VOICE 2016
DPS128
One of three new modules recently launched in support of the V93000 test platform with universal per-pin architecture, the DPS128 (device power supply) is part of a family of power-supply instruments designed to provide a cost-efficient response to the trend toward higher multi-site parallelism. The DPS128 features 128 channels of voltage/current (VI) resources per module to accurately source and measure both current and voltage. Its modular architecture, based on Advantest’s test-processor backbone, can be configured in multiple ways. This built-in flexibility and expandability is key to the power supply’s ability to meet future testing needs.
The DPS128’s per-pin time measurement unit (TMU) enables efficient measurement of high switching frequencies, duty cycles and fast rise/fall times found in today’s advanced power-management devices. With its sophisticated ganging options, this family of instruments can address a broad application space, and also supersedes legacy power instruments within the V93000 portfolio.
This new product family has been instrumental to the growing success of the V93000 in the microcontroller, smartcard, sensor and automotive segments, because it enables very small and attractive system configurations (few cards) with high versatility.
SoC customers have widely accepted the new instruments, and Advantest shipped roughly 1,500 units within the first year. This steep ramp is a first in the history of the V93000 platform. The majority of the units are meeting the high-volume production needs of customers located in Asia.
The products in the DPS family set a new milestone in versatility and cost efficiency, and Advantest looks forward to seeing them contribute further to our growing SoC business.
PVI8
In 2014, Advantest announced its new PVI8 floating power source for the V93000 universal per-pin test platform. The new instrument adds high-voltage and high-current test capabilities to Advantest’s universal V93000 platform, and broadens its market to embedded power devices. Typical target applications in this area are motor controller ICs for automotive and industrial usage and a broad range of power-management devices, including high-power buck and boost converters.
The PVI8 features high channel density and lower test time compared to competitive systems. Designed with eight floating channels and four-quadrant operation, the new instrument can be used to provide up to 80 volts and up to 10 amps per channel. The eight-channel PVI8 can be ganged up to ±80 amps for high-power stress testing of devices. For high-voltage tests, the PVI8 can be stacked up to ±160 volts due to its floating design. The power source supports native pattern controlled operation and therefore leads to extremely fast test times with stable parametric measurements.
Current customers for the PVI8 are leading IDMs in the automotive area. One of these IDM customers is using the power source to test a series of embedded Power MCUs for automotive body electronics. The high channel density, rich feature set and high-throughput of the V93000 power solution provides compelling test cost for embedded power devices.
Efficient test development is essential for these complex applications to meet their short time-to-production requirements. A software package for automatic creation of high-throughput-pattern controlled setups and measurements enables the creation of high-throughput test solutions with reduced engineering effort.
For more information, visit Advantest.com.
TS9000
Growing global adoption of smartphones and tablets with thin form factors is driving demand for semiconductor devices to be smaller and more highly integrated. Extremely precise mold thickness management is necessary for these cutting-edge semiconductor processes. However, quality management in the molding process has been challenged by the fact that non-destructive mold thickness measurement tools were not available, meaning that engineers must extract individual device samples during the trim and form process, cut them destructively, and inspect the cross sections by microscope. This is a time-consuming process typically involving a long wait time due to a bottlenecked queue.
Advantest’s TS9000 Mold Thickness Analysis (MTA) System solves these issues by utilizing terahertz waves to measure mold thickness non-destructively, rapidly, and with a high degree of precision. The system’s high throughput enables users to test large volumes of samples and readily grasp the mold thickness distribution of entire lots. For the first time, users can inspect mold thickness during volume production.
The TS9000 works by placing the semiconductor devices to be measured on the measurement unit’s XY stage. It rapidly evaluates multiple “measurement points” and analyzes the mold thickness distribution. By re-using files containing sets of measurement points (“recipes”), the system can easily inspect devices of the same type without reprogramming. During measurement, it can display thickness measurements and reflection waveforms from each measurement point in real time. These data are recorded in files for each production lot, and can be used for online data management.
