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WebLab

The M.I.T. Microelectronics Device Characterization lab (or Parameter Analyzer) is a remote laboratory. It enables users to measure the current-voltage characteristics of various microelectronics devices at any time, from any physical location, using a Java-enabled web browser. 

The Parameter Analyzer is one of the laboratories available under the iLabs project which is dedicated to the proposition that online laboratories - real laboratories accessed through the Internet - can enrich science and engineering education by greatly expanding the range of experiments that students are exposed to in the course of their education. Unlike conventional laboratories, iLabs can be shared across a university or across the world. The iLabs vision is to share expensive equipment and educational materials associated with lab experiments as broadly as possible within higher education and beyond.

The major goal of the Parameter Analyzer project is to deliver the educational benefits of hands-on experimentation to students anywhere, at any time. This project provides the technology to make microelectronics test equipment available over the Internet. Students are able to enjoy the complete laboratory experience which can be delivered to any conventional Java-enabled web browser. Today, web browsers are ubiquitous; therefore, through this project, students can take current-voltage measurements on transistors and other devices in real time from anywhere and at anytime. In addition, expensive equipment and educational materials associated with lab experiments are shared as broadly as possible within higher education and beyond.

Some of the devices available for I-V characterization include pn diodes, nmos/pmos field effect transistors, and npn/pnp bipolar junction transistors. The user is able to change the operating conditions of the experiment such as bias voltages and currents, compliance values, voltage and current sweep ranges, etc using a simple graphical interface. The results of the experiments are immediately displayed as graphs in the Parameter Analyzer applet console, and can be downloaded as a comma separated file for post processing using matlab or any spread sheet application.

Click to learn more about the Microelectronics Device Characterization Lab.