Pro Sports: A New Frontier for Prosthetics

Judy Davies, Vice President of Global Marketing Communications, Advantest

Professional sports demand a great deal of the athletes who pursue them, and many of these players willingly give 110%—a commitment that takes on new significance when a physical disability is involved. The National Football League (NFL), for example, has boasted a number of players who have excelled in this physically demanding sport despite missing body parts.

Legendary San Francisco 49er cornerback and free safety Ronnie Lott, who was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000, mangled his pinkie finger during the 1985-86 NFL season. His competitive fervor was such that he opted for amputation of the damaged fingertip rather than surgery and rehabilitation that would cause him to miss multiple games.

Prior to the era of Lott, Montana, et. al, place kicker Tom Dempsey utilized a custom-built football cleat with a flattened front surface to accommodate a birth defect: the lack of toes on his right foot. Dempsey enjoyed a 10-year career in the NFL, and during the 1970-71 season, he kicked a 63-yard field goal while playing for the New Orleans Saints—a record that remained unbroken until December 2013.

This year, the Seattle Seahawks selected, as one of their draft picks, defensive player Shaquem Griffin out of the University of Central Florida. Griffin has no left hand, having been born with a congenital condition called amniotic band syndrome that necessitated amputation of his underdeveloped left hand at the age of four. However, Griffin’s performance in college, particularly the Senior Bowl in January, greatly impressed pro scouts, and at the NFL Combine event, he bench-pressed 225 pounds 20 times, using a prosthetic hand to grasp the bar. It’s not yet clear whether the NFL will allow Griffin to wear an artificial hand during games—does such special equipment give a player an unfair advantage, or does it simply help level the playing field?

One thing that isn’t in question: prosthetics technology continues to grow in sophistication. Advances in medical knowledge and kinesiology, together with smaller, more efficient microelectronics and longer battery life, are producing such remarkable devices as prosthetic fingers that enable the dexterity and control a wearer needs to perform everyday tasks most of us take for granted.

Dr. Hugh Herr, director of the biomechatronics group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, is a leading pioneer in engineering bionic limbs A double amputee himself, Dr. Herr has designed high-tech prosthetics, such as his computerized BiOM ankle, that restore users’ ability to pursue such activities as running and swimming. Dr. Herr’s focus is on improving the human-machine interface of prosthetics to reduce users’ pain and frustration.

The ultimate goal is to apply advanced semiconductor technology – including sensors, computers and MEMS – to link artificial limbs with the human nervous system. Dr. Herr will share further details regarding his research and its applications when he delivers the keynote address next May at Advantest’s annual VOICE Developer Conference.

Of course, to go along with the nervous system, as the old song says, “You gotta have heart.” Consider the words of Tom Dempsey, whose reported response to those complaining his custom cleat gave him a competitive advantage was, “Unfair, eh? How about you try kicking a 63-yard field goal to win it with two seconds left and you’re wearing a square shoe – oh yeah, and no toes either.” Talent, technology… and heart. Sounds like a winning combination.

Judy Davies, VP Global Marketing Communications

PCIe Gen 4 Is Coming – the SLT Solution Is Here

By Colin Ritchie, Vice President, System Level Test Business, Advantest

The high-tech industry is currently in the midst of what has been widely cited by industry experts and executives as a memory super-cycle. Memory manufacturers, in response to sustained high demand for memory devices – including from the solid-state drive (SSD) market – are adding capacity to ensure their ability to meet this explosive demand.

The test requirements for SSDs comprise a wide range of variables that span many different engineering disciplines, as shown in Figure 1. One of the most challenging is the variety of protocols implemented, which vary widely in functionality and performance. Having noted this, it’s clear that the industry is moving toward newer, faster data-transfer protocols.

Figure 1. SSD test requirements include a wide range of variables.

SSD makers have traditionally utilized Serial ATA (SATA) or Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) – both of which, while still in use, are showing signs of age. However, the more compact and easily implemented PCI Express (PCIe) protocol has become highly popular, both in standalone mode and as a transport mechanism for the Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) protocol (which is optimized for NAND flash next-generation NVM technologies).