The system overcomes the limitations of traditional measurement methods by enabling repeatable and highly accurate measurements, even when analyzing the optically opaque mold polymer materials typically employed in circuit packages. It can handle die in strips or singulated units and is also fully compatible with industry-standard JEDEC trays. During testing, the display shows the status of samples being analyzed along with other important information, allowing the operator to fully monitor test progress.
Fully non-contact and non-destructive, the TS9000 can be configured for partial or 100-percent inspection of the product. Analysis points are fully user defined, ranging from one to 20 points per unit. In addition, the system is fully adaptable for use at various points in the assembly and packaging process, including earlier stages where it can improve product quality and yield.
For more information, please email THz_info@advantest.com or visit Advantest.com.
Read MoreIoT and Smart Applications Pose New Testing Challenges
By Adriano Mancosu, Business Development Manager, Advantest
Every day, it seems, the number of “smart” products and applications in our lives expands – we are seeing this not only in the automotive space and consumer products (particularly wearables), but also in retail, commercial and industrial settings. At the heart of all this new smart technology is what is known as the “Internet of Things,” or the IoT – a term whose definition is still difficult to pin down (and tends to depend on whom you ask).
From Advantest’s perspective, the IoT requires three primary building blocks that, when combined, enable a wide range of new applications for which massive growth is anticipated. These blocks are:
- Computing – the processor/controller and associated software;
- Sensors/actuators – the actual physical and mechanical output; and
- Connectivity – this includes both wireless and wired protocols.
As you may have heard, the IoT will drive 10x more devices per year than smartphones, but the number of applications will grow exponentially – by at least 100x. With this breadth of volume, it will be impractical to develop the kinds of customized, high-end devices for IoT that have been created for smartphones. Thus, the industry needs to come up with manufacturing and test solutions that are adaptable for repurposing in multiple applications.
This also highlights the opportunity that the IoT market creates for smaller companies. While just a few semiconductor makers own 80 percent of the smartphone market, there will be any number of new players who can build a solution based on a unique concept. To bring these solutions to market, they will need to tap the services of semiconductor assembly and test subcontractors. Advantest, with its broad installed base and ecosystem of partners, is one company with the flexibility to help these new players get to market faster.
Testing the IoT
Each of the three IoT building blocks creates unique challenges for test. The microcontroller drivers test toward the highest possible parallel as it requires lengthy test times, while DC accuracy is a key driver for sensors due to their need for a stimulus. On the connectivity front, RF devices, specifically, operate at very high frequencies, which the test process must take into account due to some of the peculiarities this creates within the device.
| Building Block | Test Challenge |
| Computing | High parallelism |
| Sensor | High DC accuracy |
| Connectivity | High RF frequency |
No tester company currently offers a solution enabling all three devices to be tested at once. While individual test will continue for the near future, the market will undoubtedly be driven toward a single testing platform due to the need to reduce test costs and times. The tester and handler will need to deal with a highly complex range of requirements, and combining the three devices together will require a number of compromises – highlighting the fundamental need for ATE flexibility and scalability.
Covering RF for the many lower-power connectivity standards – e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy, ZigBee, 2.4G and others – will certainly require a high degree of flexibility. Most of the sensors used today for the IoT and wearables are either motion (accelerometers, gyroscopes) or environmental (humidity and pressure devices). Testing these components requires a cable interface, as the handler is either moving the parts or located in a humid/hot chamber.
The question of how much revenue ATE companies will ultimately realize around IoT and smart devices is murky at this point, as software services offered by ATE providers will play a key role, and how much will be required is not fully known. In addition, cloud computing is driving solid-state drive (SSD) memories and high-end application processors. With all these variables in play, we anticipate an exciting environment developing over the next few years.
With no single platform developed to address these varied testing needs, growing parallelism and more specifications demand an approach such as the Advantest V93000 “universal pin” test system. Its flexible architecture provides a solution for driving at the end of a 100-inch cable a resource that can be a digital, DC, mixed-signal and RF solution. Because any handler can utilize this interface, the user can simply work on the handler side without having to make any changes on the tester side. To accommodate additional modules, the user need only select the correct tool, making the V93000 a proven, viable option for testing IoT and smart devices.
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