make sure what we move forward with is the right solution.”

Since the interview with Electronics News, the company has also entered the mobile space, with the release of a stereo microphone for Apple’s iPhone/iPad devices, which uses its own analogue-todigital conversion circuitry to ensure quality audio recording through a dedicated app.

But even as RØDE Microphones continues to work in a highly technical space of audio equipment engineering, Peter Freedman says his customers, and their art, is the focus for his business.

“It’s about making music, and the art and the engineering,” Freedman told Electronics News. “All these technologies, and the marketing and communications, the end result is about working with people who make the music and have the artistic output, and that’s really exciting.” Q www.rodemic.com

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Multilayer PCB simulation An overview of board level simulation for high-speed, multilayer PCB design, highlighting some common traps, by Barry Olney, Managing Director of In-Circuit Design on the voltage and the utilisation of the I/O elements; however, for all I/O banks operating together, the maximum current demand can exceed 10A. Another power management consideration is the monotonic rise of voltage in the core and I/O to their steady state levels. This is critical for the correct operation of the FPGA because if the voltage sags during boot-up, the device may not reset.

While many power supplies take this requirement into consideration, it is recommended to further support this requirement by the use of adequate bulk capacitance in the Power Distribution Network (PDN).

Figure 3 illustrates the combined effect of the Voltage Regulator Module (VRM), 10uF bulk bypass, 100nF decoupling capacitors, the plane resonance of the board and capacitor mounting/loop inductance for a typical DDR2, 1.8V supply.

The objective is to keep the effective impedance as low as the target impedance (horizontal line) up to the fundamental frequency of the clock (400 MHz vertical line).

SHORTCUTS:

O

ver the past 25 years that I have been involved in high-speed multilayer PCB design, much has changed.

Advances in lithography enable smaller and smaller dies on chips. In 1987 0.5 micron technology was the ultimate, but today 28nm technology is common.

Power consumption has become a primary factor for FPGA selection.

To reduce power consumption, IC manufacturers have moved to lower core voltages and higher operating frequencies which of course mean faster edge rates.

Faster edge rates cause reflections and signal quality problems.

Though the package and your clock speed have not changed, a problem may exist for legacy designs: faster driver edge rates have a significant

impact on signal quality, timing, crosstalk, and EMC. Whether you like it or not, you are now a high-speed designer.

Figure 1 illustrates the change in edge rates over the years – from 30ns back in 1985 to less than 1ns in 2010.

The faster edge rate for the same frequency and same length trace creates ringing in the un-terminated transmission line. This also has a direct impact on radiated emissions.

Figure 2 shows the massive increase in emissions from the slowest to fastest rise time. When dealing with 1ns rise times, the emissions can easily exceed the FCC/ CISPR Class B limits for an un-terminated transmission line.

Power management Today’s high-density, high-performance FPGAs typically require a

Q Faster edge rates have come about due to moves to lower core voltages and higher operating frequencies.

Q Adequate bulk capacitance in the PDN can help address the monotonic rise of voltage in the core and I/O to steady state levels.

Q PCB stackup should be planned before starting board design, to improve impedance accuracy.

Q Placement and routing are integral to controlling flight time delay and skew.

Q Simulation should be undertaken during the different design stages.

Stackup planning

number of different power supplies to power the core and I/O. These are best sourced from a switch mode power supply.

Core current consumption depends upon utilisation of the part (such as clock speed and internal elements used), but maximum values range from 1.5A to 10A. Current consumption for the I/Os depends

Apart from PDN planning, board stackup integrity is the other issue that is most often overlooked when designing a high-speed board.

Before starting a PCB design, you need to plan the PCB stackup and ensure that the selected substrate materials are available from your chosen fab. Changing the stackup towards the end of the design process could mean changing trace widths and clearances to achieve the correct impedance, creating a lot of additional work and delay.

If you use the same materials that the PCB fabrication shop stocks to build your stackup, then the impedance will be more accurate. If you just choose a convenient number, for core thickness, for example, there may be up to 3 percent difference from what is available; hence, the >>

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impedance will vary by 3 percent.

The popular dielectric material FR4 is available as core or preimpregnated. Isola’s top selling materials are FR406 and FR408.

While FR406 sets the industry standard for basic multilayer PCB fabrication, FR408 is a highperformance FR4 epoxy dielectric for improved signal performance. Its low dielectric constant and low dissipation factor make it an ideal candidate for broadband circuit designs requiring fast signal speeds or improved signal integrity. The high glass transition temperature makes it compatible with ROHS compliant components and most FR4 processes.

The configuration of the PCB stackup depends on many factors but one should ensure that the following rules are followed: • All signal layers should be adjacent to and closely coupled to a reference plane, creating a clear return path and eliminating broadside crosstalk.

• There is good interplane capacitance to reduce inductance at high frequencies.

• High speed signals should be routed between the planes to reduce radiation.

• The substrate should be symmetrical with an even number of layers. This prevents the PCB from warping during manufacture and reflow.

• Stackup should accommodate different technologies.

• Cost should also be addressed.

Figure 8 shows a typical 8 layer stackup that can used for DDR2 designs. It is important to avoid adjacent layer crosstalk by having each signal in a stripline configuration between planes. Also, the highspeed signals should only be routed on these internal stripline layers to avoid microstrip radiation. The stackup should accommodate 50 ohm single ended, 100 ohm differential

Figure 1: Edge rate changes over the past 25 years

Figure 2: Radiated emissions from the 30 ns edge rate (left) and 1ns (right)

and 90 ohm differential impedance for USB (if present).

It is important to keep the AC impedance of the PDN as low as possible over the entire frequency range. Decoupling and bypass capacitors are only effective up to about 400MHz. So to provide suppression at higher frequencies we need to use interplane capacitance. This is achieved by using a thin dielectric between the central power planes.

The power to ground plane capacitance provides an ideal capacitor in that it has no series lead inductance and no equivalent series resistance (ESR). This helps reduce noise at extremely high frequencies.

18 FEBRUARY 2013 www.electronicsnews.com.au

Good interplane capacitance can be achieved by using 4mil plane spacing resulting in 241pF/in2. The higher the better. Whereas, 10mil spacing will only achieve 96.75pF/in2 and 60mil a dismal 16pF/in2.

Placement and routing After the PDN and the stackup are planned, a pre-layout analysis establishes placement and routing rules.

Flight time delay and skew are key pillars in high speed PCB design signal integrity. One of the driving factors for flight time and skew performance is the placement of components. Maximum placement refers to the placement in which the

distances between the devices are the maximum distance permitted.

Controlling this, along with good general design practices, limits maximum trace delay to roughly the longest Manhattan distance of the signals contained in a specific clock domain.

All of the shorter nets in a clock domain must be lengthened to skew match to the longest run length.

Therefore, flight time and skew— for an entire clock domain—are governed by the maximum placement, along with the routing rules that constrain the matching of the trace lengths and differential pairs.

In the classic high-speed design flow, timing specifications simulation results are compared to determine placement and routing constraints.

Given a length constraint, a designer can control signal integrity by controlling the PCB trace topology of the various parts of an interface.

Figure 5 illustrates the timing of the clock compared to the address, control and command signals of a DRR3 memory design. The skew can be up to 200ps for DDR3-800. Also, the skew between data lanes and data strobes should be kept to less than 125ps and the eyes should be wide open. DDR3 is much easier to route, in fact, than DDR2 as leveling can be used to synchronise the delay of groups of signals.

