Adv Antest Corporation

Verigy (singapore) Pte. Ltd.

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Klaus-Dieter Hilliges

Ajay Khoche

Erik H Volkerink

Duncan Gurley

Olaf Pöppe

Jia-Wei Lin

Jochen Rivoir

Hugh S Wallace

Alan S Krech

Adrian Wan-Chew Seet

Eric Vokerink

Hugh S C Wallace

Xiaomin Jin

Jim-my Jin

An automated test equipment for testing one or more devices under test comprising a plurality of port processing units, comprising at least a respective buffer memory, and a respective high-speed-input-output, HSIO, interface for connecting with at least one of the devices under test. The port processing units are configured to receive data, store the received data in the respective buffer memory, and provide the data stored in the respective buffer memory to one or more of the connected devices under test via the respective HSIO interface for testing the one or more connected devices under test. A method and computer program for automated testing of one or more devices under test are also described.

Automated test equipment for testing one or more devices under test, method for automated testing of one or more devices under test, and computer program using a buffer memory

An automated test equipment for testing a device under test comprises an on-chip-system-test controller. The on-chip system test controller comprises at least one debug interface or control interface configured to communicate with the device under test. The on-chip-system-test controller optionally comprises at least one high bandwidth interface configured to communicate with the device under test. The on-chip-system-test controller is configured to control a test of a device-under-test which is a system-on-a chip.

Automated test equipment using an on-chip-system test controller

In one embodiment, a semiconductor test control system includes a computer system having a plurality of hardware resources; a hypervisor installed on the computer system; and a test floor controller installed on the computer system. The hypervisor virtualizes the hardware resources and provides each of at least one virtual appliance with access to a respective virtual set of hardware resources. Each virtual set of hardware resources places its respective virtual appliance in controlling communication with at least a first aspect of a semiconductor test system, thereby enabling the respective virtual appliance to test a respective type of semiconductor device. The test floor controller is in controlling communication with i) at least a second aspect of the semiconductor test system, and ii) each of the at least one virtual appliance.

System, methods and apparatus using virtual appliances in a semiconductor test environment

In one embodiment, a semiconductor test control system includes a computer system having a plurality of hardware resources; a hypervisor installed on the computer system; and a test floor controller installed on the computer system. The hypervisor virtualizes the hardware resources and provides each of at least one virtual appliance with access to a respective virtual set of the hardware resources. Each virtual set of the hardware resources places its respective virtual appliance in controlling communication with at least a first aspect of a semiconductor test system, thereby enabling the respective virtual appliance to test a respective type of semiconductor device. The test floor controller is in controlling communication with i) at least a second aspect of the semiconductor test system, and ii) each of the at least one virtual appliance.

From a logic device comprising logic circuits and a built-in self-test system (BIST) comprising scan chains, diagnostic information is obtained by using the scan chains to apply a stimulus vector to the logic circuits, to capture responses of the logic circuits to the stimulus vector and to shift the captured responses towards the outputs of the scan chains; generating a representative signature representing the responses output by the scan chains; concurrently storing the responses output by the scan chains temporarily such no more than a most-recently output subset of the responses is stored; determining whether the representative signature is a fault-indicating representative signature; and, when the representative signature is a fault-indicating representative signature, outputting at least some of the stored responses. The output responses are usable as diagnostic information. The most-recently output subset of the responses is composed of fewer than all of the responses generated in response to the stimulus vector.

Diagnostic information capture from logic devices with built-in self test

An ATE system is described for testing one or more DFT testing blocks contained in one or more DUTs when coupled to the ATE system. The ATE system includes hardware resources and software processes under the control of a DPK (Distributed Processing Kernel). The DPK couples the hardware resources and software processes as needed for a first DFT testing block to be enabled for testing only when such resources and processes are available and locked for the first DFT testing block. The DPK is coupled to the first DFT testing blocks via data channels and control channels that are selected as needed for having the first DFT testing block enabled for testing. The channels are under the control of an DUTs-ATE interface which is directed by the DPK for connecting the first DFT testing block to the locked hardware resource and the locked software processes. Each set up process corresponding to any subsequent DFT testing block requesting any hardware resource and any software processes that are already locked for use is paused until such locked resource and locked software processes are unlocked and assigned for having that subsequent DFT testing block enabled for testing.

ATE architecture and method for DFT oriented testing

An adaptive test system includes one or more reconfigurable test boards, with each test board including at least one re-configurable test processor. The re-configurable test processors can transmit communicate with one another using an inter-processor communications controller associated with each re-configurable test processor. The communications include configuration information, control information, communication protocols, stimulus data, and responses. Configuration information and stimulus data can also be read from a memory. Configuration information is used to configure one or more re-configurable test processors. Once configured, the re-configurable test processor or processors process the data in order to generate one or more test signals. The one or more test signals are then used to test a DUT.

Re-configurable architecture for automated test equipment

A phase comparator is used to test a device under test comprising an input/output (I/O) circuit by applying a signal to the device under test; extracting a phase signal from the phase comparator; and determining parametric information pertaining to the I/O circuit of the device under test from the phase signal.

Parametric measurement of high-speed I/O systems

Representative embodiments are generally directed to storing compressed test pattern data on an automated test equipment (ATE) device. In one embodiment, the test pattern data is compressed according to a linear feedback shift register (LFSR). The LFSR may possess a low probability of occurrence of linear dependencies associated with compression of stimulus patterns to enable relatively highly compacted patterns to be compressed. Additionally or alternatively, repeat-filled test pattern data is run length encoded using variable length code words to facilitate parallel decompression within the ATE device.

Systems and methods for processing automatically generated test patterns

Automated test equipment (ATE) includes a tester-per-pin architecture with a number of individual decentralized per-pin testing units, wherein each per-pin testing unit is adapted for testing a respective DUT-pin of a device under test (DUT) by emitting stimulus response signals to the respective DUT-pin and/or receiving stimulus response signals from the respective DUT-pin. Testing the DUT includes defining for a testing sequence the DUT into one or more DUT-cores representing one or more functional units of the DUT and covering one or more DUT-pins of the DUT, and assigning during the testing sequence one or more of the per-pin testing units to one or more ATE-ports, whereby each ATE-port comprises one or more of the per-pin testing units and represents an independent functional testing unit for testing one or more of the DUT-cores during the testing sequence.

Growing community of inventors

Shanghai, China

Klaus-Dieter Hilliges