Supported Instrument Types
The Semiconductor Test Library supports the core set of modular instruments commonly used within the NI Semiconductor Test System (STS). Refer to the following table for the instrument types currently supported by the library.
Table 1: Supported Instrument Types
| Instrument Type | Driver | Abstractions | Extensions |
|---|---|---|---|
| NI Source Measurement Unit (SMU) | niDCPower | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| NI Programmable Power Supply (PPS) | niDCPower | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| NI Multifunction I/O (DAQ) * | niDAQmx | ⚠️ | ⚠️ |
| NI Sound and Vibration Module (DSA) * * | niDAQmx | ⚠️ | ⚠️ |
| NI Digital Pattern Instrument (DPI/HSD) | niDigital | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| NI Digital Multimeter (DMM) | niDmm | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| NI Relay Module (RELAY) | niSwitch | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| NI Function Generator (FGEN) | niFgen | ✔️ | ❌ |
| NI Digitizer/Oscilloscope (SCOPE) | niScope | ✔️ | ❌ |
| NI Timing Synchronization Module (SYNC) | niSync | ✔️ | ❌ |
Note
✔️ Supported
⚠️ Subset of Devices and/or Device Functionality Supported
❌ Not Yet Supported
*
Supported Devices: PXIe-636x
Supported Functionality: Analog Input, Analog Output, Digital Input, Digital Output
* *
Supported Devices: PXIe-4467/8
Supported Functionality: Analog Input, Analog Output, Analog Output: Function Generation
Tip
When Extensions are not supported by an instrument type, but Abstractions support is provided, you can refer to the Making Low-Level Driver Calls topic to learn how to interact with the low-level driver APIs at the Abstractions layer.
If an instrument type is not listed in the table above, proceed with low-level instrument channel centric programming for the desired instrument type in your test code. This will involve using the TestStand Semiconductor Module Code Module API to query instruments and pin-to-channel mappings from the pin map, in combination with the appropriate driver API to control the desired instrument. Contact NI support if you need any assistance with this.