A Versatile and Compact USB System for Electrical and Thermal Characterization of Non-Volatile Memories

This paper presents a multipurpose, versatile and portable test equipment suitable for non-volatile memories performance evaluation. The system is based on a reconfigurable testing board which can be controlled and programmed by a personal computer through the USB interface. The proposed solution allows the device under test to be supplied with the required bias and control signals and to be measured by means of analog and digital acquisition channels. The system was conceived for the testing of program and erase algorithm to be used for non-volatile flash memories as well as for the temperature characterization of analog integrated circuits. In fact, the availability of a large number of signals (each one having independent and programmable voltage range) make it possible to easily implement flexible control routines needed for the testing of integrated devices which, in our case, typically include only a memory array. A smart graphic interface and the use of well known programming languages simplify the test flow and the processing of the measured data thus allowing fast and efficient device characterization