Hewlett-packard Company

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Adv Antest Corporation

Verigy Pte. Ltd.

Alan S Krech, Jr

Stephen Dennis Jordan

John M Freeseman

S Paul Tucker

Theodore G Rossin

Eric M Rentschler

Edmundo De La Puente

Glenn W Strunk

Michael Frank Jones

Jon L Ashburn

Edmundo Rojas

Noel D Scott

Ted Scott Rakel

Michael S McGrath

Brian C Miller

Randy L Bailey

Edmundo DeLaPuente

Xinguo Zhang

Ken Hanh Duc Lai

Darrin Paul Albers

Jesse Hobbs

Hsiu-Huan Shen

Erin Antony Handgen

Takahiro Yasui

Louise A Koss

Monish S Shah

Joel D Buck-Gengler

Brad D Reak

John Howard Cook, Iii

Ze'ev Raz

Robert Mayrus Tromp

Preet Paul Singh

Yi Liu

Sivanarayana Pandian Rajadurai

Donald Organ

Jeffrey F Stone

Taichi Fukuda

Yury Regelman

Mary A Matthews

Kendall F Tidwell

Shigeo Chiyoda

Kazuya Aramaki

John M Freesman

Hsui-Huan Shen

A method for monitoring communications between a device under test (DUT) and an automated test equipment (ATE) is disclosed. The method comprises programming an interface core and a protocol analyzer module onto a programmable logic device, wherein the programmable logic device is controlled by a system controller and is operable to generate commands and data to test a DUT, wherein the interface core is operable to generate signals to communicate with the DUT using a protocol associated with the DUT. The method also comprises monitoring data and command traffic associated with the protocol in the interface core using the protocol analyzer module and storing results associated with the monitoring in a memory comprised within the protocol analyzer module. The method finally comprises transmitting the results upon request to an application program associated with the protocol analyzer module executing on the system controller.

Integrated protocol analyzer configured within automated test equipment (ate) hardware

A method for receiving data using an FPGA receiver circuit comprises receiving payload data from a DUT using a first rate of a plurality of line rates during a first burst, wherein the DUT is communicatively coupled to the FPGA receiver circuit. The method further comprises transitioning to a power saving state at an end of the first burst and receiving synchronization data from the DUT using a second rate of a plurality of line rates during a second burst. Further, the method comprises establishing synchronization with a clock data recovery (CDR) circuit of the FPGA receiver circuit at the second rate and receiving payload data from the DUT at the second rate.

Adapting serdes receivers to a UFS receiver protocol

Embodiments of the present invention utilize a dual buffer size threshold system for raising interrupts that allows DUT testing systems to perform real-time buffer memory allocation procedures in an on demand basis. Using dual interrupt threshold systems in the manner described by embodiments of the present invention, DUT testing systems can reduce the need to decide on a single buffer size threshold when testing a set of DUTs that separately provide different amounts of fail data relative to each other. As such, embodiments of the present invention can minimize the overhead processing spent on interrupt handling while also reducing the amount wait time needed for the data processing module to process fail data for each DUT. Thus, embodiments of the present invention can increase the use of tester resources more efficiently while decrease the amount of time a tester system spends collecting and/or analyzing fail data for a set of DUTs during a testing session.

Method and system for advanced fail data transfer mechanisms

An ATE system performs RA over NAND flash memory DUTs. A first UBM captures fresh failure related data from a DUT. A second UBM transmits existing failure related data. A fail engine accesses the stored existing failure related data and generates a failure list based thereon. The storing and the accessing the existing failure related data, and/or the generating the failure list, are performed in parallel contemporaneously in relation to the capturing the fresh data. The generated failure list is queued. A failure processor, which may be operable for controlling the capturing, computes a redundancy analysis based on the queued failure list. The first and second UBMs then ping-pong operably.

