TWI840063B - Temperature-related reliability test system and method thereof for radio frequency device - Google Patents

Abstract

A temperature-related reliability test system for a radio frequency device is for the radio frequency device to perform a temperature-related reliability test. The temperature-related reliability test system for the radio frequency device includes a temperature-controlled chamber, at least one temperature sensor and a control unit. The control unit includes a processor and a storage medium, and the storage medium is configured to provide a temperature-related reliability test program. During an adjusting period before entering the temperature-related reliability test, the control unit based on the temperature-related reliability test program is configured to read and evaluate an adjusting temperature, which is sensed by the temperature sensor, and is configured for adjusting at least one electrical parameter of the radio frequency device according to the adjusting temperature so as to determine the electrical parameter that satisfies a temperature condition of the temperature-related reliability test. Therefore, it is beneficial to protect the radio frequency device in the temperature-related reliability test.

Description

RF device temperature-related reliability test system and method

The present disclosure relates to a temperature-related reliability test system and method for a radio frequency device, and in particular to a temperature-related reliability test system and method for a radio frequency device for adjusting radio frequency device parameters during a debugging period before entering a temperature-related reliability test.

With the advancement of technology and the popularization of wireless communication products, people's requirements for radio frequency (RF) devices are increasing, and the reliability tests of RF devices are becoming more and more stringent.

Among the temperature-related reliability tests of many RF devices, for example, the purpose of the High Temperature Operating Life Test (HTOL) is to accelerate the aging of RF devices, modules or components in a high temperature environment to evaluate the failure rate. Usually, the RF device is operated at the maximum operating power at the highest ambient temperature, but it cannot exceed the design limit of the components of the RF device and be damaged. During the test process, in addition to maintaining the consistency of the entire environment as much as possible, the state of the RF device (i.e. the DUT or the sample under test) must be fully monitored, especially the operating temperature.

Furthermore, before officially entering the high-temperature working life test, various parameters need to be predefined, such as oven temperature, RF device operating parameters (such as RF power, frequency band, transmission or reception mode, etc.). However, the debugging process in the prior art can only preset a set of parameters based on past experience, record each experimental set of data, and then select the best one. Therefore, the prior art has the disadvantages that each set of experiments and data collection processes are long (for example, at least six to eight hours), and the pre-set parameters may not be the best combination.

Based on the above, how to improve the temperature-related reliability test system and method of RF devices to reduce the total time and human confirmation resources required for the test and effectively achieve the test purpose has become an important issue of concern today.

The present disclosure provides a temperature-dependent reliability test system and method for a radio frequency device, which adjusts at least one electrical parameter of the radio frequency device according to a debugging temperature during the debugging period to determine the electrical parameter that meets the temperature condition of the temperature-dependent reliability test, thereby protecting the radio frequency device during the temperature-dependent reliability test and effectively achieving the test purpose.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a temperature-related reliability test system for a radio frequency device is provided, which is used for performing a temperature-related reliability test on a radio frequency device. The temperature-related reliability test system for a radio frequency device includes a temperature-controlled chamber, at least one temperature sensor, and a control unit. The temperature-controlled chamber is used to accommodate the radio frequency device. The temperature sensor is disposed inside the temperature-controlled chamber. The control unit includes a processor and a storage medium, wherein the storage medium provides a temperature-related reliability test program, and the control unit is used to communicate with each of the temperature-controlled chamber, the temperature sensor, and the radio frequency device. During the debugging period before entering the temperature-related reliability test, the control unit is used to read and evaluate the debugging temperature based on the temperature-related reliability test procedure, wherein the debugging temperature is sensed by the temperature sensor; and is used to adjust at least one electrical parameter of the RF device according to the debugging temperature to determine the electrical parameter that meets the temperature condition of the temperature-related reliability test.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a temperature-related reliability test method for a radio frequency device is provided, which is used for performing a temperature-related reliability test on a radio frequency device contained in a temperature-controlled chamber. The temperature-related reliability test method for a radio frequency device includes a radio frequency device configuration step, a startup step, a debugging temperature evaluation step, a device debugging and adjustment step, and a test step. The radio frequency device configuration step includes configuring the radio frequency device in the temperature-controlled chamber. The startup step includes starting the temperature-controlled chamber and the radio frequency device. The debugging temperature evaluation step includes reading and evaluating the debugging temperature, wherein the debugging temperature is sensed by a temperature sensor inside the temperature-controlled chamber. The device debugging and adjusting step includes adjusting at least one electrical parameter of the RF device according to the debugging temperature to determine the electrical parameter that meets the temperature condition of the temperature-related reliability test. The testing step includes entering the temperature-related reliability test.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a RF device temperature-related reliability test system 100 of the first embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the RF device temperature-related reliability test system 100 of the first embodiment in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the RF device temperature-related reliability test system 100 is used for one or more RF devices 300 to perform temperature-related reliability tests, and the RF device temperature-related reliability test system 100 includes a temperature control chamber 110, at least one temperature sensor (specifically, at least one of the temperature sensors 114 and 120), and a control unit 130. Specifically, the RF device 300 may be a RF element, a RF module, a RF user equipment (User Equipment), an access point (Access Point), a base station, etc., but is not limited thereto.

