Embedded Instrumentation: Critical to Validation and Test in the Electronics Industry

Embedded Instrumentation: Critical to Validation and Test in the Electronics

Industry

Sujan Sami, Industry Manager

Test & Measurement

March 10, 2010

2

Focus Points

1. Introduction – Traditional vs. Virtual vs. Embedded Instrumentation

2. Validation, Inspection and Test Technologies

3. Existing Technical Discontinuities

6. Conclusion

5. Market Trends and Analysis

4. Embedded Instrumentation – Solving Validation, Test and Debug Problems

3

Introduction – Traditional vs. Virtual vs. Embedded Instrumentation

Hardware

Embedded Software

Application Software

Traditional

Embedded

Traditional instruments – comprised of pre-defined hardware components.Virtual instrumentation – use of customizable software and modular instrumentation hardware.Embedded instrumentation - a concept of entrenching and enhancing the capabilities of traditional external test equipment as an additional resource on the chip and/or on dedicated instrumentation chips on a circuit board.

4

Validation, Inspection and Test Technologies

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

BERTs

Test

In-circuit Testers (ICTs)

Flying Probe Testers

Boundary Scan Testers

Functional Testers

Validation, Inspection &

Test TechnologiesTest

In-circuit Testers (ICTs)

Manufacturing Defect Analyzers (MDA)

Flying Probe Testers

Boundary Scan Testers

Functional TestersInspectio

nInspection

Automated optical inspection/Automated X-ray inspection

(AOI/AXI) systems

Validation

5

Existing Technical Discontinuities

Primary Challenges Primary Challenges catering to circuit catering to circuit

boardsboards

Primary Challenges Primary Challenges catering to circuit catering to circuit

boardsboards

AccessibilityAccessibility

ComplexityComplexity

CostCost

The migration to chip interconnects speeds in excess

of 5 Gbps

The migration to chip interconnects speeds in excess

of 5 Gbps

The need for protocol-aware high-speed I/O

test

The need for protocol-aware high-speed I/O

test

Limited capacity of

testers

Limited capacity of

testers

Lack of test access for

signal integrity testing


signal integrity testing


PCB structural testing


PCB structural testing

6

Embedded Instrumentation – Solving Validation, Test and Debug Problems

Tec

hnol

ogy

Ro

adm

ap

Embedded Instrumentation

• Embedded instruments are IP inserted within chips to perform specific validation, test and debug functions. • Some of the test technologies that utilize embedded instrumentation include boundary scan test, processor-controlled test, I/O instrumentation test and core instrumentation test.• Examples of this embedded instrumentation include Intel®’s Interconnect Built-In Self Test (IBIST) for QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) and PCIe BERT/margining, and PLX Technology’s visionPAK™ PCIe packet generator/analyzer toolkit.

1998

1993

1971

1950sAnalog Oscilloscope

Analog Oscilloscope

Digital OscilloscopeDigital Oscilloscope

VXIVXI

EmbeddedInstrumentation

Present and Future

2005

PXIPXI

LXILXI

7

Market Trends and Analysis

Instruments:• Collect and analyze data.• Software based T&M

instruments.• Boundary scan testing.

Cost:• Cost-effective, agile and flexible.• Easy to use interface.• Modular Instrumentation – software used to

replace prescribed hardware functionality.

Standard:• According to Moore’s law, the number of

transistors on chips will double every two years.

• IJTAG Family of Standards: IEEE 1149.1, IEEE P1687, IEEE 1500, IEEE 1149.6, IEEE 1149.7.

Trend Analysis

Traditional Instruments Embedded

...From

Hardware Cost Software

GPIB Standard IEEE IJTAG

...To

8

Conclusion

CAPEX in downward-trend market

Access to chips critical

Development in standards and better price-to-performance ratio

Standard Busses Speed (Gbps or GT/s) Initial Adoption

PCI Express III 8.0 2010

Serial ATA III 6.0 2009

USB 3.0 4.8 2008

XAUI 3.125 2005

Intel QPI 6.4 2008

HDMI 1.3 10.2 2006

Pre Pre 19801980

Traditional Instruments

1980s1980sVirtual Instruments

2010 2010 and and

beyondbeyondEmbedded Instruments

Opportunities in the ATE

testing industry

Opportunities in the ATE

testing industry

Future of TestingFuture of Testing

© 2010, ASSET InterTech, Inc. 9

“Turning Test & MeasurementInside Out”