Checks and simulation To ensure design integrity, boardlevel simulation should be done during the design process or before a single chip is placed on the board.

The first simulation is a preliminary batch mode simulation. Default IC characteristics, crosstalk of 150mV maximum and EMC to FCC/ CISPR Class A and B are setup in the simulator. This process automatically scans large numbers of nets on an entire PCB, flagging Signal Integrity, Crosstalk and EMC hot spots.

The post-layout simulation analysis can then be prepared using

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Figure 3: The PDN of a 1.8V DDR2 supply is analyzed by the ICD PDN Planner

Figure 5: Skew of clock to address, control and command signals of DDR3 memory

Figure 4: A typical 8 layer stackup simulated by the ICD Stackup Planner

supplied specifications. This report contains the results of the extensive Interactive Board Level Simulation which takes the analysis to the next level - simulating trouble spots identified by the batch analysis in order to further resolve the issues with greater accuracy.

With the physial information from the PCB database, the critical signals are again checked to ensure that the design is to specification. Figure 6 measures the DQ0 signal at the load. The horizontal noise (top and bottom of the waveform) indicates AC timing noise or jitter outside the differential peak to peak voltage.

Crosstalk is typically picked up on long parallel trace segments. These

can be on the same layer as in Figure 7, but may also be broadside coupled from the adjacent layer.

It is for this reason that orthogonal routing is recommended on adjacent layers (between planes) to minimise the coupling area. This will not occur with the stackup illustrated in Figure 4, because there is only one signal layer between the planes – so this design is very safe as far as broadside crosstalk is concerned.

Get it right first time High-speed boards can be designed to work right the first time, providing you follow a tried and proven process that results in a reli-

Figure 6: Measuring the DQ0 waveform at the load able, manufacturable design that conforms to specifications and is produced on time and to budget.

But simulation tools are not cheap and there is a learning curve associated with complex software, as well as experience requirements.

By utilising a PCB Board Level Simulation Service, you can be assured that your PCB will be reliable, manufactureable, conforms

to specifications and passes the relevant compliancy tests. The simulation can be done before the design is finalised to further reduce production time and costs. Q In-Circuit Design (ICD) developed the ICD Stackup Planner and ICD PDN Planner software, is a PCB Design Service Bureau and specialises in board level simulation. www.icd.com.au

www.electronicsnews.com.au FEBRUARY 2013 19

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Al/Cu wire bonds extend operat Al-clad Cu wire bonds allow an evolution of existing module designs and thus enable reliabili designs, writes Uwe Scheuermann, Product Reliability Manager, Semikron

T

HE demand for an extension of the operation temperature range to 200°C has been promoted by several trends: First, the use of the combustion engine cooling system for cooling power electronic components in hybrid passenger cars requires an extension of the maximum junction temperature since the cooling liquid temperature can be as high as 110-120°C. Secondly, the wide bandgap materials like SiC and GaN are capable of high temperature operation and therefore demand for a packaging technology for higher operation temperatures.

Last but not least, the higher current capability provided by the extended temperature range increases the power density without additional improvements of the power electronic system.

However, the development of power electronic devices with a maximum junction temperature of 200°C must be accompanied by a significant increase of lifetime for the packaging technology. Applying classical lifetime models, this reliability increase must be in the range of a factor of 5.

Dealing with 175°C The latest generations of IGBTs and freewheeling diodes are already rated for maximum junction temperatures of 175°C, up from the former traditional junction temperature limit of 150°C. This required packaging technology improvements: namely, eliminating solder fatigue and enhancing Al wire bond reliability.

These improvements were implemented in the first 100% solder free module SKiM63/93 presented in 2008. The architecture without base plate dealt with solder fatigue, by eliminating both the base plate and the base plate solder interface, and replacing the latter with a Ag sinter

Figure 1: Cross section of an Al-clad Cu wire in radial and longitudinal direction. diffusion layer.

This power module design requires a reliable pressure contact technology and spring contacts for the control contacts, both technologies having been successfully invented and validated in years of field experience by SEMIKRON. Additionally, the reliability of the Al wire bonds had to be improved to enhance the lifetime for 175°C maximum junction temperature. This was achieved by an optimisation of the wire bond geometry. Increasing the loop height of the wire bond can significantly increase the lifetime during repetitive temperature swings in active power cycling tests.

While the reliability enhancement of Al wire bonds with increased aspect ratio (i.e., the ratio of loop height to the distance between bond stitches) is sufficient for maximal junction temperatures up to 175°, a further enhancement is required to fulfill the demand for an extended operation temperature up to 200°C.

Al-clad Cu wire bonds In the 1980s, Heraeus, a major supplier of wire bond material, started to investigate the use of composite materials for wire bonding. The increase of the number of cycles to failure for Al-clad Cu ribbon bonds shifted this technology back into focus in 2007.

Consequently, Heraeus started developing technology for fabri-

20 FEBRUARY 2013 www.electronicsnews.com.au

cating Al-clad Cu wire bond material with a circular cross section.

Fig. 1 shows a cross section of the Al-clad Cu wire bond supplied

by Heraeus for this investigation.

The material consists of 60-70% Cu by volume, which is equivalent to an Al layer thickness of 25-35μm around a 230-250 μm Cu core for a 300μm wire. The high fraction of Cu requires fine-tuned tailoring of mechanical properties for different wire bonding applications. For this reason two different versions have been tested: Type A is the robust version of this Al-clad Cu wire with harder Al material and higher yield strength.

This material combination displays maximum reliability in mechanical cycling due to high work dissipation capability. It is suited for bonding on robust semiconductor surfaces or passive devices.

Type B is the softer version of Al/ Cu wire optimised for better bondability. With softer Al coat and lower yield strength, type B provides a wider bond window and lowers the risk of chip damage. The mechanical cycling reliability is lower than for type A, but still expected to be higher than for pure Al. Type B is more suited for sensitive devices.

Uniaxial mechanical cycling was performed to show the difference between the standard Al wire and the Al-clad Cu wire. A several millimeter long piece of wire was

Figure 2: Measurement of strainstress characteristics of Al and Al/ Cu wire material (left).

Equipment detail for the uniaxial tests, the wire specimen is located between the holders (right).

Figure 3: S-N curve for Al and Al-clad Cu wire (type B) for plastic strain (left) and dissipated work (right). fixed in a measuring device and exposed to periodical stress with defined plastic strain. Two criteria for the deformation process have been applied: constant elongation and constant dissipated work. In Fig. 2 the elongation is shown on the X-axis, the corresponding dissipated work is the integral of elongation over related stress, shown as the area within the hysteresis curve. One characteristic difference between both materials is the higher stress at the same elongation for the Al-clad Cu wire. The enclosed area is “rotated” in Y-axis direction for the Al/Cu wire.

The numbers of mechanical cycles to failure at related strain build the S-N curves shown in Fig. 3. Al-clad Cu wire is able to withstand a higher number of mechanical cycles before breaking compared to Al wire.

Power cycling test A SKiM63 module was selected as the vehicle for the power cycling

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ation temperature ability enhancement in existing system test. In a first test series the “type A” Al-clad Cu wire was compared to the standard Al wire. To avoid heel cracking bond loops with comparable aspect ratios of approx. 0.32 were generated for both wire materials.

