Experimental Evaluation of Circuit Board Components Under Extreme Conditions

Designing products operating in harsh conditions is a challenging task. Years of experience, developed standards and good practices are crucial in achieving the intended result. The article shows a methodology for designing electronic systems based on the worst-case analysis (WCA) and comparing its outcomes with the experimental verification of an actual circuit through large-scale tests. The analysed diode-based semiconductor circuit is part of a temperature measuring system of industrial application. The objective of the design and analysis process is to achieve a reliable solution, which has all the required functionalities under actual, extreme operating conditions. The preliminary circuit design is developed using ideal components. The truth table, which represents customer requirements, is created to check the correct operation of the system. Simulation software, such as LTSpice, are used as the main tools to verify the correct functioning based on ideal or close-to-real component models. Next, based on the results of computer simulations, the WCA is conducted, considering all extreme (worst) operating environment parameters, such as, among others, ambient temperature or ageing. WCA results were verified through an experimental, large-scale measurement of the real system, with defined forward voltage as a function of the current flowing through the semiconductor at various ambient temperatures.