March 10, 2010Glenn Woppman

ASSET President and CEO“2008 EDN Innovator of the Year Finalist &

2009 EDN Innovation of the Year Finalist”

“Turning Test & MeasurementInside Out”

March 10, 2010Glenn Woppman

ASSET President and CEO“2008 EDN Innovator of the Year Finalist &

2009 EDN Innovation of the Year Finalist”


ASSET InterTech - originASSET InterTech - origin

Spin-off of Texas Instruments in 1995

Boundary Scan Test Market leader*

Leading the efforts to establish the Embedded Instrumentation market segment

Company CharacteristicsStandards oriented

Software focused

Global

* Frost & Sullivan report for 2007 (about 30% market share) plus Agilent & Intel endorsements


What is our T&M strategy?What is our T&M strategy?


What is Embedded Instrumentation?What is Embedded Instrumentation?

Any logic structure within a device with a purpose of:

Design-for-Test (DFT)Design-for-Debug (DFD)Design-for-Yield (DFY)Test or Functional items.

(extract from IEEE P1687 documentation)


Diminishing test probe accessDiminishing test probe access

Multi-layered boards with internal-only traces

BGAs and other integrated packages with inaccessible nodes, SoC, SiP, etc.

Servers Desktops Mobile Ultra-mobile

ICT/MDAAccessibility

Presented by Intel at Test Tech Forum 2008


Degradation of high-speed signalsDegradation of high-speed signals

Intrusive, probe-based systems are not able to measure high-speed signals without disrupting their integrity

“You probe it...... you break it”


Stacked die – no probe accessStacked die – no probe access

Through-Silicon Vias Bond Wire


Embedded Instrumentation:Validation of this Technology Trend Embedded Instrumentation:Validation of this Technology Trend

“Software Solutions to Hardware Problems”

Transition of external hardware to chip IP + software

• µP emulation• Structural Test for printed circuit boards• Instrumentation for Validation• Structural & Functional Test & Debug for ICs


Embedded Instrumentation: Re-Use at Each Level of IntegrationEmbedded Instrumentation: Re-Use at Each Level of Integration

Any Design Validation, Test or Debug IP embedded in a core that can be used by design, test and manufacturing engineers is an embedded instrument


Significant Product-Life Cycle SavingsSignificant Product-Life Cycle Savings

Re-Use Saves Time and Money…but there’s more

Semiconductor PCB


ASSET Market Opportunity and StrategyASSET Market Opportunity and Strategy


Intel® IBIST (Interconnect Built-In Self Test)Intel® IBIST (Interconnect Built-In Self Test)

• An embedded instrument which enables high-speed I/O testing

• Bit Error Rate (BER) testing, as well as margining (eye diagrams)

• Resident in Intel® next-generation chips and chipsets

• Validates and tests QPI, PCIe, SMI and DDR3 high-speed buses


IEEE P1687 (IJTAG) based solutionsIEEE P1687 (IJTAG) based solutions

• PLX visionPAK™ is an embedded instrument PCIe pattern generator/analyzer

• New generation of PCIe Gen 3 switch silicon incorporates tools for receiver eye capture; pattern generation; fault injection; and packet performance monitoring.

• Used by PLX to validate its own products, and by its customers to check signal integrity and manufacturing quality of their board designs.

• Gen 3 devices will run under ASSET ScanWorks®


Non-intrusive Board Test (NBT)Non-intrusive Board Test (NBT)

• Intel® Greencity Customer Reference Board

• Convergence of Boundary Scan Test, Processor-Controlled Test, and Intel® IBIST

• Combination of three embedded instrumentation-based technologies offers unmatched levels of test coverage and cost reduction.

See the case study at http://tinyurl.com/scanworks-greencitySee the case study at http://tinyurl.com/scanworks-greencity


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For Additional Information

Sarah SaatzerCorporate CommunicationsMeasurement & Instrumentation(210) [email protected]

Sujan SamiIndustry ManagerTest & Measurement+91 – 44 – [email protected]

Kiran UnniResearch ManagerMeasurement & Instrumentation(210) 247 [email protected]

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Embedded Instrumentation: Critical to Validation and Test in the Electronics Industry