Do you design and fabricate custom VLSI chips? Do you find that testing the chips for functionality can be as much work as designing them? If so, TestosterICs is for you!

TestosterICs is a low-cost functional chip tester for digital VLSI chips. High end chip testers with all the bells and whistles sell for $1M and up. A logic analyzer / signal generator combination supporting 256 pins may cost $40K. TestosterICs brings the cost of chip testing down by an order of magnitude while providing a very straightforward user interface.

A functional chip tester applies digital test vectors to your device under test at low speed and measures that the expected results are produced. One application is testing chips fabricated by students in university classes through services such as MOSIS. Another is testing research prototypes; such prototypes use the chip tester to scan configuration into the chip at modest data rates, then probe a handful of mixed signal or high speed I/Os connected to signal generators and oscilloscopes.

TestosterICs tests packages with up to 256 I/Os running at 5v, 3.3v, or at an externally adjustable voltage in the range of 1.5-6.5v at a (slow) maximum speed of 240 vectors/sec. It provides a simple user interface from a host computer over a serial port so that you can use the same test vectors for hardware verification that you used during logic simulation.

How It Works

The TestosterICs chip tester comes in three modular units to permit testing a wide array of packages at any voltage you need.

TestosterICs BrainBox

The TestosterICs BrainBox plugs in to a host PC or Sun workstation using a standard serial port. It receives digital test vectors from the host, passes them to the DUT Board over another cable, then samples the outputs and returns them to the host.

Device Under Test (DUT) Board

The DUT Board holds your chip under test in a ZIF socket. Two standard DUT boards are available:
  • DIP socket for DIP packages up to 40 pins
  • PGA socket for PGA packages with up to a 16x16 array of pins
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    You can also build your own DUT board to accommodate chips with very high-speed I/Os or for special applications like thermal testing. Contact us if you have specific needs.

    The DUT Boards also have jumpers to connect logic analyzer probes or to supply VDD and GND to your chip.

    Pin Electronics Adapter

    Pin Electronics Adapters drive and sample the DUT pins at the voltage levels you need. Each adapter controls up to 64 pins, so you need one adapter to test DIP packages or 4 for 16x16 PGA arrays. Three types of adapters are available:

  • 5 volts
  • 3.3 volts
  • Variable voltage (1.5 - 6.5v)

    • Interface

    TestosterICs is easy for novices to use, yet allows flexible control for sophisticated users. You may either apply your test vectors from the design process using a program called TesterGen or write your own test scripts using a Java API. The software requires a host computer with a standard 9-pin serial port. It has been tested on Windows machines (98, NT, or later), Linux, and Solaris. Contact us about other platforms.

    TesterGen

    A student can test a chip fabricated for a class project by simply dropping it in the ZIF socket and using the TesterGen software to send the same set of IRSIM test vectors that were used to test the chip during design. These vectors consist of simple commands to set an input high or low and assert statements to check that an output matches its expected value. The inputs and outputs are displayed on a graphical user interface with any errors highlighted.

    TestosterICs Java API

    TestosterICs also offers a Java API for advanced users to write test programs. This permits maximum flexibility in performing conditional operations during testing.

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