While the third generation of PCIe (Gen 3) has met with notable success, the industry has been waiting for Gen 4, as it delivers capabilities previously unattainable with other SSD protocols. The new PCIe Gen 4 standardized data transfer bus will double the per-lane data transfer rate of the prior Gen3 revision from 8.0 gigatransfers per second (GT/s) to 16.0 GT/s. As a result, data transfer rates of up to 2GB/s (gigabytes/second) can be achieved with just one PCIe Gen 4 interconnection, and up to 16GB/s with an 8-slot PCIe Gen 4 interconnection for graphics cards and high-end SSDs.

The greatest beneficiary of this new implementation of PCIe will be the burgeoning Big Data arena. With the advent of the IoT and “smart everything,” a host of applications are churning out data in massive volumes. With its speed and capacity, PCIe Gen 4 will dramatically boost server throughput. At the same time, it will also place even greater demands on system-level testing (SLT), which has evolved rapidly to meet growing industry requirements for protocol testing at the system level. In the highly competitive SSD market, a test system that supports multiple protocols can eliminate the need for retooling and help speed transitions between product generations.

Another industry first for system-level test

Advantest’s proven platform strategy is ideally suited to system-level test. Both standard and custom solutions can be economically configured with the implementation of modular components developed for the platform. Its modularity and adaptability also are essential for optimizing manufacturers’ factory-floor configurations to accommodate new product generations – changes can be made quickly and efficiently with a minimum of disruption to the manufacturing process.

The flexible MPT3000 SLT platform was designed to meet customers’ testing needs for both enterprise and client SSDs. Already used by leading manufacturers of PCIe Gen 3, SATA and SAS SSDs, the MPT3000 portfolio has again expanded to accommodate the newest generation of PCIe.

On August 1, Advantest announced its latest industry breakthrough: the first fully integrated test solution for developing, debugging and mass producing PCIe Gen 4 SSDs on the MPT3000. The all-inclusive test solution enables SSD manufacturers to accelerate their newest products’ time to market.

The newly expanded MPT3000 platform is available in three configurations that enable it to cover all test insertions for PCIe Gen 4 devices (Figure 2), without waiting for third-party PCIe Gen 4 infrastructure to be commercially available:

• MPT3000ES for engineering applications and program development
• MPT3000ENV for reliability demonstration testing (RDT) and quality assurance (QA)
• MPT3000HVM for high capacity and throughput in high-volume manufacturing.

Figure 2. The MPT3000 platform can be implemented at every stage of SSD test.

The holistic MPT3000 platform streamlines the transition to PCIe Gen 4 by offering users a test flow that spans design to manufacturing and uses the same tester architecture and software as the proven PCIe Gen 3 offering – giving SSD manufacturers access to the fastest, lowest-risk path to market. Its tester-per-DUT [device under test] architecture and hardware acceleration make the MPT3000 a single-system solution for virtually all engineering, volume production and built-in self-test (BIST) applications.

The newest evolution of PCIe motherboards is expected to begin hitting the market within the next six to 12 months. Developers integrating PCIe into their products need a reliable test solution today to ensure they are able to hit this market window. They need look no further than the MPT3000 PCIe Gen 4 solution from Advantest – available now and already shipping to customers.

AI Today – We’ve Come a Long Way

Judy Davies, Vice President of Global Marketing Communications, Advantest

Artificial intelligence (AI) has made amazing technological leaps since what some consider its first implementation: the first programmable digital computer, invented in Germany by Konrad Zuse in 1941. Since then, of course, AI has made amazing technological leaps, while at the same time incurring misconceptions on the part of many regarding its potential uses. Let’s take a look at the current state of AI, and how it’s being enabled by continued evolution of semiconductor technology.

Today’s AI systems comprise advanced software, hardware and algorithms, performing tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as independent learning and problem solving. AI-powered devices can crunch huge amounts of information in a short period of time. The availability of high-speed, low-latency mobile data allows users to access information quickly without a large power requirement, enabling real-time content streaming while making possible a growing range of applications, from augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), to cloud computing, to “smart everything.”

Cognitive engines are being used by government agencies from municipal police departments to the CIA to sift through and perform intricate analyses of myriad information collected on a daily basis – ranging from fingerprints to images captured on police body-cams. Similarly, California firefighting efforts have benefited from the use of drones to gather on-site information in the midst of raging wildfires, relaying the location of hot spots and overall fire movement. This is particularly valuable when a fire is burning in an area of rough terrain, helping agencies map out the best plan of attack.

