IITM BS Electronic Testing and Measurement (EE4108): Syllabus and Tips

Electronic Testing and Measurement is a 4 credit course in the IITM BS Electronic Systems programme on how chips, circuit boards and systems are tested. It covers fault models, scan and self-test, lab instruments, analog and ADC testing, memory testing, board debugging and automated test. The Sep 2025 syllabus lists it as EE4108 at the degree level. The ES handbook course tables list it as EE2105, a diploma course with no prerequisite. It is also one of the three courses in the Minor in VLSI Design and Testing.

Why the code and level differ

• Syllabus: EE4108, placed in the degree level list.
• ES handbook course tables: EE2105, a compulsory diploma course in the semester 4 block.
• ES handbook minor list: EE4108, in the Minor in VLSI Design and Testing.
• DS handbook minor list: EE2105, for the same minor.

If the minor course and the diploma course are the same, every ES student already takes it before the degree level. If they are different, you may need it again as a degree course. The documents do not settle this. Ask the ES support team before you plan the minor. The VLSI Design and Testing minor post covers the same gap.

The syllabus does not name an instructor. It says the course assumes you have done a digital design course and an analog design course. A VLSI design course helps but is not required. It expects about 35 to 40 recorded lectures of one hour each.

What you learn in Electronic Testing and Measurement

The syllabus has 8 modules and no week plan. They group into four parts.

1. Modules 1 and 2: testing basics and digital testing. Why hardware is tested, and the kinds of testing: validation, characterisation, debugging, production and reliability. Fault models, defects versus faults, test coverage, accuracy, precision and calibration. Then digital faults (stuck-at and transition), why sequential circuits are harder, scan chains, built-in self-test, fault simulation, automatic test pattern generation and large-scale test equipment.
2. Module 3: instruments. Multimeters, oscilloscopes, signal generators, spectrum analysers, logic and protocol analysers, power supplies and load testers. Time and frequency domain testing with the FFT, and common mistakes caused by noise. Free web-based tools are used for demos and exercises.
3. Modules 4 and 5: analog and memory testing. Why analog is harder to test than digital. Gain, bandwidth and linearity, distortion and noise (THD, SNR, dynamic range), ADC and DAC testing (DNL, INL, monotonicity), and RF basics. Then memory: fault models, test patterns, self-test and self-repair.
4. Modules 6 to 8: boards, ICs and automation. Board faults such as opens, shorts and cold solder joints, continuity checks, optical and X-ray inspection, JTAG boundary scan and EMI and EMC basics. Then the IC test flow: wafer probing, package testing, IDDQ and leakage tests, and burn-in. Last, automated test equipment, diagnosis, machine learning for fault detection, test cost versus quality, and scripting lab measurements in Python.

How the course is assessed

The syllabus gives no marks split, but it describes the homework. Module 1 has objective questions. Module 2 has paper-and-pencil exercises and exercises on web-based tools. Module 3 has exercises using the tools. The handbook's general pattern for ES courses is weekly online assignments, two in-person quizzes and an in-person end term exam.

Where it counts

Going by the handbook course tables, it is one of the 8 diploma theory courses, so you need it for the Diploma in Electronic Systems. See ES diploma courses. It is also part of the VLSI minor with Digital IC Design and Semiconductor Devices and VLSI Technology.

Who finds it hard and how to prepare

The course is wide rather than deep. It touches digital, analog, memory, boards and ICs, and each part brings its own acronyms. Digital fault testing needs solid logic skills, and ADC testing needs analog basics.

• Revise flip-flops and sequential logic from Digital Systems and Digital System Design. Scan chains build on them.
• Revise the Fourier transform from Signals and Systems, and the DFT and FFT from Digital Signal Processing, before Module 3.
• Keep a glossary: ATPG, BIST, ATE, JTAG, IDDQ, DNL, INL, THD, SNR. Add one line on what each tests.
• Practise simple Python scripts that read and plot data, which helps in Module 8.

Common questions

Is Electronic Testing and Measurement compulsory for ES students?

Going by the handbook course tables, yes. It is listed as a diploma course (EE2105), and you must complete every diploma course before the degree level. The syllabus lists it at the degree level instead, so confirm with support.

Do I need a VLSI course before this one?

No. The syllabus says a VLSI design course helps but is not required. It does assume a digital design course and an analog design course.

Will I use real lab instruments?

The syllabus says free web-based tools are used for demos and exercises in Module 3. It does not mention a lab or campus visit for this course.