Digital I/O Card Shaves Cost Off Mixed-Signal IC Testing

Feb. 3, 2003

The LCDI0 card from Third Millennium Test Solutions (3MTS) cost-effectively tests the digital portion of mixed-signal ICs. This open-architecture, reconfigurable automatic-test-equipment (ATE) card plugs into slots 3 through 10 of the company's 3M20 backplane to provide digital test resources for 16 I/O pins and one clock pin, as well as many as 16 drive channels for input pins (see the figure). Operating in the −2- to 7-V range with under 10-mV resolution, it offers two programmable levels (DRH, DRL) shared among all drive channels.

This new instrument supports NRZ, RZ, RTO, RTC, and COM formats. As many as 16 compare channels for output pins are incorporated, along with two programmable threshold levels (CVH, CVL) shared among all compare channels. Each channel's response can be compared to predetermined expect-data. Each channel can be statically or dynamically masked from failures and will provide 256 capture memory locations to store failures or responses. Channel strobes are edge-based; there are no windowed strobes.

Three fine-resolution timing generators and three coarse timing generators are also included. Any edge on any channel can select any one of the six timing generators, using the indexed timing set. Timing sets are indexed on-the-fly per vector cycle.

The LCDIO starts at approximately $400 per pin, with capacity for up to 64 pins in 3MTS' 3M20 tester.

Third Millennium Test Solutions Inc.
www.3MTS.com
Rick Humphrey, (408) 435-1788

About the Author

Roger Allan

Roger Allan is an electronics journalism veteran, and served as Electronic Design's Executive Editor for 15 of those years. He has covered just about every technology beat from semiconductors, components, packaging and power devices, to communications, test and measurement, automotive electronics, robotics, medical electronics, military electronics, robotics, and industrial electronics. His specialties include MEMS and nanoelectronics technologies. He is a contributor to the McGraw Hill Annual Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. He is also a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and holds a BSEE from New York University's School of Engineering and Science. Roger has worked for major electronics magazines besides Electronic Design, including the IEEE Spectrum, Electronics, EDN, Electronic Products, and the British New Scientist. He also has working experience in the electronics industry as a design engineer in filters, power supplies and control systems.

After his retirement from Electronic Design Magazine, He has been extensively contributing articles for Penton’s Electronic Design, Power Electronics Technology, Energy Efficiency and Technology (EE&T) and Microwaves RF Magazine, covering all of the aforementioned electronics segments as well as energy efficiency, harvesting and related technologies. He has also contributed articles to other electronics technology magazines worldwide.

He is a “jack of all trades and a master in leading-edge technologies” like MEMS, nanolectronics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, military electronics, biometrics, implantable medical devices, and energy harvesting and related technologies.