Advantest Rolls Out Wave Scale RF20ex: High-Frequency, High-Bandwidth RF IC Test Card for the V93000 EXA Scale Platform

Earlier this month, Advantest unveiled the Wave Scale RF20ex instrument for the V93000 EXA Scale platform. It enables customers to test virtually any type of radio frequency (RF) device using a single instrument. Wave Scale RF20ex takes the innovations of the V93000 Wave Scale RF solution to a new level, providing double the number of RF ports per instrument and offering future-proof frequency and bandwidth coverage with a frequency range of 100MHz to 20GHz and an industry-leading 2GHz bandwidth capability. It is well equipped to address 5G, WiFi-7, ultra-wideband (UWB) and any other current or future standards in RF.

As semiconductors continue to evolve toward higher performance, technology convergence and complexity, a broader and more integrated test solution is needed. The new Wave Scale RF20ex provides a unified, single-card solution for all standard RF applications. For UWB applications, Wave Scale RF20ex on the V93000 platform enables ATE for a new class of devices that are more demanding in their testing requirements in terms of modulation bandwidth and frequency coverage while driving higher levels of multi-site test and lower cost-of-test (CoT). 

“Our intent in developing Wave Scale RF20ex is to offer the best-in-class instrument for RF ATE with the best available operational efficiency,” said Ralf Stoffels, executive officer and division manager of Advantest’s V93000 product unit. “This single card improves performance for many applications while simplifying configurations that can cover the entire RF market—with built-in capability to also handle the forthcoming WiFi-8 and 6G device generations.”

Wave Scale RF20ex Key Features

The Wave Scale RF20ex card offers a wealth of features and benefits engineered by Advantest RF test experts, including:

• 64 bi-directional ports per card
• 100MHz – 20GHz coverage on all ports
• 2GHz of instantaneous bandwidth for stimulus and measurement

Advantest Announces Advanced Power Multiplexer for V93000 EXA Scale Test Platform

New PMUX02 Power MUX Features High Switch Density and Expanded Voltage Range to Optimize Test of High-Current Devices 

Earlier this month, Advantest announced a new power multiplexer developed specifically for use on the V93000 EXA Scale SoC test platform. The PMUX02 Power MUX offers unprecedented capabilities for multi-site testing of power and analog devices, including battery management system (BMS), automotive, and power management ICs. With 22 switches – nearly double the switch density of its predecessor – and an extended voltage range of ±160 volts (V), PMUX02 will help streamline and reduce cost-of-test for these high-pin-count, mixed-signal devices.

A power mux switches between multiple power sources and instruments to provide uninterrupted power and measurement to devices under test (DUTs). Electric vehicles (EVs) are a key driver behind the need for advanced power muxes. Increasing the number of cells stacked in an EV’s battery module improves its efficiency, and stacks of 24+ cells require the BMS to operate at 150V or higher. Moreover, as automotive ICs become increasingly complex with higher pin counts, more parallel sites are required to increase throughput, requiring more multiplexers. PMUX02 provides a denser array of relays in the test head and uses the system bus for communication, eliminating I2C driver circuitry and freeing up valuable loadboard space.

Up to 16 PMUX02 cards can be installed in an EXA Scale system; the exact number depends heavily on the specific customer application and site count. An optional air cooling kit is also available. PMUX02 is fully compatible with its predecessor, PMUX01, enabling customers to utilize the same loadboards for their applications. In addition, PMUX02 is integrated into Advantest’s SmarTest 8 control software environment and takes advantage of the same powerful routing tools as PMUX01—which is crucial for agile application development.

Advantest Unveils New Ultra-High-Current Power Supply for V93000 EXA Scale SoC Test System

In May, Advantest announced the newest addition to its portfolio of power supplies for the V93000 EXA Scale SoC test platform. The DC Scale XHC32 power supply offers 32 channels with an unprecedented single-instrument total current of up to 640A, enabling the card to efficiently address the rapidly rising power requirements for artificial intelligence (AI) accelerators, high-performance computing (HPC) chips, graphical processing units (GPUs), and other high-current devices like network switches and high-end application processors.

Very high current requirements of 1000A or more at core voltages below 1V require an ATE system with precise power-delivery capabilities. The DC Scale XHC32 further extends the V93000 EXA Scale platform, covering all high-power requirements with a single card to enable unlimited and flexible ganging of channels, fast load step and clamp response, and extended profiling capabilities.

The DC Scale XHC32 provides full application compatibility with the existing DC Scale UHC4T card, enabling a seamless transition to the new generation of high-power supplies while reusing the existing device-under-test (DUT) boards efficiently. By making use of the patented new contact protection, the DC Scale XHC32 reduces cost of test (CoT) by eliminating the risk of damaging probe cards and test sockets. This new feature will not only allow customers to test high-current AI and HPC applications safely, but it will also protect their overall investment in test equipment. The new high-density power supply enables customers to optimize their investment by using smaller test head infrastructures or to increase multisite testing and reduce the overall CoT.

Advantest Launches Real-Time Data Infrastructure (RTDI™) Platform Driving the Next Generation of Semiconductor Test

At the end of last year, Advantest announced that its newly launched ACS Real-Time Data Infrastructure (RTDI™) has been accepted by multiple major data analytics companies as part of an industry-wide collaboration to accelerate data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) decision-making within a single, integrated platform.