But AI is also being used on a more personal level, in human/machine interfaces. These range from ATMs and smartphone GPS, to home-automation devices such as Amazon Echo or Google Home, to our increasingly interactive vehicles. According to market research firm IC Insights, automotive electronics will be the fastest growing IC market segment through 2021. Companies ranging from Porsche to Dyson (best known for its high-end vacuum cleaners and personal electronics) are working to apply this processing power for all-electric and, soon, fully autonomous, self-driving vehicles.

At the heart of a host of these human/machine applications is the ongoing march of semiconductor technology progress, enabling new functionality for new markets. Sensor technology is critical to the development of self-driving cars. A major challenge is equipping vehicles to determine when a turn can safely be made if pedestrians are present. Driverless cars can be made to recognize road signs and proximity of other vehicles, but people entering crosswalks create a unique challenge – the car may sit there indefinitely, waiting until no movement at all can be detected. By viewing autonomous cars as essentially mobile sensors and part the connected “Internet of Everything,” the chip industry can speed its efforts to develop solutions that overcome these hurdles while also enabling new business models.

Illustrating its diversity, AI also has applications in medical markets – for example, creating opportunities for those missing limbs to experience improved mobility. Enabled by smaller, more efficient microelectronics and longer battery life, AI can be combined with advances in medical knowledge and kinesiology to achieve next-generation developments in prosthetics.

Companies such as HDT Global, which partners with DARPA, and Touch Bionics, maker of the i-limb prosthetic hand, are making the most of improvements in microprocessors, software and battery technology to usher in a new era in bionics. Using semiconductor technology, researchers at Brown University implanted a sensor in the brain of a 58-year-old quadriplegic woman. Electrical signals from neurons in her motor cortex were able to command a computer-controlled prosthetic arm to grasp a bottle with the woman’s right hand and bring it to her mouth. A number of further advances in brain-controlled prosthetics are on the horizon, based on presentations given last fall at Neuroscience 2017, the annual meeting organized by the Society for Neuroscience.

Another use of AI revolves around intelligent harvesting of ambient energy from a wide range of common external sources, including photons, geothermal heat and kinetic energy, and harnessing it to improve our human experience through mobile and wireless electronics. An example, demonstrated through technology incubator Silicon Catalyst, harvests body heat to power smart watches and other devices. It does this by leveraging the difference between body temperature and the surrounding air; the larger the temperature disparity, the more energy is available. If the power can be channeled in sufficient quantity to drive all the functions on a smart watch, the wearer could theoretically generate electrical power on the move, anywhere he or she goes.

In concert with all of these developments, advances in test solutions and methodologies are helping to reduce the prices of new electronic devices and ensure their availability in sufficient volumes for mass markets. This is critical at a time when people of all kinds are benefiting from their close connections with technology.

Certainly, securing our private lives, our finances and our communication platforms from identity theft has become a key concern. Even so, the growth in human/machine interactions is highly promising. Our abilities to enjoy active lifestyles, drive vehicles and even keep our communities safe all can be enhanced by the use of electronic devices available today. Emerging semiconductor technologies can take us even further.

Judy Davies, VP Global Marketing Communications

ADAS Extends Traditional Automotive Technologies for Autonomous Vehicles

By Toni Dirscherl, Product Manager, Power and Analog Solutions, Advantest Europe

Autonomous cars are one of the most topical, intensely discussed trends in the world today, and will likely continue to be so for the foreseeable future. The reality is that there are degrees of autonomy; if you drive a car manufactured within the last three to five years, you are already using some of this technology. Typically referred to as “passive” autonomous driving, this includes sensors that issue a warning beep when you’re backing up, changing lanes, or come too close to the vehicle ahead.

While fully driverless cars are still farther out on the horizon, we are into the next phase of integrating automated driver-assistance systems (ADAS) into vehicles – i.e., limited driver substitution. This ongoing effort is overlapping the growing focus on making cars with complete autonomous capability available. This article will look at some of the specifics regarding the different levels of ADAS capability, the semiconductor technologies they entail, and the test capabilities that will be required.

From driver-only to driverless

As the illustration in Figure 1 shows, there are several degrees of autonomy that can be designed into vehicle systems. Plenty of cars at driver-only Level 0 are still on the road, and will be for some time, given modern cars’ average age and length of ownership.

