Holistic Circuit Card Testing using Nanoscale Sensors

Advances in nanotechnology and imaging, using Terahertz (THz) radiation and other techniques, are applied to create a completely new method for evaluating electronic circuit cards. These technologies are used to implement a complementary testing methodology that utilizes the strengths of each approach to investigate a broad range of physical, electrical, thermal and mechanical failure modes that are not identifiable using these technologies in a singular fashion. Our imaging methods can look through integrated circuit substrates, discrete electronic components, connectors, and printed circuit boards to detect evidence of failures within. In addition, nanoscale sensors are tuned to detect the chemical and physical properties of electronic device failure. Such an approach facilitates the construction of a multidimensional model of the UUT through which a truly holistic approach to circuit board testing, involving evaluating the circuit board as an entirety of its component characteristics rather than the sum of individual parametric measures. Moreover, our approach adds several more dimensions to failure identification that are not even considered using LASAR and other contemporary test methodologies. This technology can be inserted into a man-portable, lightweight container capable of being easily transported by Humvee and remotely controlled ground or air vehicles.