As the “type A” wire was still too hard to be successfully bonded onto sensitive IGBT dies, tests could only be performed on diodes. The power cycling was conducted with three different junction temperature swings and all tests were set with relatively small power-on times (1s-2s) to reduce test duration.

In a second test series the “type B” Al/Cu wire was investigated.

Due to the increased softness of the composite material the bonding process was less critical and also IGBT chips could be successfully bonded. Thus, power cycling tests for the “type B” wire were performed on the IGBT chips. As test duration of the ΔTj=70K test was expected to be very long, only test conditions ΔTj=110K and ΔTj=135K were selected for the characterisation of “type B” wire. Table 1 shows the test results in comparison to the diode results of “type A” Al/Cu wire and the standard pure Al wire.

Although the bonding process is less critical for the softer “type B” version of the Al/Cu wire, its power cycling capability is significantly reduced compared to the original “type A” version. Instead of 77,000 cycles to failure only 68,000 cycles could be achieved with the “type B” wire in the ΔTj=135K test. The reduction is even more pronounced for the ΔTj=110K test: The “type B” wire failed after 257,000 cycles.

Compared to the “type A” wire test result of 486,000 cycles, this means a reduction of almost 50%.

Nevertheless, if compared to the standard Al-wire bonds there is still a huge advantage in load cycling capability (factor >4) which is expected to further increase at smaller temperature swings.

It should be emphasised that the

Figure 4: Power cycling results as a function of ΔTj: Comparison of 300μm Al wire bonds with Al-clad Cu-bonds with comparable aspect ratios

Table 1: Power cycling test results for “type A”, “type B” and pure Al wire bonded modules. presented results were obtained on very first samples of the novel composite material and no detailed bond process optimisation was conducted. Further optimisation of the bonding wire material and the corresponding bonding parameters is expected to allow a better trade-off between the excellent wire bond lifetime and the compatibility to establish a stable wire bond process.

Advantages of Al-clad Cu wire bonds Pure Cu wire bonds have been proposed as an alternative to pure Al wire bonds for packages of devices with a maximum junction temperature of 200°C. The implementation of pure Cu heavy wire bonds requires the change of chip metallisation from Al to Cu, which is associated with severe problems. Cu contacts on silicon devices are subjected to diffusion and corrosion. Diffusion of Cu into the semiconductor device can interfere with the electrical function of the device. Corrosion can also

compromise the device functionality if conductive corrosion products interact with the high electrical fields at the passivation edges of high blocking devices. Both problems have to be solved by a suitable design of the contact metallization.

Al-clad Cu wire bonds, however, are compatible with the state-of-theart aluminum metallization on the top side contact of power devices.

They can be applied with minor changes to the bond parameters and do not even require a special bond tool. Therefore, Al-clad Cu wire bonds are ideally suited to increase the wire bond lifetime.

Al-clad Cu vs SEMIKRON SKiN SEMIKRON SKiN technology which replaces the wire bonds with a flexible power layer is a new design approach to address the future needs of power electronics – higher operating temperatures, integration, elimination of thermal grease interface and reliability.

SKiN-technology combines a reduction in thermal resistance and an improved internal parasitic inductance with the enhanced reliability of a wire bond free package technology platform.

However in order to exploit the

advantages of this new technology, the module outline and system configuration must be adapted to this new packaging platform.

Al-clad Cu wire bonds are perfectly suited to replace standard Al heavy wire bond with enhanced Al-clad Cu wires. This replacement does not require additional changes to the module design and can be implemented in any existing module with wire bonded chips.

In combination with a replacement of solder die attach by more reliable technologies as Ag diffusion sintering or Transient Liquid Phase Bonding (TLPB), modules with an extended operation temperature range are feasible without impairing the lifetime expectation.

Therefore, Al-clad Cu wire bonds allow an evolution of existing module designs and thus enable a new degree of reliability in existing system designs.

It should also be noted that comparison of power cycling lifetime is typically related to a fixed temperature swing.

This methodology is acceptable for modules with a comparable thermal resistance. However, when comparing modules with significant differences in thermal resistance (SKiN exhibits a more than 20% reduced thermal resistance compared to classical module) a higher current density is required for the module with the better thermal resistance to generate the same temperature swing. Based on a constant current density, a module with a higher thermal resistance must feature a much higher lifetime in active power cycling to achieve the same performance.

Conclusion: Both technologies, Al-clad Cu wire bonds and the SKiN technology, are required to meet the challenges of improving the energy generation and distribution and to enhance the efficiency of electrical power consumption. Q www.semikron.com www.electronicsnews.com.au FEBRUARY 2013 21

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Understanding oscilloscope prob Technological limitations means probes are often the weakest link in the measurement system. An executive summary from Agilent Technologies.

A

MEASUREMENT system is only as good as its weakest link. The bandwidth of an oscilloscope is always a key banner specification, but there is more to the measurement system than just the oscilloscope.

In fact, the oscilloscope is often not the weakest link in the measurement system. A measurement system also consists of probes, cables, connectors, and even fixtures. Each of these elements has the potential to cause more loss of bandwidth than the oscilloscope.

Oscilloscope vendors continue to have difficulty keeping probing bandwidths on par with oscilloscope bandwidth. Real time oscilloscope bandwidths have achieved up to 63 GHz of bandwidth (Agilent’s DSAX96204Q), yet probe bandwidths are limited to a maximum of 30 GHz (Agilent’s N2803A).

Additionally, different vendors use different methods to correct for frequency response non-linearities.

Probe correction is simply a filter applied to the oscilloscope at run time to make the frequency response of the probe flat.

The difficulty in designing high bandwidth probes as well as the variation in probe correction methods make probes prime candidates to be the weakest link in the measurement system. As a result, for the best measurement accuracy, it is important to look beyond the oscilloscope bandwidth and know the impacts of the probe bandwidth and its frequency response.

When measuring probe frequency response, there are two different methodologies typically used by oscilloscope vendors: Vin/Vout and Vsrc/Vout.

To understand how these are different, one must understand the key terms.

Vin: The voltage at the input of the probe as loaded by the probe Vout: The voltage as seen by the

Vendors continue to have difficulty keeping probe bandwidths on par with oscilloscope bandwidth. oscilloscope via the probe Vsrc: The voltage at the probe tip with an ideal probe, in other words the voltage at the source with no probe connected The goal of Vin/Vout and Vsrc/ Vout frequency response corrections is to keep the response perfectly flat to the bandwidth of the probe. This is done by correcting Vout to equal Vin for Vin/Vout correction or by correcting Vout to equal Vsrc for Vsrc/Vout correction.

Figure 1 graphically shows this depiction for better understanding.

The fundamental difference between these two methods is that one includes probe loading (Vin/ Vout), while Vsrc/Vout ignores the loading effect of the probe in its correction. The Vsrc/Vout assumption is a safe one in a 50 ohm envi-

22 FEBRUARY 2013 www.electronicsnews.com.au

ronment (50 ohms is the assumption of the device impedance) or if the person applying the probe correction knows the impedance of device being probed; but as the transmission line drifts from 50 ohms, it will cause this correction method to be less accurate, unless the correction can be changed with source impedance. Because Vin/Vout correction considers probe impedance, the correction will be correct regardless of the transmission line impedance.

Fundamentally being able to stay accurate regardless of source impedance is one advantage for using the Vin/Vout correction.