Vehicles with Level 1 and 2 features are widely available, and some capabilities that fall under the Level 3 umbrella are becoming available in limited fashion. Levels 4 and 5, of course, are still in the future, but to bring them to fruition will require having regulations in place needed to ensure their safety, which may delay full market penetration of driverless cars. Conventional wisdom at the moment indicates that Level 5 is five to 10 years out.

Figure 1. Today, we are at the midpoint of implementing the levels of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) shown here.

Automated driver-assistance systems don’t replace traditional automotive semiconductor segments. Rather, they extend them to enable mechanical and electrical/electronic system capabilities to be smoothly integrated and run as intended. Figure 2 illustrates these two categories – technologies in blue are the traditional segment, those in the outer green circle represent newer ADAS system requirements, which bring with them heightened demand for more flexible, sophisticated test capabilities.

Figure 2. ADAS combines with traditional semiconductor-driven technologies to boost cars’ chip content.

Car radar technology assists in maintaining proper distance between cars in front and to the sides, as well as enabling safe lane changes. The adaptive cruise control technology used in many cars today is also based on 77GHz (millimeter-wave, or mmW) radar assembly. Radar technology requires special testing techniques to accommodate the radio-frequency (RF) devices under test (DUTs).

• LiDAR (light detection and ranging) is always deployed in combination with full radar technology. LiDAR is higher resolution than radar, and its purpose is to maintain a safe distance between the car and other objects. This includes looking for small objects, animals or pedestrians that may suddenly appear in the road – the system looks at how long the laser path takes to reach the object and be reflected back (which is affected by its density) and then tells the car how to respond. Because it does not work in fog or for wide-range tracing, a combination
  of LiDAR and radar will result in optimal detection. Testing for these technologies requires an equally integrated approach.
• V2X, or “vehicle to everything,” refers to the connectedness that makes the car part of the Internet of Things (IoT). This is a key technology to advance ADAS. It can be vehicle-to- vehicle, vehicle-to- traffic light, -data center, -network, – pedestrian, etc. – basically anything that involves the car communicating with something outside of it. This can help the car to send a “don’t pass” warning to another car on a blind curve, communicate with emergency vehicles, receive in- vehicle network updates, look for open parking spaces, and myriad other communications-related functions. V2X brings in technologies similar to those found in today’s smartphones, including the trend of moving from 4G to 5G communication. Its three primary aims are to improve active safety, increase situational awareness, and enable better traffic efficiency.
• These new technologies generate a large quantity of data to be processed and acted upon, e.g., the sensors needed for video, radar and LiDAR and technology used in database applications, which is also being integrated into cars. From a safety standpoint, redundancy is critical; if one processing unit is damaged, another one (at least) is essential to ensure backup in case of failure. This is standard in aviation, and we will also begin to see it implemented in the automotive space to address/prevent security concerns such as car hacking. With large amounts of data transfer requiring high-speed interfaces to connect all the individual blocks of an ecosystem, what is the best way test approach?
• Future high-definition headlights will be enabled by digital light arrays. One example being made by a well-known lighting supplier is a matrix that contains 1,024 individual pixels per light-emitting diode (LED) that can be turned on and off individually to make the beam shapes needed. Advanced digital lighting enables advances in safety, such as implementing intelligent high beams, blanking out faces of pedestrians to ensure they’re not blinded, and automatically recognizing pavement warning or traffic lane displays, to name a few. At least one high-end carmaker is already working to design this technology into product lines that will come to market within the next two years.

As mentioned above, sensors play a major role in enabling these new ADAS functions, and the variety of detection methods requires a range of sensor types. These include long-range radar for adaptive cruise control; LiDAR for emergency braking, pedestrian detection and collision avoidance; camera sensors for traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning, parking assistance and 360-degree surround view; short-/medium-range radar for cross traffic alert, blind spot detection and rear collision warning; and ultrasound, also used for parking assistance.

Table 1 shows the escalating sensor content as we move from ADAS Levels 2 and 3 to Levels 4 and 5 in forthcoming cars. This includes as many as 12 silicon germanium (SiGe) radar sensors alone, at both lower (24 GHz) and higher (77 GHz) frequencies. To test all of these device types requires a test system that is both flexible and powerful, and can be adapted to meet current and future needs.

Table 1. External sensors for ADAS applications will increase with each level of autonomy.

