Low-cost high-performance DC plus RF accelerated life-test system

A novel design has been developed for an elevated-temperature RF life-test system which has achieved the goals of maintaining a low cost, a high degree of flexibility and a high level of system reliability. The design uses simple techniques to achieve a baseplate temperature of up to 250°C for the packaged device under test (DUT) while the RF and DC circuitry remains cool at less than 65°C. An FR4 printed circuit board is utilized for combining the DC bias and the 2 GHz RF signal, and allows easy modification for RF matching, oscillation suppression, and DC biasing options. Each DUT has its own temperature controller and its own DC voltage supplies, which allow each of the 16 DUTs to have different operating conditions if needed. All units are driven by the same RF source which is split 16 ways and can deliver up to 0.5 W to each DUT