The interior 112 of the temperature-controlled chamber 110 is used to accommodate the RF device 300. Specifically, the RF device 300 can be disposed on the carrier 400 in the interior 112 of the temperature-controlled chamber 110. The temperature sensors 114 and 120 are disposed in the interior 112 of the temperature-controlled chamber 110. The control unit 130 includes a processor 133 and a storage medium 134, wherein the storage medium 134 provides a temperature-related reliability test program 135. The control unit 130 is used to communicate with each of the temperature-controlled chamber 110, the temperature sensors 114 and 120, and the RF device 300. Specifically, the temperature-controlled chamber 110 is a programmable temperature-controlled chamber, the control unit 130 can be a computer, and the storage medium 134 is a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium.

During the debugging period (stage) before entering the temperature-related reliability test, the control unit 130 is used to read and evaluate the debugging temperature based on the temperature-related reliability test procedure 135, wherein the debugging temperature is sensed by at least one of the temperature sensors 114, 120, especially by the temperature sensor 120; and is used to adjust at least one electrical parameter of the RF device 300 according to the debugging temperature to determine the electrical parameters that meet the temperature conditions (i.e., temperature requirements) of the temperature-related reliability test, for example, the temperature condition of the high-temperature working life test is 85°C, and it is executed at 85°C for 1000 hours. In this way, the relationship between the electrical parameters of the RF device 300, such as the power and current consumption of the components, and the temperature is proportional is utilized to protect the RF device 300 in the temperature-related reliability test, so as to prevent the device from being damaged due to excessively high or low temperature.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a RF device temperature-related reliability test method 200 of a second embodiment of the present disclosure. Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, and use the RF device temperature-related reliability test system 100 of the first embodiment to assist in explaining the RF device temperature-related reliability test method 200 of the second embodiment. The RF device temperature-related reliability test method 200 is used for a device placed in a temperature-controlled chamber 110. The RF device 300 in the interior 112 performs a temperature-related reliability test. The RF device temperature-related reliability test method 200 includes an RF device configuration step 210, a startup step 220, a debugging step 230, and a test step 240, wherein the debugging step 230 includes a debugging temperature evaluation step 233, a step 234, a device debugging and adjustment step 235, and a chamber debugging and adjustment step 236.

The RF device configuration step 210 includes configuring the RF device 300 in the interior 112 of the temperature control chamber 110, the startup step 220 includes starting the temperature control chamber 110 and the RF device 300, and the debugging step 230 is used to perform automatic debugging of various parameter settings before formally entering the test step 240, and the test step 240 enters the temperature-related reliability test.

The debugging step 230 includes a debugging temperature evaluation step 233, a step 234, a device debugging and adjusting step 235, and a chamber debugging and adjusting step 236. The debugging temperature evaluation step 233 includes reading and evaluating the debugging temperature, wherein the debugging temperature is sensed by at least one of the temperature sensors 114 and 120. When it is determined in step 234 that the debugging temperature meets its temperature condition, the test start step 241 in the test step 240 is executed; when it is determined in step 234 that the debugging temperature does not meet its temperature condition, the device debugging and adjusting step 235 can be executed. The device debugging and adjustment step 235 includes adjusting the electrical parameters of the RF device 300 according to the debugging temperature to determine the electrical parameters that meet the temperature conditions of the temperature-related reliability test. In this way, through the temperature-related reliability test procedure 135, it is beneficial to automatically and dynamically adjust the electrical parameters of the RF device 300 such as power in the debugging step 230 based on the parameter feedback of the electrical parameters such as current and the surface temperature (Junction Temperature) of the RF device 300, so that its surface temperature is stably maintained within the range, does not exceed the design limit and can achieve the purpose of the test.