If you are unsure what correction method to use, there is a very quick method to measure the response of your probe.

1.

Use the probe calibration/

deskew fixture provided by the oscilloscope vendor (e.g.: Agilent E2655A): connect the fixture to channel 3 of your oscilloscope.

2.

The E2655A provides an input and acts as a through when nothing is connected. Connect the input of the E2655A to a fast calibration edge. For instance, the Agilent 90000 X-Series provide a fast calibration edge on the front panel that works very well for this operation.

Enable the AUX OUT of the oscilloscope to be “Fast Edge”, another example is Agilent’s N2806A calibration edge as it provides sub-10 ps edges.

3.

Trigger on the edge and do the following in channel 3: a. Turn the scope into averaging mode (recommend at least

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obes’ frequency responses 1000 averages) b. Turn on the differentiation math function of the fast step that is captured in step a, this creates a pulse. c. Turn on the Fast Fourier Transfer Function (FFT) of the pulse created in step b. This provides the full voltage of Vsrc (the voltage at the probe tip of an ideal probe). d. Save the FFT created in step c. as memory 1 on the oscilloscope 4.

Connect the probe of your choice (preferably an active probe) to channel 1 of the oscilloscope and probe the tip on the E2655A fixture.

5.

The signal you see on channel 1 is the fast edge loaded by the probe. In this step, the fast edge signal has both the loss of the probe and the probe loading impacting the measurement. Repeat step 3, but using this channel 1 signal (and save to waveform memory 2). You should now have a new frequency response, which is the response of the probe or Vout.

In steps 3 and 4 you have measured Vout and Vsrc. Only one more voltage is needed - Vin. This is the voltage of the probe at the tip of the probe as loaded by the probe. The nice part of this process is that you already have this measurement easily available to you. The through you have from the E2655A is now showing Vin as the signal has changed due to the loading of the probe tip.

6.

To measure Vin, repeat step 3 using channel 3 again, but this time with the probe connected to the fixture. Save the new waveform to memory 3.

Now that you have all three signals, simply use the divide function in the oscilloscope to see the probe correction or the response of the probe. To measure Vin/Vout, divide waveform memory 3 by memory 2. To measure Vsrc/Vout, divide memory 1 by

Figure 1: Fast edge ran through the deskew fixture and deeply averaged.

Figure 2: Pulse created by differentiating the fast edge.

Figure 3: FFT of the source through the deskew fixture.

memory 2.

The goal of an oscilloscope, and ultimately a probe vendor, is to correct the probe response (Vout) such that Vin is equal to Vout for Vin/Vout correction or Vsrc to equal Vout for Vsrc / Vout correction. The reason the vendor wants Vout to resemble Vin (for Vin/Vout correction) is that the vendor does not want its customers to see dramatic differences in measurements caused by the loss of the cable between a measurement that only has probe loading as part of it (Vin) and what the oscilloscope actually sees after probing (Vout). Looking at Vin divided by Vout, the closer this response is to flat, the better the correction and the better the signal on the oscilloscope reflects reality.

Both correction methods have their advantages. Ultimately Vsrc/ Vout corrects the response of the probe with the assumption that the probe has no loading. This correction requires some knowledge of the transmission line being probed.

To correct for Vsrc/Vout, the oscil-

loscope vendor must make an assumption about what your transmission line is for its impedance. The assumption is that it is a 50 ohm line.

While this tends to be the standard, transmission lines vary and once this assumption breaks down, the probe correction becomes less accurate.

The Vin/Vout method includes the loading of the probe and so its correction is independent of the source impedance.

Each oscilloscope vendor chooses for the user the method of probe correction that is applied to their oscilloscope and typically end users do not have control over their correction method. One emerging alternative is software that allows users to choose their method of correction.

Agilent Technologies provides this functionality through its PrecisionProbe software, which allow users to measure and correct the frequency response of the probe. PrecisionProbe software also enables users to choose the correction method. If your transmission line is different than 50 ohms,

PrecisionProbe allows you to choose the source impedance. This makes the Vsrc / Vout method accurate regardless of the source impedance.

Oscilloscope vendors spend years designing high bandwidth probes to give them high bandwidth and high accuracy. Unfortunately, the hardware design is not enough and probes need digital signal processing (DSP) correction to make them more accurate. However, even with this correction, the probe may still be the weakest link in the measurement system. To understand if this is a problem in your measurement system, you need to understand how to measure a probe response and what correction is applied to the probe. Today, tools such as Agilent’s N2809A PrecisionProbe software make measuring the probe frequency response easy and also give oscilloscope users new capabilities.

Understanding this key component in the measurement system will give you more repeatable and accurate measurements. Q www.agilent.com

www.electronicsnews.com.au FEBRUARY 2013 23

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What is a Vector Signal Transce

by Erik Johnson, Product Manager – RF and Wireless Test, National Instruments

S

OFTWARE-defined RF test system architectures have become increasingly popular over the past several decades. Almost every commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) automated RF test system today uses application software to communicate through a bus interface to the instrument.

As RF applications become more complex, engineers are continuously challenged with the dilemma of increasing functionality without increasing test times, and ultimately test cost. Improvements in algorithms, bus speeds, and CPU speeds have reduced test times, but further improvements are needed to address the continued increase in the complexity of RF test applications.

To address the need for speed and flexibility, COTS RF test instruments have increased their usage of fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs).

FPGAs are reprogrammable silicon chips which can be configured to implement custom hardware functionality through software development environments. While this is a good first step forward, typically these FPGAs are closed with fixed personalities designed for specific purposes and allow little customisation. This is where user-programmable FPGAs have a

Figure 2. The flexible digital I/O capability of a vector signal transceiver can control the state of an RF transceiver.

Figure 1. Compare the software-designed approach of a vector signal transceiver with traditional approaches. significant advantage over closed, fixed-personality FPGAs. With userprogrammable FPGAs, engineers can customise the RF instrument to the pin so that it is specifically targeted toward your application needs.

A vector signal transceiver (VST) is a new class of instrumentation that combines a vector signal generator (VSG) and vector signal analyzer (VSA) with FPGA-based real-time signal processing and control. The world’s first vector signal transceiver from National Instruments also features a user-programmable FPGA, which allows custom algorithms to be implemented directly into the hard-

24 FEBRUARY 2013 www.electronicsnews.com.au

ware design of the instrument. This software-designed approach allows a vector signal transceiver to have the flexibility of a software-defined radio (SDR) architecture with RF instrument class performance. Figure 1 illustrates the difference between traditional approaches to RF instrumentation and a software-designed approach with a VST.

LabVIEW FPGA and NI RIO architecture The NI LabVIEW FPGA Module extends the LabVIEW system design software to target FPGAs on NI reconfigurable I/O (RIO) hardware, such as the NI vector signal transceiver. LabVIEW is well suited for FPGA programming because it clearly represents parallelism and data flow, so users can productively apply the power of reconfigurable hardware, regardless of their experience in traditional FPGA design.

LabVIEW is capable of blending processing done on an FPGA and a microprocessor in a way that does not require extensive knowledge of computing architectures and data manipulation. This is crucial for assembling modern communications test systems.

NI vector signal transceiver software is built on this powerful

NI LabVIEW reconfigurable I/O (RIO) architecture, and features a multitude of starting points for your application including application IP, reference designs, examples, and LabVIEW sample projects.

