Characterization and Application of Improved Oscilloscope IC for System Diagnosis of ESD and HPEM Effects

Abstract

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) and high-power electromagnetic waves (HPEM) can cause malfunctions in electronic systems. It is a challenge to accurately measure noise waveforms induced inside the systems because of common mode (CM) noise, direct radiation coupling, or the inaccessibility of external equipment. To address these challenges, an oscilloscope integrated circuit (OSC IC) is proposed to embed in a system, enabling accurate noise measurement without external interference. The embedded OSC IC can detect anomaly noise exceeding predefined thresholds on signal or power nets, and accurately reconstruct their waveforms. To evaluate practicality, the OSC IC was applied to a drone system in ESD and HPEM experiments. Unlike oscilloscope equipment that is susceptible to CM noise, the OSC IC was able to measure only the correct differential mode (DM) noise induced within the system. This demonstrates the capability to isolate and quantify target DM noise in complex environments, which is where conventional equipment falls short. Deployment of an OSC IC promises enhanced capabilities for system analysis and diagnosis due to ESD and HPEM effects.