Testing memory devices with parallel processing operations

A system for testing a device under test (DUT) includes a test controller unit that includes a first memory operable to store a data pattern; a bridge circuit that includes a second memory that is smaller than the first memory, and a functional unit that includes a third memory that is smaller than the second memory. Portions of the data pattern are selectively transferred from the first memory to the second memory during and for DUT testing operations. The functional circuit interfaces with the DUT for testing. Portions of the data pattern are selectively transferred from the second memory to the third memory for application to the DUT.

Staged buffer caching in a system for testing a device under test

A method for performing test site synchronization within automated test equipment (ATE) is presented. The method comprises controlling a plurality of test program controllers (TPCs) using a plurality of bridge controllers (BCs), wherein each TPC can initiate multiple asynchronous events. For an asynchronous event initiated by a TPC, raising a busy flag while the asynchronous event is not yet complete and de-asserting the busy flag when the asynchronous event is complete, wherein the asynchronous event corresponds to a task requiring an indeterminate amount of time. It also comprises generating a busy signal in the first BCs in response to receiving a busy flag from any of the plurality of TPCs, wherein the busy signal remains asserted while any of the plurality of TPCs asserts a busy flag. Finally, it comprises transmitting the busy signal to the plurality of TPCs, wherein the TPCs use the busy signal to synchronize operations.

Flexible test site synchronization

Input to a device under test (DUT) is reconstructed. For each trigger cycle of a tester in which data is to be input to the DUT stimulus, data is prepared to be placed as stimulus on pins of the DUT. Response information obtained from the DUT during a previous trigger cycle is used to construct formatting information used to adjust a value of the stimulus data. Reconstruction information sufficient to reconstruct the stimulus data is stored. The reconstruction information includes the formatting information. The reconstruction information is used to reconstruct the stimulus data placed on the pins of the device under test.

Reconstruction of non-deterministic algorithmic tester stimulus used as input to a device under test

The problem of sequentially 'squeezing' small fields of data in a larger data path in and out of a memory device can be solved in an algorithmically driven memory tester by defining sub-vectors to represent data in the small field, where a sequence of sub-vectors represents the data that would be represented by a full sized vector if such a full sized vector could be applied to the DUT. A programming construct in the programming language of the algorithmically driven memory tester allows sub-vectors to be defined, as well as an arbitrary mapping that each is to have. The arbitrary mapping is not static, but changes dynamically as different sub-vectors are encountered. Arbitrary dynamic mappings change as sub-vectors are processed, and may include the notion that, during the activity for a sub-vector, this (or these) bit(s) of a vector do not (presently) map to any pin at all of the DUT. The arbitrary dynamic mapping is implemented by a collection of MUX's configured by data stored ahead of time in an SRAM, in accordance with what defining program constructs are encountered by the compiler as it processes the test program. A dynamic reverse mapper, also a collection of MUX's similarly controlled by an SRAM, serves as a de-serializer that assembles a sequence of received sub-vectors into a final received full-sized vector.

Memory tester uses arbitrary dynamic mappings to serialize vectors into transmitted sub-vectors and de-serialize received sub-vectors into vectors

A method and apparatus permits use of a tester memory () as storage for an inversion mask. The inversion mask indicates to the tester which cells in a DUT memory () are logically inverted during testing. Data information and the inverse of the data information is input into a first data multiplexer (). The stored inversion mask () is used to independently select a data information bit or its inverse for presentation as a masked output () at the output of the first data multiplexer ().

Method and apparatus for administering inversion property in a memory tester

An apparatus to perform no-latency conditional branching has a sequencer for executing program instructions including one or more conditional branch instructions. The conditional branch instruction is a binary word specifying a branch condition address and a conditional instruction. The branch unit has a programmable flag selection memory and a plurality of first flag selectors and determines in hardware whether to branch according to the conditional instruction. Each first flag selector accepts a plurality of available flags and selects a flag based upon contents in the flag selection memory. A second flag selector accepts the flags from the first flag selectors and selects one of the flags to present as a branch flag based upon the branch condition address. The branch flag indicates whether to branch to the destination address.

