ATE takes on next generation memories: News from Advantest (Europe)

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Advantest Corp has developed a new, low-cost, high-precision test solution for back-end testing of DDR2-SDRAM, a next-generation memory that is predicted to enjoy strong growth as it becomes increasingly adopted for use as the main memory in PCs. The new DDR-2 test solution is the latest addition to Advantest's GETsolution programme, which combines the company's leading-edge technologies and comprehensive support system to provide customers with total solutions for all of their testing needs from chip design to delivery. The hardware side of the DDR-2 test solution consists of an advanced, high-speed memory test system that can simultaneously test up to 128 devices, a redesigned high-precision device interface, and a test handler that comes equipped with newly developed technology for temperature control.

On the support side, the company is offering a full range of services such as assistance with test programming, freeing device manufacturers from the need to train in-house engineers in the testing of DDR2-SDRAM.

Over the next few years, the increasing popularity of broadband telecommunications is expected to fuel replacement demand for home PCs powerful enough to smoothly run graphic intensive applications such as video transmissions and online games.

In addition, as the optical telecommunication networks that carry this information continue to gain faster data rates, the demand for network switches, routers, and other high-speed telecommunication devices is also expected to increase.

To keep pace with such high-speed telecommunication applications, device manufacturers have been working hard to develop new, high-speed memories such as DDR2-SDRAM and DDR2-SRAM, devices that can run at speeds over 500MHz.

Once companies begin full-scale production of these devices, however, price competition is expected to quickly intensify, which will increase the importance of testing in improving product competitiveness.

Device manufacturers will therefore be increasingly looking for total test solutions that can not only provide them with high-quality testing, but also lower test costs, both in terms of installation and operation.

The T5593 is capable of simultaneously testing up to 128 DDR2-SDRAMs and other high-speed memory devices that run at over 500MHz, incorporating high-speed clock pins within its test head to deal with these faster speeds.

Furthermore, the T5593 also contains an upgraded version of the DQS jitter solution used in Advantest's earlier T5585, which enables the evaluation and testing of data output and clock phase and significantly improves testing throughput.

To meet the need for increased simultaneous testing capacity and deal with the in-creasing number of pins used in next-generation devices, Advantest has developed a new replaceable socket board that uses coaxial low-insertion-force (LIF) connectors.

By simply switching this socket board, engineers will now be able to quickly reconfigure their test systems to new DUTs without having to replace various test fixtures.

Thus, in addition to faster signal transmission times and improved testing accuracy, this new approach will allow customers to have both faster and cheaper access to device interfaces.

Although essential for ensuring high-precision measurements, previous methods for test system calibration were often time-consuming and costly.

Through their new approach, Advantest has managed to reduce the number of mechanical adjustment tools needed for calibration and has cut calibration time by 90%, allowing customers to get to production faster.

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ATE takes on next generation memories

Advantest has developed a new, low-cost, high-precision test solution for back-end testing of DDR2-SDRAM.