In modern electronic circuit and system development, there is an integrated approach to the design, fabrication and testing of an item from initial design concept through to in-service support. There is therefore a need for engineers to understand and appreciate the different activities in order to be active participants in a multi-disciplinary development team. This module will provide an insight into how electronic circuits and systems are tested at the different stages of the design, evaluation, fabrication (manufacture) and in-service periods in the lifetime of electronic circuits and systems.

Fabrication processes for electronic circuits: Printed circuit board (PCB) and integrated circuit (IC). Through-hole and surface mount technology. How electronic components and circuits fail: PCB and IC failure mechanisms. Spot defects and process variations. Different test activities: Simulation, prototyping, evaluation, characterization, debugging, production test, failure analysis. Controllability and observability. Debugging and troubleshooting: Example analogue and digital circuit problems. Fault effect analysis, detection and correction. Reliability: Process variability, accelerated life testing. Burn-in. Arrhenius equation. Design for x: Design for testability, design for manufacturability, design for debug, design for assembly, design for reliability and design for yield. Test economics: Impact of decisions, modelling the costs. Standards: Standards bodies and key standards used in test and reliability. Design for testability and built-in self-test case studies: Scan path testing, linear feedback shift register (LFSR). IEEE standards 1149.1, 11.49.4, 1500, and 1687.

On successful completion of this module, the student will be able to: 1. Describe how electronic circuits and systems are fabricated. 2. Describe failure mechanisms in electronic circuits and systems. 3. Discuss how electronic circuits and systems are tested.

On successful completion of this module, the student will be able to: 1. Discuss the need for effective test procedures and the impact of decisions on test quality and cost. 2. Discuss the need to develop high quality and cost effective test procedures within an organization. 3. Respond to the need to integrate design, test and fabrication activities by working in multi-disciplinary teams.

On successful completion of this module, the student will be able to: 1. Design and test analogue and digital circuits using simulation models and physical prototypes. 2. Implement design for testability schemes for a digital electronic circuit. 3. Debug of hardware and software designs.

This module covers engineering tasks that are reflective of standard approaches undertaken today in the electronics and microelectronics industries with the collaborative design, test and fabrication of high quality products. The module will consist of lectures and laboratory sessions. The lectures will introduce the theoretical aspects related to test and reliability and provide the opportunity to investigate the underlying techniques and equations that are used in electronic circuit and system test and reliability. The laboratory sessions will allow the student to assess the operation of, and implement test and design for testability schemes, for analogue and digital circuits. This will involve both simulation models and physical circuit prototypes. The key graduate attributes that are considered in this module are: "Knowledgeable" (an understanding of the required principles in test and test development), "Proactive" (the ability to initiate product quality activities), "Articulate" (ability to discuss concepts with engineers outside the test activity area), "Creative" (ability to undertake new test development activities that result in high quality and low-cost solutions), "Collaborative" (working with engineers from different disciplines and in an international context with engineers based in different companies and different locations worldwide), "Responsible" (ability to work in a responsible manner and with other people within the organization).