The 5G mmWave Commercialization Effort Is Underway


By David Vondran and Rodrigo Carrillo-Ramirez 5G broadband cellular technology entered its first major rollout phase in 2019. In recent years, 5G adoption has been very visible among the consumer electronics industry, with 5G capabilities now being a key selling point for mid-tier to high-end mobile devices. Behind the scenes, however, there have been a number of developments designed to ... » read more

Screening For Silent Data Errors


Engineers are beginning to understand the causes of silent data errors (SDEs) and the data center failures they cause, both of which can be reduced by increasing test coverage and boosting inspection on critical layers. Silent data errors are so named because if engineers don’t look for them, then they don’t know they exist. Unlike other kinds of faulty behaviors, these errors also can c... » read more

Emerging Technologies Are Driving System Level Test Adoption


With the size of semiconductor transistors decreasing and chip complexity increasing exponentially, semiconductor test has become essential to ensuring that only high-quality products go to market. With the introduction of more rigorous acceptable quality level (AQL) certifications, test methods must constantly evolve to meet these standards, and system level test (SLT) and traditional test... » read more

System Level Test — A Primer: White Paper


As semiconductor geometries become smaller and greater complexity is pushed into chips or packages, System Level Test (SLT) is becoming essential. Peter Reichert, System Architect for Teradyne’s System Level Test division discusses what System Level Test is, and how it can improve final product quality and reduce time to market. Click here to download the white paper. » read more

High Voltage Testing Races Ahead


Voltage requirements are increasing, especially for the EV market. Even devices that might be considered relatively low voltage, such as display drivers, are now pushing past established baselines. While working with high voltages is nothing new — many engineers can recall yellow caution tape in their workplaces — the sheer number and variety of new requirements have made testing at high... » read more

Ensuring Your Semiconductor Test Equipment Is Protected From Rising Cybersecurity Threats


Cybersecurity threats pose risks to your business every day and can attack every aspect of your operation, and these threats are only increasing. According to IBM Security’s Cost of a Data Breach Report, in 2021, the average total cost of a data breach increased by nearly 10% year over year, from $3.86M to $4.24M – the largest single year cost increase in the last seven years. Sourc... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test


U.S. President Joe Biden appears ready to increase pressure on Japan and the Netherlands to help block the flow of advanced chip technology to China, where it can be used to develop cutting-edge weapons. "You will see Japan and Netherlands follow our lead," U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told CNBC. Japan plans to budget ¥350 billion ($2.38 billion) in a research collaboration with th... » read more

Simplifying The Path From Design To Test


By Richard Fanning and John Rowe Getting an integrated circuit (IC) from design to test is an arduous process that encompasses a number of steps, including: Design for Test (DFT): processes that ensure the chip is designed in such a way that it can be tested Development: the development of automated test programs (ATPs) Bench: evaluating the device at the bench to ensure the desig... » read more

Test Connections Clean Up With Real-Time Maintenance


Test facilities are beginning to implement real-time maintenance, rather than scheduled maintenance, to reduce manufacturing costs and boost product yield. Adaptive cleaning of probe needles and test sockets can extend equipment lifetimes and reduce yield excursions. The same is true for load board repair, which is moving toward predictive maintenance. But this change is much more complicate... » read more

Why Silent Data Errors Are So Hard To Find


Cloud service providers have traced the source of silent data errors to defects in CPUs — as many as 1,000 parts per million — which produce faulty results only occasionally and under certain micro-architectural conditions. That makes them extremely hard to find. Silent data errors (SDEs) are random defects produced in manufacturing, not a design bug or software error. Those defects gene... » read more

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