True Zero Trust Combats IC Manufacturing Security Challenges


The semiconductor manufacturing industry is facing a host of unprecedented technology and security challenges. A common catchphrase these days is that “data is the new oil.” Data is everywhere, in everything we do, and there is both good and bad associated with this trend. Data everywhere creates new security issues that need to be addressed to protect the integrity of your information and ... » read more

Meeting The Test Challenges Of Ultra-Wideband Chipsets


By Kevin Yan and Daniel Sun This article is adapted from a paper and presentation at SEMICON China, March 2023. Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, as defined by IEEE 802.15.4 and 802.15.4z standards, enables short-range, low-power RF location-based services and wireless communication. A variety of devices have reached the market to help implement UWB capability, but these devices present si... » read more

Deploying Cutting-Edge Adaptive Test Analytics Apps


By Ken Butler, Advantest, and Guy Cortez, Synopsys Semiconductor test challenges abound in this era of AI. As such, semiconductor test engineering is increasingly moving towards fully adaptive test where each device receives the “right” test content to assess its correctness. Advantest and Synopsys have partnered to provide new cutting-edge real-time adaptive test applications at the te... » read more

Comparison Of State-Of-The-Art Models For Socket Pin Defect Detection


This article is adapted from a presentation at TestConX, March 5-8, 2023, Mesa, AZ, by Vijayakumar Thangamariappan, Nidhi Agrawal, Jason Kim, Constantinos Xanthopoulos, Ira Leventhal, and Ken Butler, Advantest America Inc., and Joe Xiao, Essai, Advantest Group. Test sockets have a key role to play in the semiconductor test industry. A socket serves as the critical interface between a teste... » read more

MMAF Option Enables Picoampere Measurements


By Yoshiyuki Aoki and Tsunetaka Akutagawa Demand for low-current devices is increasing, as many new sensors are being created for medical, automotive, industrial, and other applications. Chief among the heightened production and test requirements for these low-current devices is the need to achieve picoampere (pA)-class measurements. Sensors’ functionality and efficacy, especially in medic... » read more

Design Considerations For Ultra-High Current Power Delivery Networks


This article is adapted from a presentation at TestConX, March 5-8, 2023, Mesa, AZ. A power-delivery network (PDN), also called a power-distribution network, is a localized network that delivers power from voltage-regulator modules (VRMs) throughout a load board to the package’s chip pads or wafer’s die pads. The PDN includes the VRM itself, all bulk and localized capacitance, board vi... » read more

Power-Supply Card Targets High-Voltage PMIC Test


The electronics industry is seeing a move toward higher voltages and currents to deliver sufficient supply and charging power in products ranging from handheld cellphones and tablets to workstations. This trend is evidenced in examples such as the many USB power-delivery (PD) profiles with ratings ranging from 10W (5V at 2A for USB PD 3.0 profile 1) up to 100W (5V at 2A, 12V at 5A, and 20V at 5... » read more

Data Analytics For The Chiplet Era


This article is based on a paper presented at SEMICON Japan 2022. Moore’s Law has provided the semiconductor industry’s marching orders for device advancement over the past five decades. Chipmakers were successful in continually finding ways to shrink the transistor, which enabled fitting more circuits into a smaller space while keeping costs down. Today, however, Moore’s Law is slowin... » read more

Device Validation: The Ultimate Test Frontier


This article is a condensed version of an article that appeared in the November/December 2022 issue of Chip Scale Review. Adapted with permission. Read the original article at https://chipscalereview.com/wp-content/uploads/flipbook/30/book.html, p. 26. In the early days of space exploration, spacecraft were manned by small teams of astronauts, most of whom were experienced test pilots who ... » read more

Test Gets Ready For Wi-Fi 7


New test solutions are emerging to address the test challenges associated with the forthcoming Wi-Fi 7 standard. Wi-Fi 7 covers the (so far, for Wi-Fi) unused frequency range between 6 GHz and 7.125 GHz, using up to 4096-QAM modulation schemes and up to 320MHz channel bandwidth (see figure 1). Fig. 1: Wi-Fi band ranges are shown here, including the 3x increase in bandwidth enabled by a... » read more

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