Joe,
The absolute maximum ratings are usually interpreted to mean "Maximum stress, beyond which the device may be degraded". The device is not necessarily guaranteed to operate at anything beyond the recommended temperature, supply or input values. If these ratings are exceed, you might expect (in addition to catstrophic failure), degraded performance, such is increased offsets, gain out of spec, output voltage out of spec, decreased reliability, etc. Regards, Jon
Actually a LOT of ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM ratings are pure BS. Put there to avoid testing at manufacture.
...Jim Thompson
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| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens |
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I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.
You must be physicist. None else sane would even try to come close to those values specified under absolute maximum ratings. These are the people considering absolute maximum ratings as hints that can easily be exceeded by 10 to
50% under all conditions. And all the others that stick to the "normal supply range" are considered fluffy, weak, and such ?Rene
-- Ing.Buero R.Tschaggelar - http://www.ibrtses.com & commercial newsgroups - http://www.talkto.net
Hi All,
I have an IC ... say something like a RS232 level converter.
In the specification of the "Limiting Values" one of the input pins (IN) is specified as -27v to +40v.
There is no test conditions specified with this limiting value.
QUESTIONS
Q1 Under normal operating conditions (normal Vdd supply range = 12v with inputs output terminated correctly) Would you expect the IC to FAIL if IN= 35v DC is applied?
Would you expect the device to not operate or shut down..... but recover if powered off and IN = normal 12v
Q2 How are IC's tested to meet their maximum ratings?
Q3 Can users of the silicon prove IC's meet their limiting values or absolute maximum ratings?
Thanks in advance.
Regards JG
I would expect its operation to be undefined - it may overheat and need to cool down. Unless specific operating limits are made, I'd assume input of 40V was safe, for the short term in any condition.
They often are not - it's a matter of design.
Well, you can test each one at its maximum voltage, to see if it explodes. In some designs, this may cause irreversable long-term damage that may not be immediately apparent.
But I assume they are on the safe side ? If a customer has failing parts far inside the safety margins, there possibly is room for a liability case.
Rene
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