These starting points all feature default LabVIEW FPGA personalities and prebuilt FPGA bitfiles to help users get started quickly.

Enhancing traditional RF test NI VSTs feature both the fast measurement speed and small form factor of a production test box combined with the flexibility and high-performance expectation of instrument-grade box instruments. The VST can thus test standards such as 802.11ac with an error vector magnitude (EVM) of up to -46 dB at 5.8 GHz. Additionally, the transmit, receive, baseband I/Q, and digital inputs and outputs share a common user-programmable FPGA, making the VST much more powerful than traditional box instruments.

Data reduction is a prime example, where decimation, channelisation, averaging, and other custom algorithms allow the FPGA to perform the computationally intensive tasks. This decreases test time by reducing necessary data throughput and processing burden on the host, and allows for increased

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Figure 3. Using a vector signal transceiver for power-level servoing results in much faster convergence on the desired output power level during PA test. averaging, which gives users a higher confidence in their measurement.

The VST can also help to bridge the gap between design and test, allowing test engineers to incorporate or validate aspects of the design before it is complete, while allowing design engineers to use instrumentclass hardware to prototype their algorithms and evaluate their designs earlier in the design flow.

FPGA-Based DUT control and test sequencing In addition to the baseband I/Q data of the RF receiver and transmitter, the PXI vector signal transceiver also features high-speed digital I/O directly connected to the userprogrammable FPGA. This allows users to drastically reduce test times by implementing custom digital protocols to control the device under test (DUT). See Figure 2 for an example. Test sequencing can also be performed on the FPGA, allowing the DUT to change states and sequence through tests in real time.

Example: power amplifier test It is important for power amplifiers (PAs) to have an expected output power, even outside their linear operating modes. To accurately calibrate a PA, a power-level servo

feedback loop is used to determine the final gain. Power-level servoing captures the current output power with an analyser and controls the generator power level until desired power is achieved, which can be a time-consuming process.

As Figure 3 shows, a VST is ideal for power-level servoing. The process can be implemented directly on the user-programmable FPGA, resulting in a much faster convergence on the desired output power value.

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Other RF Applications A VST is more than just an incredibly fast and flexible vector signal analyser and vector signal generator.

The RF receiver, RF transmitter, and user-programmable FPGA also allow a vector signal transceiver to go beyond the traditional VSA/VSG paradigm. For example, the vector signal transceiver can be completely redesigned by the user to perform complex processing for other RF applications such as prototyping new RF protocols, implementing a software defined radio, and channel emulation among others.

Example: MIMO RF signal emulator In recent years, multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) RF technology has grown significantly. RF modulation schemes are also >> www.electronicsnews.com.au FEBRUARY 2013 25

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growing in complexity, RF bandwidth is increasing, and radio spectrums are becoming more crowded.

With these advances, it is important to not only test wireless devices in a static environment, but also to understand how these devices behave in real-world environments.

A radio channel emulator is a tool for testing wireless communication in a real-word environment.

Fading models are used to simulate air interference, reflections, moving users, and other naturally occurring phenomenon that can hamper an RF signal in a physical radio environment. By programming these mathematical fading models onto the FPGA, a vector signal transceiver implements a real-time radio channel emulator. Figure 4 shows a 2x2 MIMO radio channel emulator implemented using two vector signal transceivers in LabVIEW. Settings for the fading models are shown on the left and in the center of the screen.

Figure 4. An example LabVIEW front panel shows the effect of MIMO channel emulation implemented using two vector signal transceivers.

The resulting RF output signals from the fading models were acquired with spectrum analysers and are displayed on the right. These spectral graphs clearly show the spectral nulls that have resulted from the

fading models.

Multiple possibilities The vector signal transceiver represents a new class of instrument that is software designed, with capa-

bilities limited only by the user’s application requirements—not the vendor’s definition of what an instrument should be.

As RF DUTs become more complex and time-to-market requirements become more challenging, this level of instrument functionality shifts control back to the RF designer and test engineer. The examples shown in this document barely scratch the surface of what a vector signal transceiver is capable of. To answer the “What is a vector signal transceiver?” question, you have to first answer the question of “What RF measurement and control problem do you need to solve?”

With the flexibility of an accurate RF transmitter, RF receiver, and digital I/O connected to a userprogrammable FPGA, the vector signal transceiver is more than likely up to the challenge. Q Learn more about the NI vector signal transceiver at ni.com/vst

High-bandwidth chassis

Probes for oscilloscopes

THE NI PXIe-1085 18-slot chassis features a high-bandwidth, all-hybrid backplane to meet a wide range of high-performance test and measurement application needs.

The hybrid connector type in every peripheral slot enables the most flexibility in terms of instrumentation module placement. It also incorporates all the features of the latest PXI specification including support for both PXI and PXI Express modules with a built-in 10 MHz reference clock, PXI trigger bus, and PXI star trigger for PXI modules and a built-in 100 MHz reference clock, SYNC100, and PXI differential star trigger for PXI Express modules.

Featuring PCI Express Generation 2 technology, the NI PXIe-1085 is designed for high-throughput applications. It is capable of 4 GB/s of per-slot bandwidth and 12 GB/s of system bandwidth, enabled by PCIe x8 Gen 2 links to every slot.

It delivers 925W total power over the full temperature range (0-55 °C) without derating. With this design, the power supply can deliver 38.25W of power per slot, for every slot of a filled chassis.

The NI PXIe-1085 chassis monitors power supply health and voltages, air intake temperature, and fan health and speed. It also provides any failure feedback to the user via status LEDs on the front bezel of the chassis.

Furthermore, you can monitor this chassis’ health information remotely with the Ethernet connection on the rear of the chassis via a web service portal.

ROHDE & Schwarz is introducing the R&S RT-ZS60 and RT-ZD01 probe models, catering for high bandwidth and high voltage test applications.

The R&S RT-ZS60 active voltage probe is suited for tasks requiring ground-referenced measurements of signal integrity. This includes tests on fast interfaces such as DDR memory modules or general analyses for A&D, research and consumer electronics.

The RT-ZS60 is said to be the first compact, ground-referenced 6 GHz probe on the market. It features extremely low loading of the test point (1 megaohm, 0.3 pF) for both DC as well as high frequencies, minimal noise (2 mV RMS) and high linearity (70 dB THD). The frequency-independent and high dynamic range of +/- 8 V also makes it possible to perform measurements on very fast signals with large amplitudes.

In addition, the probe can be used with the optional R&S RT-ZA9 adapter on Rohde & Schwarz signal and spectrum analysers.

The R&S RT-ZD01 active differential high-voltage probe offers a selectable measurement range, which provides the ideal dynamic range with its maximum measurement voltage of 1 kV (RMS).

The certification for the CAT III safety rating allows measurements all the way to the building installation. For measurements on differential signals, the RT-ZD01 probe offers extremely high precision due to its common mode rejection ratio of –80 dB. It also ensures very low loading of the test point.

National Instruments 1800 300 800 www.ni.com 26 FEBRUARY 2013 www.electronicsnews.com.au

Rohde & Schwarz 02 8874 5111 www.rohde-schwarz.com.au

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Custom instruments with new IP NATIONAL Instruments has announced 10 pieces of new application IP which will allow engineers and scientists to use NI LabVIEW system design software to build their own custom RF instruments.

