Transmission-Line Pulse (TLP) is a way to study
integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Large numbers of tiny ...
technologies and circuit behavior in the current and time domain of
electrostatic-discharge (ESD) events. The concept was described shortly after
WWII in pp. 175–189 o
Pulse Generators Vol. 5 of the
MIT Radiation Lab Series. Also, D. Bradley, J. Higgins, M. Key, and S. Majumdar realized a TLP-based laser-triggered spark gap for kilovolt pulses of accurately variable timing in 1969. For investigation of ESD and
electrical-overstress (EOS) effects a measurement system using a TLP generator has been introduced first b
T. Maloney and N. Khurana in 1985 Since then, the technique has become indispensable for integrated circuit ESD protection development.
The TLP technique is based on charging a long, floating cable to a pre-determined voltage, and discharging it into a
Device-Under-Test (DUT). The cable discharge emulates an electro-static discharge event, but employing
time-domain reflectometry (TDR), the change in DUT impedance can be monitored as a function of time.
The first commercial TLP system was developed by Barth Electronics in 1990s. Since then, other commercial systems have been developed (e.g., b
Thermo Fisher Scientific Grundtech
ESDEMC Technology High Power Pulse Instruments, Hanwa, TLPsol).
A subset of TLP, VF-TLP (Very-Fast Transmission-Line Pulsing), has lately gained popularity with its improved resolution and bandwidth for analysis of ephemeral ESD events such as CDM (Charged Device Model) events. Pioneered by academia (University of Illinois) and commercialized by Barth Electronics, VF-TLP has become an important ESD analysis tool for analyzing modern high-speed semiconductor circuits.
TLP Standards
ANSI/ESD STM5.5.1-2016 Electrostatic Discharge Sensitivity Testing – Transmission Line Pulse (TLP) – Component Level
ANSI/ESD SP5.5.2-2007 Electrostatic Discharge Sensitivity Testing - Very Fast Transmission Line Pulse (VF-TLP) - Component Level
IEC 62615:2010 Electrostatic discharge sensitivity testing - Transmission line pulse (TLP) - Component level
See also
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Human-body model
G. N. Glasoe and J. V. Lebacqz. ''Pulse Generators'', volume 5 of MIT Radiation Laboratory Series. McGraw-Hill, New York, 1948, pp. 175-189.* D. Bradley, J. Higgins, M. Key, and S. Majumdar, "A simple laser-triggered spark gap for kilovolt pulses of accurately variable timing," Opto-Electronics Letters, vol. 1, pp. 62–64, 1969.
External links
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Introduction of Transmission Line Pulse (TLP) Testing for ESD Analysis -Device LevelCable Discharge Event (CDE) Automated Evaluation System Based on TLP MethodCharacterizing Touch Panel Sensor ESD Failure with IV-Curve TLPTVS Failure Level Tests Comparison Between ESD Gun, TLP & HMMAdvanced Frequency Compensation Method for VF-TLP Measurement (up to 10 GHz)ESD Failure Analysis of PV Module Diodes and TLP Test Methods*
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*{{cite web, url=https://www.sites.google.com/site/esdpubs/documents/tlp85.pdf, title=Transmission Lines Pulsing Techniques, website=Sites.google.com, accessdate=26 June 2019
Integrated circuits
Electrical breakdown