应用系统级ATE测试增进IC设计验证效率(英文)

在IC设计周期内尽早发现问题,对于保证项目在预算内按时完成是至关重要的。大多数设计公司目前的通用方法是利用分立仪器,如示波器、频谱分析仪等,连接至一块评估板,并连至PC机,搭建一个系统级验证系统。这样的系统比较易于搭建,但相对缺乏大量数据的分析处理能力,且通常需手动测试。另一方面,ATE在数据采集及分析处理方面具有非常强大的能力,例如SHMOO及自动测试。但通常ATE是在芯片级的自动化测试量产中大量应用,利用ATE进行系统级的测试并不容易。这里介绍一种新的方法,简化ATE上的协议通信设置,使得ATE能够在系统级测试中方便地应用,不增加测试成本,而且大大简化了ATE上的测试程序开发。应用此方案,设计及验证工程师可以协同工作,在短时间内搭建一个基于ATE平台的系统级的测试环境,充分利用ATE强大的数据采集,分析能力,更快更有效地进行芯片的测试验证,从而赢得上市时间。

Using System-like ATE to Improve the IC Design Verification

Identifying design problems as early in design cycle as possible is very critical to complete the IC design project on time and within budget. Most people today are using bench instruments, like spectrum analyzer, to validate their design in system level. These instruments are easy to setup but lack of data processing capability. On the other hand, ATE is very powerful at data collection and analysis, e.g. shmoo, data capture, and automatic test. But it＇s not easy to do system-like test on ATE. This paper will introduce a new solution to do system-like test on ATE, which is cost effective, and simplify the test programming on ATE. With this solution, design and verification engineer can work together to setup system-like test environment on ATE within several days, which can greatly improve the design verification efficiency and time to market.