Tekmos' Blog

Much is being said in the news about the spread of Corona Virus (COVID-19). As the leader and President of Tekmos, I would like to reassure our customers by stating that “the internal supply chain for Tekmos does not go through China. Tekmos has received inquiries from customers. While we have several partners located in Asia, none of Tekmos product is manufactured in the People’s Republic of China. As a result, we do not anticipate any supply chain disruption as a consequence of the outbreak of the virus.”

The outbreak of corona virus disease (COVID-19) was first reported from global economic hub, Wuhan, China, December 31, 2019. The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) and The World Health Organization (WHO) are working closely with global experts, governments and partners to rapidly expand scientific knowledge on this 40 year old virus and to slow the spread of this outbreak.

Corona virus represents the name of a number of different viruses that infect humans, other mammals and birds. Typically, in humans it causes a mild respiratory infection resembling a cold. The infamous SARS virus is a corona virus. It gets its name from its appearance in electron microscopy where it has a fringe or halo surrounding the viral body. (see photo) The latest outbreak in China is of a strain called COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2. It is characterized by a high morbidity (high infectious rate) but low mortality. There is no vaccines or antiviral drugs to treat corona virus infection, but it is susceptible to desiccation, heat and detergents like most enveloped viruses. (D.R. Schneider, PhD).

Tekmos did experience some slow down due to the Chinese New Year celebrated in many areas of Asia, during the start of 2020. Tekmos wants our buyers and distributors to be aware that all is going “business as usual for Tekmos and our customers.”

Tekmos is streamlining sample ordering with our website online form inquiries.

Our marketing team has begun the process to place Tekmos standard parts in an online inquiry system that customers will be able to purchase samples of parts to qualify for their systems, and request quantities of 100 parts for smaller orders.

We will start with the 80C51 microprocessor family and will add the Flash Memory parts upon completion of the data base creation for the 80C51 microprocessors. The price for each part will be visible to customers that visit our website. There will be an “Order Now” icon that a customer can go to, find the part they are looking for, advise whether the purchase is for samples, or if already qualified, and purchase a quantity of 100 by filling in the form that will be sent to Tekmos Customer Service Department at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We have decided to do this to make it easier for our customers to order samples as well as for customers who require a smaller quantity. Larger quantity purchases are available through our distributors and sales reps, and at the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. link provided on our website. Members of our sales team always respond to customers within a 24 hour period to provide a quote and to assist with purchases.

Tekmos offers Burn-In and Reliability Testing services.  The requirements can vary from part to part, and Tekmos can customize these services to meet your exact needs.

Burn-in

The failure rate of integrated circuits over time follows what is called the "bathtub" curve.  There is a high rate of infant mortality initial failures.  Then the failure rate drops, only to increase at the end of life due to wear out failures.  The reliability of a part can be enhanced by providing a burn-in at elevated temperatures prior to usage.  This burn-in is typically somewhere from 40 to 160 hours in length, and is done at a temperature of between 70ºC and 125ºC.  It is important that the parts be exercised during this burn-in.  It is also good to monitor the part performance during burning, so that the time point of failures can be detected.  That data can be used to set the optimum burn-in length.

One of the major costs of a burn-in is the boards used for the burn-in.  This is a tradeoff between the cost of the sockets on the boards, the number of boards needed, and the total number of parts to be burned in.  Major manufacturers with very high volumes will invest in high quality sockets that will cost from $50 to $100 per chip.  This socket cost adds up quickly.

In addition to the oven capacity, Tekmos also has in-house design and layout capability for both the burn-in boards and driver boards (if needed).

Reliability Testing 

There are several over-lapping reliability testing specifications.  Specifically, these are the JESD47I, the AEC-Q100, and the military Mil Spec 883.  These require subjecting several lots to stresses, and then looking for failures.  Some tests are for the die, and other tests check the packages.  Because of the standardization of the packages, the die tests are the most important.  And the main die test is the HTOL, or High Temperature Operating Life.  In this test, the parts are typically operated at 125ºC for 1000 hours.  If the parts cannot be tested in the oven, the parts will be periodically pulled from the oven, tested, and re-inserted back into the oven.  Common read points are at 48, 96, 168, 250, 500, and 1000 hours. 

Tekmos offers test and characterization services. As a fabless semiconductor company, Tekmos has an internal test facility, with testers ranging up to 320 pins in size. We offer access to these facilities and the engineers that run them.

Verification and Debug of ASICs 

Some customers have developed an ASIC, but lack the facilities to completely test it, or to debug it if there is a problem.  Our testers provide the means to verify the ASIC, and to debug it.  Also, our testers can be remotely accessed, allowing the customer engineer to exercise their part from the comfort of their own office. 

Verification of Brokered Parts 

Brokers have become very efficient in obtaining mature parts.  But there is always the question of if the parts are correctly marked,  and will they perform to specification.  Re-testing the parts is the best way to resolve those questions.

Test Program Creation 

Customers do not always have a test program for their parts.  In those cases, we can create one from scratch.  Starting from either design files or a data sheet, our engineers can write patterns that functionally exercise the parts.   

Product Characterization 

The question for all new parts is does the part meet all specifications over the temperature and voltage limits?  And the only way to find out is to measure it.  Tekmos can take your part, and measure the functionality, DC specifications, and AC specifications over the desired temperature range.  Then we consolidate the data into a report, that shows how well the new part works as compared to the specifications.  This service is useful for both new designs and to evaluate existing designs. 

Sometimes, a project needs additional engineering resources.  When that happens, Tekmos design engineers are available to help.

Digital ASIC Design

Working from your specifications, Tekmos can create digital designs and layouts in your preferred process technology.  We can also assist with IP selection and interfacing.

Mixed Signal ASIC Design

Not all designs are digital.  Tekmos can design the analog portions, and provide the design in either schematic form or a GDS layout in the process technology of your choice.

FPGA Design

Our designs are not just for ASICs.  We can also develop FPGA based designs, in any of the FPGA families.  Internally, it is our standard practice to implement our processors in an FPGA before we commit to silicon.  This has given us a great deal of experience in working within the FPGA environment.

IP Design 

Sometimes a design needs an IP block.  These are usually a specific peripheral to a processor, or a communications interface.  IP locks serve as an efficient way of partitioning a design so that multiple designers can work on the same project.  Many IP blocks can be purchased, while others need to be designed to meet a customer's specific requirements.