The new IP integrates with PXI FPGA targets such as the NI PXIe5644R vector signal transceiver (VST) and adds new features or enhances performance focused on specific applications.

Each piece of IP is available in a stand-alone package so users can add it to one of the default VST personalities and mix and match the relevant components for their applications.

The IP is also prebuilt into examples to provide immediate access to its functionality. This eliminates the need for the user to compile the code and reduces development time.

According to NI, its Alliance Partners and third-party developers are also creating IP and developing software add-ons for the VST. National Instruments 1800 300 800 www.ni.com

Mini SMT test point NPA is now distributing a new miniature SMT test point from Keystone Electronics, featuring symmetrical flat-wire design to efficiently and safely test PCBs. The latest “mini-pad” version enables high-strength, test pointto-PCB bonding, while retaining a minimal footprint.

The low profile SMT test point accepts a variety of gripping probes to replace wire-wrap posts and turret terminals, and is suited for testing high density PCB packages.

The product is manufactured from

Phosphor Bronze and Silver Plate which can accommodate the use of both lead-free solder and traditional reflow processing. Packaging is on tape and reel with Catalog No. 5019 on 1,000 piece reels; Catalog No. 5029 on 5,000 piece reels.

All are compatible with most vacuum and mechanical pick and place assembly systems.

NPA 08 8268 2733 www.npa.com.au

Miniature power supplies

Safe dew-point transmitter AMS Instrumentation & Calibration is now distributing Michell Instruments’ newly upgraded Easidew I.S. intrinsically safe dewpoint transmitter.

The upgraded transmitter has enhanced performance and three process connection options: ¾” UNF, 5/6” UNF and G½” BSP. Two new sample blocks for the ¾” UNF and G½” BSP threads are also available.

The Easidew I.S. now has certification from IECEx in addition to ATEX, FM and CSA, making it suitable for use around the world in zones 0, 1 and 2.

The instrument has a wide measurement range of -100 to +20°C dew point with ±2°C accuracy.

Applications include monitoring moisture in H2 generation, controlling moisture levels in pipeline transmission and moisture measurement in hazardous areas within the power generation industry.

All transmitters in the range use Michell’s advanced ceramic moisture sensor. This sensor is coupled with microprocessor-based measurement circuits to produce a calibrated unit which is fully interchangeable.

The transmitter has IP66

APEX Electronics is now distributing MicroPower Direct’s MPM-01V family of miniature, single output 1W AC/DC power supplies.

The power supplies provide local/isolated power while meeting the tight space constraints of high density board level power applications.

Six models operate from a wide universal input of 85 to 305 VAC. providing tightly regulated outputs of 3.3, 5, 9, 12, 15, and 24 VDC. Standard features include filtering to EN55022 Class B, I/O isolation of 3k VAC, and tight line/load regulation. All models are protected for overload and short circuit faults.

Apex Electronics +64 4385 3404 nz.apexelex.com

(NEMA4) environmental protection and is able to operate safely in pressures up to in 450 barg.

AMS Instrumentation & Calibration 03 9017 8225 www.ams-ic.com.au

Embedded gateway module ELECOM Electronics Supply has released the Multitech Open Communications Gateways Embedded (OCG-E) module.

The module is part of the

MultiConnect OCG-E embedded open communications gateways line, which comprise an open Linux development environment and hardware which includes multiple interfaces and internal peripherals.

By bringing together a cellular hardware development kit and Multi-Tech’s CoreCDP, a distribution version of the Linux operating system and complete Linux build environment, designers can create custom applications quickly.

Applications that require device networking capability can reside directly on select gateways.

The gateway module is based on a 400 MHz ARM9 CPU, includes 256MB NAND flash and 64MB SDRAM, offers 2G or 3G connectivity, and houses an 80-pin board-toboard connector.

Elecom Electronics Supply 03 9790 6259 www.elecomes.com

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NEW PRODUCTS

SPOTLIGHT

cation development and helps to extend application lifecycles as it enables migration to emerging hardware communication standards, such as 10G and 40G Ethernet. The software streamlines the task of interCPU communication in VPX system architectures.

variety of different coaxial connectors, including SMA, N-type and TNC. As an option, the device can also be supplied with an integral slipring assembly.

Link Microtek +44 (0)1256 355771 www.linkmicrotekeng.com

Kontron Australia 02 9457 0047 www.kontron.com.au

Mixed-signal oscilloscopes AGILENT Technologies has expanded its Infiniium 90000 X-Series oscilloscope family, adding six new mixed-signal oscilloscopes (MSO), and 13-GHz DSO and DSA models.

The digital channels of the new MSO models can function at 20 GSa/s in an eight-channel configuration, 60 percent faster than other highperformance MSOs, or at 10 GSa/s in a 16-channel configuration.

Agilent now offers MSOs ranging from 70 MHz to 33 GHz of true analogue bandwidth. This allows engineers to accurately debug and validate emerging technologies such as DDR4-3200. The new 13-GHz DSO, DSA and MSO models give engineers access to the industry’s lowest noise and jitter measurement floors of the Infiniium 90000 X-Series at an unprecedented low price.

Agilent Technologies 03 9560 7133 www.agilent.com

PCI Express breakthrough KONTRON and PLX Technology have announced an industry breakthrough in the deployment of PCI Express (PCIe) technology as a backplane interconnect.

Built around PLX ExpressLane PCIe 3.0 (Gen3) switches, Kontron’s VX3042 and VX3044 Intel Core i7-based single-board computers (SBCs) routinely achieve 5.6 gigabytes per second (GB/s) in data throughput between any boards in a VPX rack.

In addition to having two 10 Gigabit Ethernet channels already featured on the boards, VXFabric implements TCP/IP over PCI Express as a second data plane for higherperformance embedded computing.

According to Kontron, the combination of features on its SBCs enables efficient system convergence, as all devices and subsystems

offer native PCIe, which permits immediate use of an existing infrastructure, thereby lowering latency, cost and power.

The computers run Kontron’s VXFabric software which interfaces between the PLX ExpressLane switch and the bottom of a standard TCP/IP stack, which allows the boards to use their existing TCP/ IP-based application without having to be modified.

Kontron claims the SBCs allow a tenfold increase in embedded computing I/O performance with absolutely no porting effort.

PLX switches offer the ability to combine different data types in a single converged pathway. Data (compute, communication or storage) are created and consumed as PCIe on each of the slots in the rack, delivering efficiency both in hardware architectural and software usage.

Kontron VXFabric software simplifies and accelerates appli-

28 FEBRUARY 2013 www.electronicsnews.com.au

Benchtop soldering machine Rotary joint for airborne comms LINK Microtek has introduced a new dual-channel rotary joint specifically aimed at applications in Ka-band satellite communications systems on board aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The AM28RJUD features a WR28 waveguide channel for transmissions in the 26.5 to 40GHz frequency band at up to 100W CW, combined with a DC-2GHz coaxial channel for receive.

The rotary joint complies with the RTCA DO-160 [AD/1] specification, which details environmental conditions and test procedures for airborne equipment.

To operate at the high frequencies of the Ka band, the device has small physical dimensions, measuring 42mm between waveguide flanges, and with an overall length of 120mm between coaxial connectors.

