Evaluation Engineering - 12

APPLICATIONS

A diagram showing how Cadence Design
System's new Modus DFT Software solution
includes two test modes with discrete scan
compression and LBIST.

Semiconductor tests require automation
and systematic decision-making to better
address the ongoing challenges within
the testing market. This is coupled with a
need for flexible platforms that can handle mixed domain (RF and digital) for the
ever-changing needs of the ATE. There has
been a recent transition in RF test instrumentation from analog to digital signal
processing, as well as more FPGA-based
DSP for advanced RF test equipment.
Combining these two, new semiconductor test equipment has enabled automated
tests, a reduced time to market, and has
lowered the overall cost of test. With future
ATE systems requiring interoperability, a
reduced logistics footprint, and overall improved testing-all while reducing repair
time and the rigidity of the system. There is
still ongoing improvement possible, making flexibility and adaptability necessary
for the success of this technology."
Markus Loerner, market segment manager-industry, components, research
& universities at Rohde & Schwarz:
"Obviously, speed improvement is an ongoing task. Especially as RF components
get more and more complex, more test
ports and more frequency coverage like
in a handset RFIC supporting more bands
and modes (3G, 4G, 5G). Complexity is
going up per device. However, the market
is expecting reduced cost."

EVALUATION ENGINEERING JULY 2019

Bob Stasonis, technical product specialist
at Pickering Interfaces: "Not necessarily a
new issue, but the cost of test is always a hot
topic. As the market pushes manufacturers
to drive down costs, test is always a culprit. As to newer trends, higher I/O density,
lower voltages for isolation testing-with
denser chips, the smaller gaps on the die
require lower voltages for isolation testing, testing thousands of pins on a single
chip, and higher frequencies for microwave
devices-5G to 65 GHz is the obvious issue. This may seem a little trite, but in one
instance, I asked the test manager what his
biggest test problem was, and he replied
"Concrete!" Basically, if the tester was too
big, as many of the more expensive testers
are, the more floor space he needed. So, too
much floor space for test systems and he
will need to expand his operation-not
desirable if you are trying to cut costs. So,
the move to smaller, lower-cost modular
platforms such as PXI are on the cards."
Jon Semancik, director of marketing at
Marvin Test Solutions: "There has been
an increase in customer development of
application-specific test solutions with a
focus on the cost of the tester and reducing the overall cost of test. This is especially true in the emerging areas, such as
RF test requirements for 5G and automotive radar, as multiple suppliers strive to
be first to market."
Peter Griffiths, director of business development Tektronix: "1: We continue to
see a trend into the high-power arena.
Demand for more efficient high-voltage
semiconductors in 5G, automotive, and
alternative energy markets is driving increasingly complex testing and research
into new technologies like SiC and GaN.
2: People need to get more done with less
equipment and in less time. IOT is one of
the drivers here. Providing more capability
into a single box and making it quick and
easy-to-use drives continual innovation."
Geir Eide, product marketing director-
Tessent ATPG & Compression products at
Mentor Graphics: "1: Almost 100 companies are racing to dominate the AI chip
market. Whoever gets there first wins. This
means that the top priority is to get chip

samples to the market faster. For test, this
translates to getting design-for-test (DFT)
out of the critical path, and streamlining
silicon bring-up. 2: There are a lot of new
entrants to the automotive sector. This
means that a lot of design organizations
have to ramp up fast on functional safety.
This means not just stricter manufacturing
test requirements, but a need to translate
the traditional test metrics to functional
safety metrics. It's not just about detecting defects, it's about detecting the safetycritical defects and ensuring safe operation
of the device in the field."

Challenges
What key challenges are vendors or their
partners facing in semiconductor test?
Knoth, Cadence: "The challenges that vendors are facing in semiconductor test are
that DFT skills are more in demand on
all sides-EDA, semiconductor design, architecture, etc. It requires people to solve
challenges, and we are all in need of good
candidates. Secondly, there are challenges
with balancing the cost of test with defective parts per million (DPPM) reduction,
and lastly, addressing the smart integration of machine learning in test software
is becoming more of a priority."
Davies, Advantest: "To meet the testing
requirements of 5G devices, ATE providers must develop reliable, fully integrated,
multi-site mmWave test solutions. As
one of the first companies to address
this emerging market need, Advantest
introduced the new V93000 Wave Scale
Millimeter system on May 7."
Arebi and Malatest, Per Vices: "Wireless
component manufacturers are under
pressure to reduce costs, address new
technologies, and increase manufacturing flexibility to meet the ever-changing
needs of the industry. This is necessary in
semiconductor testing, where the products and protocols are evolving and new
technology is still not defined. With scalable test architectures, vendors are able to
create unique, modular equipment, and
reduce the cost of testing. Manufacturers
are also finding that vendors' demands
are changing where one-off systems are

Evaluation Engineering

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