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Figure 4: Continuous testing and validation adding TTM value.
tests enable volume data collection and • A clean and consistent workspace; testing on the V93000 ATE. A consistent
conclusive analytics to provide feedback to • A flexible set of instruments that can interface achieves consistent results. The
the designers, improve pre-silicon models, test in many different ways; new test station supports both functional and
and eventually tune each chip to its specified • Parallel test setups so that concurrent structural test content execution, enabling the
power and Fmax performance. techniques can speed result delivery; PSV engineer to move seamlessly between
Also, without comprehensive PSV that • Re-using test content developed the two domains to confirm the root cause of
identifies marginalities, an end product pre-silicon—preferably targeted incorrect behavior. The addition of structural
may behave erroneously under particular software-based tests derived from a test capabilities to the bench environment
environmental conditions and loading, comprehensive PSS-model of the DUT; enables the test engineer to step into or over
which the industry experiences in many and problematic sections of the test to enhance
ways—for example, as “silent data • Intelligent tools that automatically find visibility and control.
corruption” in data centers, when devices marginal test cases and pinpoint the Another new capability that is valuable
deliver wrong results under particular best performance settings on their own. in the PSV effort is software-driven
circumstances. PSV both confirms the functional test, in which software test
functionality of each design block and The introduction of Advantest’s EX Test sequences provide input to the functional
optimizes its performance. Several factors Station provides a new tool to simplify or test-generation effort (Figure 5). The EX
are critical to performing PSV efficiently, possibly replace yesteryear’s bench setup. Test Station, together with creative software
without requiring hordes of engineers with This test station provides for a clean and tools, allows broad ranges of register
years of experience: consistent workspace that also happens to settings to be explored automatically—
be identical to the setup used in production over a weekend, for example—in order

Figure 5: Software-derived tests checking that real-world code works on real-world hardware.

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