The non-contacting design of the waveguide channel makes for an inherently high power handling capability of 100W CW, together with a VSWR of 1.2:1 and a typical insertion loss of 0.6dB. The coaxial channel has a VSWR of 1.5:1 and an insertion loss of less than 0.4dB, while isolation between the two channels is better than 65dB. Available fabricated in either aluminium or brass as standard, the AM28RJUD can be specified with a

MANNCORP has released its new ULTIMA TR2 selective benchtop soldering machine for low- to medium-volume assemblers.

The TR2 has a 15.9kg capacity solder pot which handles lead-free or conventional Sn/Pb solders. An integral nitrogen hood with micro pre-heater inerts the solder site and stabilises the wave temperature.

The machine includes point-topoint and drag soldering functions, along with settings for solder pump speed, wave height control, dip height and dwell parameter settings, are fully programmable to ensure perfect, highly repeatable solder joint quality.

A high-precision, three-axis drive mechanism moves the PCB rather than the solder pot, providing a positional accuracy of ±0.01 mm.

Operators are able to monitor live video of the soldering process via the included bottom-side camera.

The TR2 works in conjunction with the ULTIMA SP benchtop fluxing system. Separating the fluxing and soldering functions between the two machines provides faster throughput and more reliable, higher quality results.

The SP applies flux precisely where it’s needed using high-precision, low-pressure air/flux atomization nozzles. A single SP fluxer can support up to three TR2 selective soldering systems.

Manncorp www.manncorp.com

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NEW PRODUCTS

Email your product news to editor@electronicsnews.com.au SPOTLIGHT

Automotive highside switches STMICROELECTRONICS has released the latest generation of its intelligent high-side switch integrated circuits (ICs) for automotive electronics lights and body modules.

According to ST, the VIPower M0-7 series provides enhanced intelligent features, improved protection and reliability and are up to 40 percent smaller than alternatives.

Intelligent high-side switches provide a more reliable and efficient replacement for conventional relays.

The VIPower range is offered in a common package style for many devices in the range.

This allows tier-one suppliers to build several module variants using the same basic hardware and software so car makers can address differing requirements in international markets and offer various model specifications and options cost-effectively.

Three quarters of the products in the M0-7 series are available in a 5 x 4mm package, which is 40 percent smaller than the smallest competing devices. This allows car electronics designers to save pc-board space and aim for smaller module sizes.

Improvements include greater protection against short circuits, more accurate voltage and temperature feedback, increased currentsense precision, and best-in-class EMI protection.

The M0-7 series provide precise load-current, voltage and temperature-monitor feedback, an integrated sense multiplexer, power-limitation and over-temperature latch-off, reverse-polarity protection and ultralow quiescent current.

STMicroelectronics 02 8338 1172 www.st.com

6D inertial measurement unit

element14 extends Phoenix Contact range

HONEYWELL has introduced a sixdimensional Inertial Measurement Unit which provides accurate and stable motion, position and navigational sensing within a single device.

The Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) features microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology to sense translational movement in three perpendicular axes (surge, heave, sway) and rotational movement about three perpendicular axes (roll, pitch, yaw).

The 6DF Series IMU measures the motion of the equipment onto which it is attached and delivers the data to the equipment’s control module using CAN SAE J1939.

ELEMENT14 is now distributing an extended range of Phoenix Contact’s PCB connectors and terminal blocks.

According to the companies, sales of Phoenix Contact’s products on element14 have increased every quarter. Recently, Phoenix Contact awarded element14’s sales and e-commerce teams with its “Best Sales Collaboration 2012” award. element14’s inventory of Phoenix Contact products includes its PCB connectors which provide universal conductor connection and cover all possible applications in industrial and semi-industrial environments; part numbers 1757242, 1757268.

These PCB connectors support all industry-standard assembly processes such as wave soldering, surface mount technology, through hole reflow soldering, press-in technology.

Top selling terminal blocks from Phoenix Contact, part numbers 1725656, 1725669, with screw or spring connection feature high power (transmission of up to 125 A UL) and high flexibility; stackable and can accommodate many pole counts on different planes.

Honeywell 02 9353 7000 www.honeywell.com

element14 1300 361 005 au.element14.com

TCO for portable device batteries MOUSER Electronics is distributing TE Connectivity’s MHP-TA resettable thermal cut-off (TCO) devices for use with high-capacity lithium polymer (LiP) and prismatic cells.

The new MHP-TA series offers overtemperature protection for LiP and prismatic cells in media tablets, notebook PCs, electronic readers and other ultra-thin portable electronics.

It is an extension of TE Circuit Protection’s innovative MHP (Metal Hybrid PPTC) technology, which connects a bimetal protector in parallel with a PPTC (polymeric positive temperature coefficient) device.

The resettable TCO devices have ultra-low profile, with dimensions of 5.8mm x 3.75mm x 1.15mm, and a 9V DC rating.

Mouser Electronics +85 2 3756 4700 www.mouser.com

IP65 heavy industrial panel PC ICP Electronics has announced the PPC-5150A-H61 heavy industrial panel PC series from IEI Technology.

The 15 to 19” industrial panel PC range is designed with a heavyduty, rust resistant chassis and an aluminium IP66 compliant front panel. Expanded operating temperature of -20 to +60 degrees Celsius allow for applications in extreme industrial or weather conditions.

The panel PCs are powered by 2nd/3rd Generation Intel Core i7/ i5/i3, Pentium and Celeron processors, and support the new Intel H61 chipset. The system memory supports dual-channel DDR3 SO-DIMM up to 16GB (compared to the G41, at 4GB).

The PPC-5150A-H61 also features Dual gigabit Ethernet and offers panel, wall, rack or stand mounting.

The PPC drive bay supports a CF

Type II Solid State Drive, with an optional mSATA. Expansion options include either 1 x PCI slot or 1 x PCIe slot, plus 1 x PCIe Mini card.

Each model features a built-in AC/DC power supply. The AT/ATX power switch and CMOS reset button are easily accessible.

ICP Electronics Australia 02 9457 6011 www.icp-australia.com.au>>

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NEW PRODUCTS

Email your product news to editor@electronicsnews.com.au SPOTLIGHT

Power tester

Embedded computer modules Congatec has launched new COM Express standard embedded computer modules for 3rd generation Intel Core processors.

According to Congatec, it now provides maximum graphics and processing power for both Type 2 and Type 6 Pin-out.

The 3rd generation Intel Core processors feature 3D tri-gate transistor design, 22-nm production and a more tightly integrated graphics core.

Featuring up to 16 GB of fast dual-channel DDR3 memory (1600 MHz) the modules include support for security features like Intel Virtualisation Technology and Intel Active Management Technology 8.0.

The conga-TS77 module variant is based on the Type 6 Pin-out for new designs and supports four native USB 3.0 ports.

The company is also offering two module variants for Type 2 Pin-out on COM Express which provide maximum graphics performance. congatec Australia 07 5520 0841 www.congatec.com

Module for temperature measurement PHOENIX Contact says its Axioline real-time I/O system can now perform temperature measurement with thermocouples using the new AXL UTH 8 module.

The real-time I/O system already features digital and analogue inputs and outputs, resistive temperature measurement, counter measurement, and absolute encoder measurement.

Because of their efficiency and

properties, thermocouples are frequently used in applications where temperatures above 250°C must be measured. These applications include ovens and plastic machines, as well as internal combustion engines, where exhaust temperatures are measured.

The eight channels are connected using direct plug technology without the use of tools. When used in areas with high EMC loads, the module’s high-impedance decoupled inputs and configurable input filters make possible very high common-mode interference suppression.

