Multiresolution nanoscale sensor-based circuit board testing

This paper describes a novel approach to printed circuit board testing capable of providing unprecedented failure detection and prognostic capabilities. In contrast to today's bulky automatic test equipment (ATE) and expensive test program sets (TPSs) that perform simple parametric testing, this approach utilizes nanoscale sensor technology in conjunction with novel molecular electronics-based computational capabilities to sense the physical and chemical bi-products of electronic component degradation and failure directly at the circuit board itself, combined with terahertz sensing to localize defect parameters within the circuit board and electronic components. This approach lends itself to the detection and prediction of entire classes of anomalies, degraded performance, and failures that are not capable of being detected using the latest state-of-the-art ATE or other test equipment performing end-to-end diagnostic testing of individual signal parameters. This greater performance comes with a price tag that is smaller in nonrecurring development and recurring maintenance costs