Method and apparatus for no-latency conditional branching

A trigger signal for a memory tester uses a (breakpoint) trigger qualified according to what part of the test program is being executed. The qualified breakpoint trigger can be delayed before becoming a system trigger signal that can be used to trigger a 'scope mode and to force an error flag to a selected value so as to compel a particular path with the test program. To provide stable waveforms for the sweeping of the voltage thresholds and sample timing offset the memory tester records the addresses for a target sequence of transmit vectors issued during an initial pass through the test program subsequent to the occurrence of the trigger. These addresses are exchanged for the instructions themselves, which are then altered to remove branching, and stored in a reserved portion of the memory they came from. Once the altered target sequence is stored the desired information is produced by restarting the entire test program and letting it run exactly as before down to the trigger. Now when the trigger occurs further transmit vectors are issued from the memorized target sequence, rather than from the live algorithm, and a combination of voltage thresholds and the sample timing offset are switched into place. After the target sequence the test program is re-started with normal thresholds and sample timing offsets. There is eventually another trigger, whereupon the memorized target sequence is again substituted while the next combination in the step along the acquisition sweep is instituted. This process is continued until the entire acquisition sweep has been performed. An inspection of the stored data allows creation of the waveforms.

Algorithmically programmable memory tester with breakpoint trigger, error jamming and 'scope mode that memorizes target sequences

Waveforms of input/output signals for a device under test (DUT) are simultaneously displayed. A user is presented with an interface that allows the user to specify different modes for capturing data for different input/output signals for the DUT. Data for the different input/output signals are captured in accordance with different data capture mechanisms dependent upon the different modes specified by the user. Based on the data, waveforms for each of the different input/output signals are simultaneously displayed.

Simultaneous display of data gathered using multiple data gathering mechanisms

A waveform for an input/output signal for a device under test (DUT) is displayed. Data for the input/output signal is captured in accordance with a first data capturing mechanism. The waveform for the input/output signal is displayed using the captured data. A user is provided with an interface that allows the user to select a portion of the waveform for recapture using a second data capturing mechanism. Data for a portion of the input/output signal, corresponding to the portion of the waveform selected for recapture, is recaptured. The recapturing of data is performed using the second data capturing mechanism. The waveform for the input/output signal is redisplayed. The data recaptured using the second data capturing mechanism is used for displaying the portion of the waveform selected for recapture. The data captured in accordance with the first data capturing mechanism is used for displaying remaining portions of the waveform not selected for recapture.

Recapture of a portion of a displayed waveform without loss of existing data in the waveform display

A Test Station for a memory tester is comprised of one or more Test Sites that are each individually algorithmically controllable, that can each deal with as many as sixty-four channels, and that can be bonded together to form a Multi-Site Test Station of two or more Test Sites. Up to nine Test Sites can be bonded together as a single Multi-Site Test Station. Bonded Test Sites still operate at the highest speeds they were capable of when not bonded. To bring this about it is necessary to implement certain programming conventions and to provide certain housekeeping functions relating to simultaneous starting of separate test programs on the bonded Test Sites, and relating to propagation and synchronization of test program qualifier results among those separate test programs. There also is a suspend/resume test program execution mechanism that assists one test program in temporarily interrupting the others to allow time for a change within one or more of the Test Sites of a measurement parameter, such as a voltage comparison threshold.

Algorithmically programmable memory tester with test sites operating in a slave mode

A method and apparatus for coordinating program execution in a site controller with pattern execution in a tester executes the pattern in the tester and a pattern interruption instruction. The pattern interruption instruction causes the tester to write to a service request register in the site controller specifying a value that specifies a requested subroutine and a data source. The site controller initiates execution of the requested subroutine in the site controller using the specified data source.

Method and apparatus for coordinating program execution in a site controller with pattern execution in a tester

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Fort Collins, CO, United States of America

Alan S Krech, Jr