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Advantest Launches 6.5Gbps Serial Interface Test Solution
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Advantest Now Offers Low-Cost Test Solution For High-Speed Serial Interfaces On The Openstar®-Compliant T2000 Test System
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TOKYO, Japan, December 1st, 2005 - Advantest Corporation (TSE: 6857, NYSE: ATE), the world's largest provider of test equipment to the global semiconductor industry, today announced that its new high-speed (maximum 6.5Gbps) serial interface test solution, offering high-accuracy test for the newest high-speed serial interfaces found in high-end processors and chipsets, will be available from December 1st.
The company will exhibit the new solution during SEMICON Japan, December 7-9, at Chiba's Makuhari Messe.
The processors and chipsets mounted in the latest generation of game consoles, computers, and other electronic products are designed to handle large volumes of data at extremely high transfer speeds. Devices such as the PCI Express® and Serial ATA, for example, boast maximum speeds of 5Gbps. These high-speed serial interfaces have traditionally been evaluated and tested at the R&D stage by highly skilled test engineers using state-of-the-art measurement instruments. However, this procedure imposes heavy burdens on manufacturers in the shape of maintenance and management costs, as well as contributing to the ballooning cost of designing and building test environments. It has also acted as an impediment to streamlining productivity and lowering overall test costs.
As a method of simplifying onsite test procedures at volume production facilities, loopback test, in which the external input and output of the DUT are directly connected, has become popular. However, loopback test comes with clear restrictions, such as the difficulty of conducting failure analysis. Moreover, the self-diagnostic circuitry that can be mounted on devices is quite limited, hampering functionality tests.
Advantest's new 6.5Gbps serial interface test solution solves these problems. The company's newly developed digital module enables the T2000 test platform to offer full-function and AC/DC characteristics tests for high-speed serial interfaces. Eliminating the need for highly specialized knowledge of test methodology and complex measurement techniques, this solution provides high-speed, high-accuracy test within a versatile and user-friendly test environment - a significant contribution to test cost reduction and more efficient device R&D. |
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| Advantest's 6.5Gbps Serial Interface Test Solution: Major Functions |
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| New for the T2000 test system, this digital module incorporates a range of functions tailored for high-speed serial interface R&D and production test. |
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Header-Hunt |
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One of the stumbling blocks in testing high-speed serial interfaces is nondeterministic breaks between data packets. Responding to this difficulty, Advantest has developed a header-hunt feature that can fully test a DUT's functionality even if it does not have a special test mode. |
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Clock Tracking |
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The 6.5Gbps digital module's clock tracking feature supports the source-synchronous systems that are used by serial interfaces such as DDR-SDRAM and XDR memory. |
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Clock Data Recovery |
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The popular PCI Express standard uses an embedded clock for ease of data synchronization. Advantest's clock data recovery feature enables these devices, too, to be tested easily and accurately. |
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Other features designed to increase throughput on high-volume test include a multi-time domain for testing devices with multiple interfaces of diverse speeds, and automatic pattern data compression, which efficiently manages the vast numbers of test patterns generated in high-speed function test prior to analysis.
The greatest strength of the Openstar standard, on which the T2000 test system is based, is the flexibility of the open architecture platform. Advantest believes that every customer should have the freedom to construct the test system that best fits their needs. On this principle, the company is committed to expanding the range of test solutions available for the T2000. The new 6.5Gbps digital module now takes its place in that range, offering lower test costs and shorter development times. |
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| PCI Express® is a registered trademark of PCI-SIG.. OPENSTAR® is a registered trademark of the Semiconductor Test Consortium. |
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| Digital Differential Channels |
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8 differential inputs and 8 differential outputs
(32 wires) |
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| Data Rates |
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4Gbps (normal mode)
6.5Gbps (double mode) |
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| Time Domains |
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2 per module (max. 64 per system) |
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| PG Main Memory |
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32 MW (768 M x 2 bits pattern/channel) |
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| Vector Mode |
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8x and 10x
(supports an 8 bit / 10 bit conversion pattern) |
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| Voltage Magnitude |
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Maximum: 1.8 V |
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Advantest Corporation is the world’s leading automatic test equipment supplier to the semiconductor industry, and also produces electronic and optoelectronic instruments and systems. A global company, Advantest has long offered total ATE solutions, and serves the industry in every component of semiconductor test: tester, handler, mechanical and electrical interfaces, and software. Its logic, memory, mixed-signal and RF testers and device handlers are integrated into the most advanced semiconductor production lines in the world. Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest established its first subsidiary in 1982, in the USA, and now has 40 subsidiaries worldwide. Among them, Advantest America, Inc. is based in Santa Clara, CA., and Advantest (Europe) GmBH is based in Munich, Germany. More information is available at www.advantest.co.jp. |
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