Accelerated stress facility 1976-1983

The complexities of the electronics on which we will perform reliability assessments can only be achieved through automation. Likewise, the complexities of the reliability assessment can only be met through automation. We must be smart in what failure mechanisms to expect, where to expect them, when to expect them, how to stress for them, and how to recognize them when they occur. We must be smart in what we are looking for, what data we gather, and how we analyze that data. We must be smart in how we specify the devices. We must automate the whole reliability characterization process. The publication documents the developments that have taken place in the RADC/RBRP Accelerated Stress Facility (ASF) for the years 1976 through 1983. Section 2 highlights the modifications which took the ASF from primarily static bias to dynamic exercise capability. Section 3 deals with the automation of the stress tests utilizing evaluation kits through a network of microcomputers. It is through this work that the necessity and some of the potentials of automating the reliability characterization process and specifically the stress testing portion have been realized as well as some of the practical aspects of implementing such. Most importantly, Section 4 addresses some of those potential applications of automation which will be possible because of the incorporation of computers in the testing process.