Own Test Architecture To Meet Ever-Growing Test Coverage


Automotive consumers worldwide are increasingly basing their purchase decisions on the vehicle’s user interface, or human-machine interface (HMI). An in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) or car multimedia system, together with a digital cockpit, heavily influences how drivers and passengers feel about vehicles. And while HMI-related automotive electronics account for 70 percent of all in-car code, e... » read more

How Do I Know? A Machine Told Me So


More than 375 years ago, René Descartes wrote “I think, therefore I am.” And “Think” has been a slogan used by no less a technology giant than IBM for more than a century. The thought process has been a defining aspect of humanity since our beginning. But now technologists are working to imbue that capability into machines through artificial intelligence. Programming computers is no... » read more

3D NAND Metrology Challenges Growing


3D NAND vendors face several challenges to scale their devices to the next level, but one manufacturing technology stands out as much more difficult at each turn—metrology. Metrology, the art of measuring and characterizing structures, is used to pinpoint problems and ensure yields for all chip types. In the case of 3D NAND, the metrology tools are becoming more expensive at each iteration... » read more

Gaps In 5G Test


Add one more industry to the long list that analysts expect 5G technology to disrupt—test. While the initial versions of this wireless technology will be little more than a faster version of 4G, concern is growing about exactly how to test the second phase of this technology, which will be based upon millimeter wave. A number of fundamental problems need to be addressed. Among them: T... » read more

New Battleground In The Data Race


For the past couple years, giant commercial data centers have been grabbing as much data as possible. The big question now is whether that investment will pay off. Companies such as AWS, Google, Microsoft, Alibaba and Baidu are not necessarily the best equipped to leverage that data—or at least not yet. In fact, most of what they've been focusing on is a narrow slice of the data being coll... » read more

Chips That See


An opto-based microchip implemented in standard CMOS technology has made it possible to develop a new type of on-chip functionality which combines normal ASIC technology with optical filters on the chip diode. The chip emulates the human eye and the way it detects light can be used for industrial purposes to create artificial intelligence for functions such as 3D motion control, eye protection ... » read more

MIMO And Phased-Array Antennas For 5G


Evolving communication systems are driving developments in the RF/microwave industry. The large umbrella of 5G focuses on supporting three main technologies: enhanced mobile broadband, which is the natural development of long-term evolution (LTE), massive machine-type communications, also known as the industrial internet of things (IIoT), and ultra-reliable, low-latency communications providing... » read more

The 3 Main Obstacles To Zero DPPM And How To Overcome Them


As we all well know, there are multiple mission critical applications in today’s “Age of Smart” that are calling for zero DPPM (defective parts per million) in semiconductors and electronic systems. In industries such as automotive, medical, aerospace, and more, where lives are at stake, defective parts are not an option. The quality imperative However, with the ever-growing complexi... » read more

Home Automation IoT Company Cuts ASIC Testing Costs


digitalSTROM develops smart home automation solutions providing users with superior comfort and a whole new style of living. Based on proprietary ASIC and software, digitalSTROM’s solutions connect electrical household appliances through existing power lines and enable an intelligent home via light switches, free speaking using Amazon Echo, and other apps. Challenges At the heart of digit... » read more

Finding Defects In Chips With Machine Learning


Chipmakers are using more and different traditional tool types than ever to find killer defects in advanced chips, but they are also turning to complementary solutions like advanced forms of machine learning to help solve the problem. A subset of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning has been used in computing and other fields for decades. In fact, early forms of machine learning ha... » read more

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