White Paper: Hipot Testing of Military/Aerospace Interconnect Components
Introduction Operational performance and safety are paramount concerns when determining the acceptability of a range of interconnection products in military and aerospace applications. Connectors and relays, wires, wire bundled into cables and harnesses, all must be tested against stringent standards. The number and range of these standards is mind-numbing — and this paper makes no attempt to catalog them all. Rather, notable and salient MIL standards and similar aerospace standards will be used to site the key role that high-performance electrical safety testers, ancillary equipment and software play in effecting reliable and cost-effective compliance testing of components as [...]
Ozone Profiling
Ozone Profiling Customer Case Ozone profiling involves many averaging operations, which makes it very difficult to obtain the results immediately. There can be a delay of many days before a reliable reading is dispatched, which, by then, would be too late to take measures to protect the population and agriculture from the harmful effects. A customer has an Ozone profiling Lidar capable of downloading readings to a PC. The customer wanted to speed up the process of the averaging and analysis of the readings, also called data reduction, to near real-time speeds. This could be achieved if it was [...]
Radar Waveform Sampling & Processing
Radar Waveform Sampling & Processing Customer Case A customer involved in Naval Research needed to sample and process radar waveforms, to be used as reference in their lab. They were looking at implementing a digitizer solution. They needed 8-bit vertical resolution and a sampling speed of 500 MS/s. The customer also needed 2 GB of acquisition memory and wanted a portable solution. The customer also wanted to develop software in MATLAB and LabVIEW. GaGe Case Solution The customer was looking at the deepest acquisition memory available so they showed most interest in the CompuScope 8500. With its 8-bit vertical [...]
Webinar Recap: Vitrek Products for Metrology and Calibration Labs
Metrology requires equipment capable of precise measurements and accurate readings. Taking the time to ensure that the instruments you use remain properly calibrated requires the right tools and training to ensure that they are in good working order. In our webinar: Vitrek Products for Metrology and Calibration Labs, we cover why you need the right calibration tools and why Vitrek offers the best high voltage tester options on the market in the form of our 4700 High Voltage Meter, PA920 Power Analyzer, and 2000MN Calibrator. […]
Polar Ice Thickness Measurements
Polar Ice Thickness Measurements Customer Case The customer is an academic researcher in climate change. He wants to record the depth of the permafrost ice sheets in the arctic regions of Canada, Greenland and elsewhere. The change in world climate is directly related to the changes in the thickness of polar ice. Abrupt changes can be a predictor of climatic changes in the world. The measuring apparatus is an ice-penetrating radar mounted on an aircraft flying at 500-600 meters. The radar pulses at 20 kHz Pulse Repeat Frequency (PRF), captures the reflections of groups of 32-64 pulses. Each pulse [...]
Using Capacitance Sensors for Non-Conductive Material Measurement
Non-Conductive Material Measurement with Capacitance Sensors Capacitance sensors are non-contact devices that can be used to obtain position, thickness, and dynamic measurements with a high degree of precision, accuracy, and resolution. Capacitive measurement is used with electrically-conductive materials such as metals but can also be used to measure non-conductive materials such as glass, sapphire, and many plastics. Even if a non-conductive material is relatively inexpensive (such as closed cell foam), manufacturers want to avoid errors that can result in significant waste across high volumes. Importantly, capacitance measurement is also used with semi-insulating materials such as gallium arsenide (GaAs) and [...]
Storm Watch / Tornado Radar
Storm Watch / Tornado Radar Customer Case On average, the United States experiences 100,000 thunderstorms each year, causing about 1,000 tornadoes. The customer is trying to determine what meteorological conditions enable a large rotating thunderstorm (a "supercell") to drop a dangerous tornado-funnel. By determining what conditions must exist for the formation of an especially fierce tornado, researchers hope to develop accurate predictions of when and where such a tornado may touch down, giving the people time to evacuate. The customer wants to study tornadoes and other severe-storm features with an X-Band polarimetric Doppler radar. This mobile cloud-profiling radar is [...]
Atmospheric Remote Sensing
Atmospheric Remote Sensing Customer Case The customer requires a combination of hardware and software ("data system") to do live update sampling, processing, display, and archival of atmospheric measurements using an airborne Lidar system. This system, which continuously emits laser pulses, measures line-of-sight velocity and backscattered signals at a particular range from the aircraft. Real-time performance is necessary to observe the state of the atmosphere and to assess the performance of their instrument. Their requirement is similar to that of laser Doppler anemometry. The signal from the Lidar system will vary continuously with time and the signal waveform will be [...]
Why Demand for SiC Wafers is Soaring and Durable
Silicon carbide (SiC) wafers are in high demand, particularly in high-temperature applications. Silicon carbide (SiC), a semiconductor material made of both silicon and carbon, can withstand extreme temperatures of up to 2700°C. Often referred to as carborundum, SiC’s unique properties also make it a key material in non-electronic applications such as bulletproof vests, extrusion dies, sandpaper, and high-performance disc brakes. In the electronics industry, SiC wafers are crucial for devices operating under high temperatures, high voltages, or both. For example, they are used in electric vehicle (EV) power electronics, 5G communication systems, and LED technology, making SiC a material [...]
Wafer Stress Analysis Using the 300iSA
Wafer Stress Analysis Using MTI Instruments Proforma 300iSA Wafer processing involves several stages that can lead to mechanical changes in the wafer structure. These changes, or stresses, may result in deformities, making the wafer either unusable or only marginally usable. To evaluate these stresses and determine the wafer's quality, wafer stress measurement is essential. The Proforma 300iSA wafer characterization tool offers a powerful solution for wafer stress analysis. It allows for the analysis of a wafer both before and after processing. By comparing these two states, the Proforma 300iSA effectively evaluates the wafer's stress levels and mechanical alterations, providing [...]


