Methods of Testing Discrete Semiconductors in the 1149.4 Environment

This paper describes measurement methods for testing discrete semiconductors in the environment defined by the IEEE 1149.4 standard for a mixed-signal bus. First, the paper introduces and illustrates measurement procedures for obtaining such essential electrical parameters of diodes and transistors as can be used for testing and identification. Then, the procedures are carried out and the achieved measurement results presented. To demonstrate the usability of the measurement procedures, the paper then presents test methods and measurement results for discrete component blocks. The results indicate that testing and measuring some of the electrical parameters of discrete semiconductors is possible in the 1149.4 environment. These parameters allow the determination of whether the component under test is working properly or not. Our tests only covered the semiconductors’ DC features, disregarding their AC features. Also discussed are limitations of the 1149.4 environment in discrete semiconductor testing.

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