Taking the high temperature working life test as an example, in the debugging step 230 before entering the formal test step 240, various parameters need to be predefined, such as the temperature of the temperature control chamber 110, the operating parameters of the RF device 300 (such as RF power, frequency band, transmission or reception mode, etc.). The RF device temperature-related reliability test method 200 according to the disclosure helps to reduce the data collection time in the debugging step 230 and effectively find the best combination of various parameters to quickly enter the test step 240. Furthermore, the disclosure utilizes the state of the electrical characteristics of the RF device 300 and automatically adjusts its power so that the temperature during the test is close to but not higher than the design specification of the RF device 300. In addition, the disclosure of this content can fully automatically replace and shorten the process of manually adjusting test parameters repeatedly, which can reduce the lead time (i.e. the debugging period) by about 60%. The application of this solution during high-temperature working life test can also achieve the effect of protecting the samples to be tested.

For details, please refer to FIGS. 1 to 3 , and use the RF device temperature-related reliability test system 100 of the first embodiment and the RF device temperature-related reliability test method 200 of the second embodiment to assist each other in explaining that the temperature-related reliability test can be a high-temperature working life test, the temperature-controlled chamber 110 can be an oven, and the electrical parameter can be the transmission power. Thus, in the debugging step 230 and the testing step 240 of the high temperature working life test, the electrical parameters and other states of the RF device 300 and the temperature are continuously monitored by the control unit 130 with the temperature-related reliability test procedure 135. In case of occasional or large-scale overheating of the RF device 300, the protection mechanism is activated, or when the test intensity is insufficient, the transmission power or ambient temperature of the RF device 300 can be automatically and dynamically adjusted to achieve the purpose of the test.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the temperature sensor 114 is mounted on the cavity (cavity wall) 111 of the temperature control chamber 110 and exposed to the interior 112 , and the temperature sensor 114 may be inherent to the temperature control chamber 110 . The temperature sensor 120 is separated from the cavity 111 and used to contact the RF device 300 , for example, the temperature sensor 120 is disposed on the surface of the RF device 300 . Thus, for example, the formal test step 240 in the high temperature working life test is generally to set the ambient temperature at 85°C for 1000 hours, but sometimes due to different characteristics of the RF device 300, in order to achieve the test purpose, a simulation or a small amount of test (i.e., the debugging stage) must be done first, and then the ambient temperature is determined to ensure that the actual surface temperature of the RF device 300 sensed by the temperature sensor 120 during operation does not exceed the component design specifications. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the temperature sensor can be a cavity installed in a temperature control chamber, or the temperature sensor can be separated from the cavity and used to contact the RF device.

Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. Specifically, the control unit 130 and the temperature control chamber 110 are connected to each other by wired communication through the chamber harness 141 via the temperature control chamber control interface (e.g., oven control interface), the control unit 130 and the temperature sensor 120 are connected to each other by wired communication through the sensor harness 142, and the control unit 130 and the radio frequency device 300 are connected to each other by wired communication through the device harness 143. The communication interface between the control unit 130 and the radio frequency device 300 may be MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface), Serial Interface, SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface), etc., but is not limited thereto.

Please refer to Figures 1 to 3, the RF device temperature-related reliability test method 200 may further include preheating or precooling steps 222 and 224. When it is determined in step 224 that the preheating or precooling temperature meets its temperature condition, the debugging temperature evaluation step 233 in the debugging step 230 is executed; when it is determined in step 224 that the preheating or precooling temperature does not meet its temperature condition, it returns to the preheating or precooling step 222.

When it is determined in step 234 that the debugging temperature does not meet its temperature condition, the chamber debugging and adjustment step 236 can be executed. The chamber debugging and adjustment step 236 includes adjusting the heating intensity or cooling intensity of the temperature-controlled chamber 110 according to the debugging temperature to determine the heating intensity or the cooling intensity that meets the temperature condition of the temperature-related reliability test. In this way, the device debugging and adjustment step 235 and the chamber debugging and adjustment step 236 are used together to help shorten the time for manually adjusting the test parameters, and there is no need to repeatedly increase and decrease the temperature so as to check the debugging results at any time.

