Logicvision plans on-chip test for mixed-signal SoCs

Logicvision plans on-chip test for mixed-signal SoCs
By Chris Edwards, EE Times UK
March 14, 2001 (2:54 p.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20010314S0001

MUNICH, Germany — Looking to suppress rising test costs, Logicvision Inc. (San Jose, Calif.) is working to bring on-chip testing to mixed-signal IC designs that include analog-to-digital (A/D) converters. The company is now working with a group of customers to develop techniques and intellectual property to test a selection of typical converter architectures, said Rodger Sykes, vice president of marketing and business development at Logicvision.

"It is tough to have a standard solution for A/D converters," Sykes said. "We are working with two European customers and are currently at the alpha/beta evaluation phase. We are working with customers who have A/D designs and are optimizing the solution for those types of A/Ds."

The tool, which will be based on a built-in, self-test (BIST) product that tests phase-locked loops, and is part of an effort to reduce the cost of analog tests, which dominate the time required to test complex system-on-ch ip (SoC) designs. "The ability to perform basic analog tests on a digital tester is very attractive," Sykes said. "It is not intended to be a full characterization but a go/no-go kind of test."

With on-chip test circuitry, Sykes said it would be possible to test circuits at the board level to see whether they perform as expected under "dirty" conditions. "As well as testing in clean conditions on an IC tester, with our board-level test methodology we can test in a real environment. We can pull out parameters at the board level. That can be tremendously valuable," said Sykes.

A deal struck this week between Agilent Technologies and Synopsys has also focused on the problem of rising test costs. The companies are to work together on developing design for test (DFT) approaches for Agilent's tester hardware. The non-exclusive deal leaves space for either party to pursue similar arrangements with other companies, but neither has yet decided to launch a full partners program.

Logicvision has been busily signing up tester manufacturers for its own partners program, but Agilent is not a partner at this point. Logicvision this week added Advantest to its roster of test partners, which also includes LTX and Teradyne.