As chipmakers move towards finer geometries, IC designs are obviously becoming more complex and expensive. Given the enormous risks involved, chipmakers must ensure the quality of the parts before they go out the door. And as part of quality assurance process, that requires a sound test strategy.
Approach:
Testing of every manufactured chip is an essential and crucial step in the semiconductor manufacturing process. It helps to ensure that customers get working chips that meet all the specifications. This is necessary to avoid the consequences and penalties that are incurred if a faulty chip is found by the customers. The current trend in the semiconductor industry is to attempt to increase the complexity of the chip while lowering its cost. This complicates the testing process because more testing is needed at a lower cost. Many solutions have been proposed, such as the use of cheaper testers and the use of embedded instruments for test and debug. Nevertheless, some tests and test requirements may not be amenable to these approaches. The multi-site test technique reduces the test cost by testing many units (i.e., physical chips) simultaneously.
Solution:
A platform-based approach from characterization to production offers cost-optimized, high-performance test solutions for RF and mixed-signal test. Our products deliver industry-leading measurement accuracy supported through calibration and system services to ensure long-term performance.