V93000: ready for the ADAS wave
Advantest’s proven V93000 scalable platform is the one-stop solution for testing automotive components. The V93000 is fully equipped to handle traditional automotive technologies, as it has been doing since its inception, as well as the many emerging, complex technologies

Figure 3. The V93000 scalable test system can be configured to accommodate testing of virtually automotive component or system powered by semiconductor content.

As the figure indicates, traditional analog automotive test requirements can generally be addressed using an A-Class (8-slot) or C-Class (16-slot) test head solution with the standard instrumentation shown at left, including the PS1600 pin-scale universal test pin, the DPS128 digital power supply board, the PVI8 floating power source, and the DC Scale AVI64 universal analog pin module, which allows testing of smart devices containing both analog and digital circuits, contributing to the V93000’s flexibility. The PS1600 and AVI64 instrumentation can also be used for testing of digital light and LiDAR sensors.

The system extensions for ADAS shown at right include:

• Pin-scale serial link (PS SL), a super-high- speed serial link with 16 gigabits per second (Gbps) communication, which enables very fast exchange of information
• WaveScale RF, a highly successful channel card that delivers in-site parallelism on a grand scale – as many as 32 ports on each unit, with up 6 units in each system, providing up to 192 ports for parallel testing of multiple RF device types. This solution is essential for testing 4G/5G, V2V communication, and other types of RF devices.
• mmW Universal DUT Interface (UDI) solution, an RF test solution based on the super-high- speed, very small wavelength needed for car radar, requires adding another box on top of the test head interface. It sits outside the system, but very close to the DUTs to avoid any interference, and can be easily docked and undocked as needed.

Processing big data in the ADAS ecosystem currently requires two to three processors – for vision systems, communication and/or decision-making – that must be able to talk to each other via the in-vehicle network. (There may come a point at which a single processor will be able to perform all three functions.) Once data is processed, an actuator makes a decision and takes action automatically, versus traditional driver intervention. The PS1600 provides sufficient memory to address the rise in test content, while the PS-SL interfaces to the high-speed I/O DUT pins.

Summary
Advantest’s modular, scalable V93000 tester will allow customers to integrate everything they need for advanced test requirements as system complexity increases. As a power and analog solution with the AVI64 and PVI8, it covers traditional automotive segments, while its extended instrumentation addresses new application fields for ADAS, as described above. The proven all-in- one platform delivers test capabilities for autonomous cars, at every stage of development and market availability, that is unmatched by competitive test solutions.

In the next issue, we’ll be looking at an update to Advantest’s floating power source technology, the FVI16, announced at the beginning of May. It suppliers 250 watts of high-pulse power and up to 40 watts of DC power, to help enable sufficient power test of latest-generation devices while conducting stable and repeatable measurements. Check back with us in August for details on how this new offering will benefit a range of applications, including automotive, industrial and consumer mobile-charging.

Booming DRAM Market Creates New Testing Opportunities

By Jin Yokoyama, Functional Manager of Memory Test, Advantest Corporation

After more than a decade of logic/system-on- chip (SoC) devices taking the lead in driving semiconductor industry requirements, today’s memory market is experiencing extraordinary growth due to a range of burgeoning applications that demand high-performance memory capabilities. This has led to what many in the industry have referred to as a memory “super cycle,” in which sustained high demand is driving memory makers to boost their manufacturing capability to supply these devices in sufficient quantities.

Mobile DRAM bit share has exploded, growing more than 500 percent since 2009, according to IHS Markit, which also predicts that demand for DRAMs needed to accommodate a range of data-intensive processing applications will approach 120 billion gigabits (Gbit) by 2021. These two markets are taking the lead in fueling growth in the high-performance memory space, but they are not alone, by any means. Automotive applications are also contributing to this growth cycle, driven by a variety of memory-rich functions, particularly advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), which have highly precise requirements due to their focus on safety. In the consumer space, gaming systems and flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels for high-end TVs are also helping boost demand.

Thanks to this newly galvanized and more diversified market, industry observers expect DRAM revenues to keep hiking steadily upward. As IC Insights recently noted, DRAM technology had an unprecedented impact on worldwide IC market growth in 2017 – growth overall was 25 percent (16 percent excluding DRAM), and this trend is expected to continue, albeit at a slightly slower pace, in the year ahead.