The test step 240 of the RF device temperature-related reliability test method 200 may further include a test start step 241, a step 248, and a test end step 249. After the test start step 241, the temperature-related reliability test is formally entered. When it is determined in step 248 that the test meets its end condition, for example, the high-temperature working life test has been performed for 1000 hours at a test temperature of 85°C sensed by the temperature sensor 114 or 120, the test end step 249 is performed.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the form of implementation as above, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with this technology can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be subject to the scope of the attached patent application.

100:RF device temperature-related reliability test system

110: Temperature controlled chamber

111: Cavity

112:Interior

114,120: Temperature sensor

130: Control unit 133: Processor 134: Storage medium 135: Temperature-related reliability test procedure 141: Chamber wiring harness 142: Sensor wiring harness 143: Device wiring harness 200: RF device temperature-related reliability test method 210: RF device configuration step 220: Startup step 222: Preheating or precooling step 224,234,248: Step 230: Debugging step 233: Debugging temperature evaluation step 235: Device debugging and adjustment step 236: Chamber debugging and adjustment step 240: Test step 241: Test start step 249: Test end step 300: RF device 400: Carrier board

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a RF device temperature-related reliability test system of the first embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the use status of the RF device temperature-related reliability test system of the first embodiment in FIG. 1; and FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a RF device temperature-related reliability test method of the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

100:RF device temperature-related reliability test system

110: Temperature controlled chamber

114,120: Temperature sensor

130: Control unit

133:Processor

134: Storage media

135: Temperature-dependent reliability test procedure

141: Chamber wiring harness

142: Sensor harness

143: Device wiring harness

300: RF device

Claims (7)

A temperature-related reliability test system for a radio frequency device is provided for performing a temperature-related reliability test on a radio frequency device. The system comprises: a temperature-controlled chamber for accommodating the radio frequency device; at least one temperature sensor disposed inside the temperature-controlled chamber; and a control unit comprising a processor and a storage medium, wherein the storage medium provides a temperature-related reliability test program. The control unit is used to communicate with the temperature-controlled chamber. Each of the control chamber, the temperature sensor and the RF device; wherein, during a debugging period before entering the temperature-related reliability test, the control unit is used based on the temperature-related reliability test procedure to: read and evaluate a debugging temperature, wherein the debugging temperature is sensed by the temperature sensor; and adjust at least one electrical parameter of the RF device according to the debugging temperature to determine the electrical parameter that meets a temperature condition of the temperature-related reliability test. The RF device temperature-related reliability test system as described in claim 1, wherein the temperature-related reliability test is a high-temperature working life test, the temperature-controlled chamber is an oven, and the electrical parameter is a transmission power. The RF device temperature-related reliability test system as described in claim 1, wherein the at least one temperature sensor is a cavity installed in the temperature-controlled chamber, or the at least one temperature sensor is separated from the cavity and used to contact the RF device. The RF device temperature-related reliability test system as described in claim 1, wherein during the debugging period before entering the temperature-related reliability test, the control unit is further used based on the temperature-related reliability test procedure to: adjust a heating intensity or a cooling intensity of the temperature control chamber according to the debugging temperature to determine the heating intensity or the cooling intensity that satisfies the temperature condition of the temperature-related reliability test. A temperature-related reliability test method for a radio frequency device is used for performing a temperature-related reliability test on a radio frequency device contained in a temperature-controlled chamber. The temperature-related reliability test method for a radio frequency device comprises: a radio frequency device configuration step, comprising configuring the radio frequency device in the temperature-controlled chamber; a startup step, comprising starting the temperature-controlled chamber and the radio frequency device; a debugging temperature evaluation step, comprising reading and evaluating a debugging temperature, wherein the The debugging temperature is sensed by a temperature sensor inside the temperature control chamber; judging whether the debugging temperature satisfies a temperature condition; a device debugging adjustment step, including when judging that the debugging temperature does not satisfy the temperature condition, adjusting at least one electrical parameter of the RF device according to the debugging temperature to determine the electrical parameter that satisfies the temperature condition of the temperature-related reliability test; and a test step, including entering the temperature-related reliability test. The temperature-related reliability test method of the RF device as described in claim 5, wherein the temperature-related reliability test is a high-temperature working life test, the temperature-controlled chamber is an oven, and the electrical parameter is a transmission power. The RF device temperature-related reliability test method as described in claim 5 further includes: a chamber debugging and adjustment step, including adjusting a heating intensity or a cooling intensity of the temperature-controlled chamber according to the debugging temperature to determine the heating intensity or the cooling intensity that satisfies the temperature condition of the temperature-related reliability test.

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