Implementation of the Tests for Industrial Use

In the preceding chapters a series of analog tests have been described which can be performed on digital ICs to assess their quality of manufacture and hence their probable lifetime in use. The description has concentrated on the tests themselves, the way in which they are performed, their sensitivity, their ability to detect weak devices and a justification for supposing that the test results actually produce a measure of the quality of the device. The development of the tests, their assessment and their verification in sample batches of stressed devices has been carried out under laboratory conditions such that the basis of the tests is fully understood. The results suggested strongly that for the CMOS family studied, the tests can be a valuable set of laboratory procedures.