By 2021, new and more advanced synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) technologies will becoming online. These include the latest generation of double-data- rate (DDR) and low-power DDR (LP-DDR) devices – super-high- speed DDR5 and LP-DDR5 memories (see Figure 1 for projected demand trends). High-density servers used in data processing applications will be the primary consumer of DDR5 devices, while mobile products – primarily smartphones – will make the shift from LP-DDR4 to LP-DDR5 as users’ insatiable demand for high quality and functionality with low power consumption will continue to accelerate.

Figure 1. Projected annual DRAM demand (in millions of gigabits); IHS Markit.

A new solution for burgeoning DRAM test needs 

All of these developments, in turn, mean that makers of electronic products and systems must be able to test their advanced DRAM devices quickly, accurately and cost-effectively. In anticipation of these requirements, Advantest has spent the past several years developing the next generation of its proven T5503 memory test solution, which today is the de facto worldwide standard for final test of DRAM memory devices, with more than 300 systems installed to date. Figure 2 traces the evolution of the product
family.

Figure 2. Advantest’s T5503 memory test series has steadily evolved to deliver scalable coverage.

The T5503 series first debuted in 2009 in order to accommodate demand for a highly parallel, high-speed DDR3 package-level test solution. As the smartphone market took off in earnest shortly after the beginning of this decade, Advantest brought out its T5503HS system in 2014 to accommodate high-performance mobile LP-DDR4 devices, essential for enabling high-definition (HD) displays and watching movies on mobile devices. In addition, this system was quickly implemented for DDR4 DRAMs used for giant server farms utilized in data centers by high-traffic e-commerce and social sites, to name a few.

Introduced in April 2018, the new T5503HS2 is the industry’s most advanced test solution for high-speed memory devices. It delivers best-in- class performance for memory test – up to 8 gigabits per second (Gbps) with overall timing accuracy of ±45 picoseconds – for testing DDR5 and LP-DDR5 devices. The system is also able to accommodate current DDR4 and LP-DDR4 memories, as well as current and future high-bandwidth memories (HBM).

The T5503HS2 was developed to enable Advantest to continue to lead the charge for advanced test solutions in the memory market. It incorporates full test functionality for next-generation DRAMs. Through its built-in system hardware, the T5503HS2 supports a combination of features and capabilities optimized for LP-DDR5 and DDR5 that are unavailable in competitive testers. They include:

• DQS vs. DQ clocking – This allows the tester to automatically recognize and adjust DQS (strobe)-DQ (data) timing differences to better identify read/write cycles, secure better timing margins and enable real-time tracking;
• New, more robust algorithmic pattern generator (ALPG) – This new hardware capability enables the test system to perform fast, high-quality evaluation of advanced device features, such as cyclic redundancy check (CRC) and error checking and correction (ECC) codes, data-bus inversion (DBI) and address parity.
• Timing training – Its advanced timing-training capability, utilizing per-pin embedder hardware search, helps the T5503HS2 to identify the most effective test approach for a given device faster than any other available system.
• New programmable power supply (PPS) – The system’s new PPS responds four times faster than the previous edition, enabling a significant reduction in voltage drop, which, in turn, delivers improved timing variation and secure timing margin.
• Optional 4.5 GHz high-speed clock – This gives the T5503HS2 further scalability to accommodate future devices’ test needs at 8Gbps or higher data rates.

Seamless compatibility with prior systems

The new T5503HS2 is fully compatible, scalable and upgradeable from previous versions of the T5503 family, enabling a seamless transition when memory makers are ready to implement DDR5 and LP-DDR5 device testing. Customers can continue to test DDR4 and LP-DDR4 devices until then, and then quickly and easily swap in the new tester, creating a minimal impact on production flow.

It’s an exciting time to be developing new products in markets that demand these high-performance memory devices. Through collaboration and communication with its global customer base, Advantest now has a solution optimized for these devices, and is set to begin shipping the first T5503HS2 systems this quarter. For a video overview of the product and its capabilities, please click this link.

Automated Pick-and-Place Handler Enables Test Engineering Efficiency in Lab Environment

By Zain Abadin, Director, Handler Product Engineering and Marketing, Advantest

In the laboratory environment, the principal goal is to complete development and pre-production testing of integrated circuits (ICs) as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. An associated challenge is to ensure that tester and operator resources are utilized efficiently so that testing can be completed on or ahead of schedule, further improving time to market (TTM).

