Use USB or PCIe to test ICs at the fab or back-end

Update: August 6, 2023
Use USB or PCIe to test ICs at the fab or back-end

USB version

“Many of today’s complex SoCs, microprocessors, graphics processors and AI accelerators incorporate high-speed digital interfaces such as USB or PCIe.,” according to the company. “The Link Scale cards use these interfaces for fast transfer of functional and scan test content, increasing test coverage and throughput simultaneously.”

Using USB or PCIe to communicate with a device-under-test that is designed to use that interface in end-use allows the device to be tested in its normal mode of operation, using similar firmware and drivers as in the target application.

PCIe version

The cards also allow debug tools such as Lauterbach’s TRACE32 to be employed, said Advantest. Also, “pre-silicon functional tests can now be re-used, leveraging the PSS [portable test and stimulus standard], which is supported by major EDA tools”. And “The new cards provide a customisable environment for host software to run on the cards, allowing real-world application testing with a full software stack to be performed on the V93000 system”.

Exchanging test data among different environments, such as wafer sort, final test and system-level test, can help users establish known-good-die strategies for chiplets in 2.5D or 3D multi-die packages.

They are scheduled to be generally available in the first quarter of 2022.