Automated EEPROM Tester Capable of Batch Testing for Reliability Analysis using Accelerated Aging Conditions

The development of a EEPROM tester capable of unattended batch testing for reliability analysis is proposed. The proposed test bed is capable of operating under the test conditions required for accelerated aging such as high temperature and high cycling rates. The tester is also capable of characterizing data retention and endurance for EEPROMs commonly found in avionics. The proposed tester makes use of a PC compatible computer and of a bank of microprocessors to independently and simultaneously exercise a large number of devices through multiple read and write cycles. The software polling of the independent microprocesors allows to generate the statistics for the various devices under tests as well as complete identification of the type of failure observed. Full control of the ambient temperature for the tests is achieved through the use of an oven and temperature controllers with set points defined by software for unattended operation. The system is flexible enough to enable other types of reliability and endurance studies such as degradation caused by total dose accumulation and single event upsets. As part of this work, a large number of EEPROM devices found in the F/A 18 avionics will be tested and the results reported.