The typical test approach is to have an operator manually load the devices into the test sockets, and then run the specific test for the defined time per the device maker – this could range from 5 seconds to 30 minutes or more per device. The actual number of devices also varies; in pre-production, there may be as many as 10 trays, containing a few hundred ICs. Testing in this manner is an inefficient use of labor, engineering, and tester resources. For short test times, this means an operator sitting by the tester to load/unload devices under test (DUTs). For long test times, the operator inserts a device and moves to another task on the floor. If an operator isn’t immediately available to change the DUT, the test process can be extended or delayed, causing it to take longer time to complete the lot and increasing the cost of test and TTM.

A scalable handler that can be used for both ATE and bench testing is the ideal solution to these challenges, allowing development and pre-production testing for a variety of device types and batch sizes to be completed faster, and enabling devices to be sent to market in a timelier manner. The result is a significant savings in both labor and cost of test.

Advantest’s M4171 handler delivers an efficient solution to meet the mobile electronics market’s needs for cost-efficient, thermally controlled IC testing. The unit is small – about one-quarter the size of other handlers – making for a small footprint and easy docking. The single-tray handler utilizes one contact arm to pick up a device from the tray and places it into the socket. Once the device has been tested, the same arm moves in to pick up the device and place it into its post-testing position in the tray.

Flexible operation equals faster results

The M4171 was created with a range of features intended to enhance lab efficiency (Figure 1). These features are summarized below.

Remote accessibility/control from any location

To run tests locally on the handler, the operator is on site to load the trays of DUTs, run the automated test process and remove the trays when testing is complete. However, when the operator’s workday has ended, there will be handler/tester downtime until the next shift or the next day. The M4171 includes cameras that allow a team member at another location, anywhere in the world, to not only monitor activity and view results remotely, but also to actually operate the handler remotely (Figure 2).

This means that the handler can be run at any time of day – a team member located across the country or across the globe can access the handler during his or her workday, moving, docking and undocking the handler, and running the desired tests. In turn, this allows companies to spread out their global resources and schedule operation so that there is less equipment downtime, i.e., a higher utilization rate. Testing can thus be completed faster, speeding TTM.

Multi-mode testing to expedite the test process

It can run multi-mode test processes, both pre-defined and user defined, including automated testing, automatic ID testing, output tray re-testing and manual testing (Figure 3).

High accuracy cycle temperature across wide temperature range

In addition to its automated device handling and remote operation, the M4171 is unique due to its wide-temperature sensor-based thermal-control capabilities, which range from -45° C to 125° C.  The M4171’s tri-temp technology enables operation of the handler over a broad range of temperatures.  The system uses direct device-surface contact, which enables quick temperature switching for fast ramp up and ramp down. With this capability, ramp-up, soak time, ramp-down and time-at-temperature can be set up all at once, and run one after the other.

The handler collects data continuously throughout the process, enabling significant time and resource savings (Figure 4). In fact, cycle temperature testing time can be reduced by more than 40 percent compared to manual thermal-control solutions.

Flexible bin assignment for output

A unique capability of the handler is that it enables pre-programmed binning within the output tray – once the handler and tester are docked, the tester can tell the handler into which bin a device should be placed. This allows the customer to utilize different binning approaches for different devices or batches, to pause in the test process or specify retesting. As Figure 5 shows, the user can define bins within the tray as pass, fail, retest, empty row, etc. – whatever lab functions are desired.

A label or category can also be assigned to a device within the trays, and that label stays with the device throughout the test process. With this capability, the customer can easily tell the devices apart by tray section – which passed, which failed, which need to be retested, etc. This is vital to ensure rapid transition between batches, or from the lab environment into pre-production.

Fully compatible with the V93000 and T2000 platforms as well as other testers, the M4171 also features a 2D code reader, a device rotator and a high-contact force option.  In addition, users can quickly convert the handler to accommodate different setups – with only a few parts to change, conversion takes just 10-15 minutes compared to 30 minutes or more on other handlers. Key specifications for the handler are shown in Figure 6.

A cost analysis using an example test time of 120 seconds and a quantity of 20 testers reveals that using the handler enables a 69-percent reduction in cost. Not only can each operator handle more units per hour and more test cells, but the customer has the flexibility to test triple the number of units using the same number of tester (Figure 7).

The M4171 is available now, providing integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) and outsourced semiconductor assembly and test companies (OSATs) with a compact, cost-efficient engineering test solution that delivers both thermal control and automated device handling.