Advantest formed ACS in 2020 with the mission of enabling an open solution ecosystem data platform. ACS RTDI is a real-time data infrastructure that securely collects, analyzes, stores and monitors semiconductor test data to empower customers to automate the process of converting insights into actionable test decisions within milliseconds. This helps customers and partners reduce test time, optimize quality and reliability and enhance smart packaging.

“Advantest’s ACS RTDI platform turbocharges decision-making on test floor, while freeing test engineers from the tedium of having to search for needles in data haystacks,” said G. Dan Hutcheson, vice chair and senior fellow, TechInsights. “It lowers test cost with real-time test vector optimization while lowering packaging cost by shifting left systematic final test failures to probe.”

The ACS RTDI platform integrates data sources across the entire IC manufacturing supply chain while employing low-latency edge computing and analytics in a secure True Zero Trust™ environment. This innovative infrastructure minimizes the need for human intervention, streamlining overall data utilization across multiple insertions and supporting customers’ databases. Because cyber security remains a top concern among customers, the ACS RTDI platform was architected to be reliable and safe, ensuring hassle-free OS revisions, which protects data from unauthorized access or loss by leveraging True Zero Trust. Overall, the new ACS ecosystem will enable customers to boost quality, yield, and operational efficiencies, and to accelerate product development and new product introductions for years to come.

Advantest Expands Device Handler Offerings

In December, Advantest announced two new products designed to deliver advanced handling capabilities essential for the fast-growing artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) markets: the HA1200 die-level handler and the active thermal control (ATC) 2-kilowatt (kW) option for the M487x handler series. AI/HPC ICs require 2.5D/3D advanced packaging technologies to provide the high computing power necessary to generate, train and run data-intensive AI models. These ICs generate massive heat due to their high compute power, creating unique testing challenges. The new Advantest products are designed to address these challenges and help contribute to the AI/HPC market growth.

The HA1200 die-level handler for the V93000 SoC test system tests singulated and/or partially assembled die. While 2.5D/3D packages enable high computing power by enabling minimum pattern length between die, stacking die can increase the risk of mixing good and bad die, leading to yield loss. Yield loss at final test, especially for 2.5D/3D packaged ICs, can cause good die, substrates, or interposers to be discarded. Equipped with Advantest’s HPC-proven ATC technology, the HA1200 enables testing powerful, high-performance SoCs with 100% test coverage. This helps reduce yield loss at final test, thus reducing loss of final multi-die assembled product.

HA1200 Die-level Handler

The ATC 2kW solution for the M487x series (M4171, M4871ES and M4872) is designed to test AI/HPC IC packages at final test. The ATC 2kW solution features ultra-high-speed junction temperature (Tj) sensing and response technology to support high-performance ICs being tested at the set temperature and integrates Advantest’s unique force control technology to apply strong, stable, and safe contact to ICs with massive pin quantities. The ATC 2kW solution will support customers’ at-speed device test, enable safe 100% test coverage at final test while simultaneously increasing test quality and performance.

Advantest Targets NAND Flash/NVM Market with New Group of Memory Test Products

In December, Advantest announced three new additions to its suite of memory test products. The new offerings are designed to target NAND Flash and non-volatile memory (NVM) devices, which face extreme pressure to bring down test costs and cost of ownership on the test floor. The new products include the T5230 memory wafer test solution; the STM32G third-generation protocol NAND system-level test module for the T5851 memory tester; and the T5835 high-speed wafer-sort interface option.

The T5230 memory test system for NAND/NVM devices adopts a combined array architecture to achieve best-in-class cost-of-test performance for wafer test, including wafer-level burn-in (WLBI) and built-in self-test (BIST). The system can perform on-wafer test of 1,024 memory devices per test head in parallel, delivering high productivity and enabling floor space savings of up to 86%. Multiple test cells are connected per system controller in the T5230, allowing independent wafer test of each test cell. The test cells can be stored in a general multi-wafer prober while minimizing the test cell floor space, and the tester can be docked with probers in both linear and multi-stack configurations. For functional tests at a maximum test rate of 125MHz/250Mbps, the T5230 assures high timing accuracy, repeatability, and failure detection capability.

T5230 Memory Test System

The T5851-STM32G module is designed to cover the latest generation of protocol NAND devices, including UFS4.0 and PCIe Gen 5 ball grid array (BGA) packaged devices for high-speed system-level NAND testing at up to 32Gbps. Fully upgradeable and compatible with existing T5851 systems, the new module delivers tester-per-DUT (device under test) performance and is qualified for high-volume manufacturing, qualification, reliability and characterization.

T5851 Memory Test System and T5851-STM32G

Created as an option for the proven T5835 multifunction memory test system, the new high-speed wafer-sort interface enables high-speed NAND Flash/NVM wafer probing (up to 5.4Gbps) with 4,096 full I/O channels. Raw NAND die inside solid-state drives (SSDs) require increasingly higher-speed functionality, necessitating evaluation and test of die performance at the wafer level, not just in package-level final test. The solution delivers high-speed probe interface with wafer-level evaluation of memory core test functionalities during engineering production, contributing to the T5835’s overall value by delivering wider test coverage.

T5835 Memory Test System