With 16-bit measured value resolution, a measuring accuracy of ±0.6 °C can be achieved. Furthermore, the module features integrated wire break detection for ensuring reliable fault detection.

30 FEBRUARY 2013 www.electronicsnews.com.au

Phoenix Contact 1300 786 411 www.phoenixcontact.com.au

POWER Parameters has released the Hioki 3193-10 HiTESTER which provides a plethora of power measurement functions.

The instrument is suitable for voltage, current, voltage/current peak, active power, reactive power, apparent power, power factor, phase angle, frequency, current integration, power integration, load rate, and efficiency measurement (for example motor drives) for circuits including single-phase 2-wire, singlephase 3-wire, three-phase 3-wire, and three-phase 4-wire systems.

The Hioki 3193-10 Power HiTester voltage measurement range covers 6, 15, 30, 60, 150, 300, 600 and 1000V. The current range covers 200 mA, 500 mA, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 amps direct input. Power range for direct inputs is from 1.2 W to 150 kW, depending on measurement mode and combination of voltage and current ranges.

The 3193-10 Power HiTester provides various functions including waveform peak measurement, D/A output, external control, scaling, averaging, and back up functions.

The instrument is provided with RS-232C and GP-IB interfaces.

Power Parameters 1800 623 350 www.parameters.com.au

USB 2.0 hi-speed controller IC FUTURE Technology Devices International (FTDI), available from Glyn High-Tech Distribution, has released a USB 2.0 hi-speed host controller IC. The FT313H host controller IC is easy to integrate into existing designs, and supports standard USB 2.0 drivers. The device adds high speed connectivity capability into a system, enabling fast data transfers,

mass storage thumb-drives, addition of wireless dongles and modular system expansion.

The IC supports USB 2.0 hi-speed (480 Mbits/s), as well as full-speed (12 Mbit/s) and low-speed (1.5 M bit/s) implementations.

The device runs off a 3.3V supply, with IO levels configurable between 1.8V and 3.3V drawing approximately 78 mA when in full operation and just under 200 μA while in suspend mode. The built-in 24 kByte high speed RAM memory executes data transfer and buffering.

The FT313H has an operational temperature range -40 °C to 85 °C. Glyn High-Tech Distribution 02 8850 0320 www.glyn.com.au

Power measurement software YOKOGAWA has released a power measurement software package for its range of power analysers.

The software, designed for use with the Yokogawa WT210, WT500, WT1800 and WT3000 power analysers, is targeted at manufacturers of electrical appliances and related equipment, and compliance testing laboratories.

The software provides a complete solution for the latest standby power testing standards, including IEC62301 Ed.2.0 (international) and EN50564:2011 (European) standards.

The IEC62301 Ed.2.0 and EN50564:2011 standards define the relevant test conditions for accurate measurement of standby power, and emphasise the fact that determination of the relevant low power levels requires accurate measurement.

The new standards help ensure that power efficiency is incorporated into all the key stages of the product manufacturing process, helping with the development of standardscompliant products with lower standby power consumption.

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Up close

5minutes with...

Richard Inwood - Manager Business & People at Tindo Solar Why did you choose this industry?

I spent 11 years with CSIRO in research, which led me to an interest in renewable energy and in particular, PV. I originally went into retail, and manufacturing is for us the obvious extension of retail.

What excites you the most about the local electronics industry?

Two key things: the ability to employ Australians in a brand new manufacturing space with automation and high quality; and giving Australians access to an Australian-made module.

We have robots in the factory, a lot of machines with fine tolerances to make quality panels along with many machines that assess and test the quality as the panels go through the process line from wafer to manufactured panel.

It is high tech, innovative, high skilled, and it’s also about new skills and jobs.

I also hope to offer Australians the opportunity to purchase an Australian-

made module rather than imported modules.

What is the future of the electronics industry in Australia?

There are difficulties ahead while we have a number of countries such as China and India dumping a whole range of electronic equipment in Australia.

While that situation is prevalent, manufacturing will always be difficult here.

What can the government do to ensure a healthy electronics industry?

In defence, and in all government procurement, there should be some support of local manufacturers.

It’s encouraging people who are using taxpayers’ money to utilise Australiamanufactured products. At the end of the day, Australian manufacturers are the ones paying the taxes, so why not use some of those dollars to support local electronics manufacturing?

What opportunities are the Australian electronics industry missing out on?

Australian electronics manufacturers should focus on the high-end, high-tech, high-knowledge, high-education space.

This is the innovation, the bit that other countries can’t work out. Those kind of products that are leading edge, that are renewable, and particularly clever.

We should not focus on the low-end technology space. We have a reasonable education system and pretty good research and engineering entities in Australia. We should be leveraging universities, TAFEs and colleges, their research to apply that to Australian manufacturing.

We are not doing that very well at the moment. Anything we can do that fosters those good research programs, and yield an end use that is high tech that we can then export overseas, would be fabulous for the electronics manufacturing sector in this country. Q www.tindosolar.com.au

SPOTLIGHT

The software facilitates communications between the host PC and the relevant Yokogawa instrument, measurement of power data as defined in the standards, report preparation and production, and saving of information to the appropriate storage medium.

Electrical parameters measured include total harmonic distortion, crest factor, voltage, frequency, power variation and accumulated energy. Although not required by the standard, apparent power and power factor are also measured as reference values.

The software uses both the sampling method and the average reading method defined in the standard, and provides a measurement time check. An “auto” measurement mode checks data stability every ten seconds according to the algorithms defined in IEC62301 and can automatically end the test once stability and the test conditions have been met.

Yokogawa Australia 02 8870 1100 www.yokogawa.com

Recom products are RoHS2-ready RECOM Electronic says its products are already RoHS2 certified, in line

with the new European Directive 2011/65/EU which came into effect January 2013.

All CE-marked products must now include RoHS2 in their Declaration of Conformity.

RoHS2 is a European Directive applying to all products sold in Europe. These products may not contain any of six banned chemicals (with a few very special exceptions).

The RoHS2 directive is designed to protect the environment from hazardous chemicals in products and the six banned substances are strictly limited to less than 0.1% by weight (0.01% for Cadmium). The only way to prove that the products are RoHS2 compliant is to do a full chemical analysis.

RECOM has recently renewed the RoHS certificates for its whole product portfolio to ensure that all of their products are still compliant with the RoHS2 directive. The new certificates are available on request.

The company offers constant current dimmable LED drivers, DC/ DC converters, switching regulators, and single, dual, and triple output AC/DC modules for the industrial, lighting, medical, military and telecommunications industries.

Recom Asia +65 6276 8795 www.recomasia.com

Wideband synthesiser TEXAS Instruments has introduced a wideband frequency synthesiser with integrated voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) which delivers the industry’s lowest phase noise.

The LMX2581 synthesiser features a ultra-low noise phase-locked loop (PLL) with phase noise of -229 dBc/Hz and the industry’s highest phase detector frequency at 200MHz. It also displays the flexibility of a wideband frequency synthesiser that outputs 50 to 3760 MHz, eliminating the multiple VCO/PLL combinations typically required to support a broad range of applications.

Designers can now use a single unit to support a variety of demanding applications in wireless, radar, medical, and test and measurement.

Texas Instruments 1800 999 084 www.ti.com

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