ATE-based universal source table program control system and chip testing method

Abstract

The application provides an ATE-based universal source table programming system and a chip testing method. The ATE-based universal source table programming system comprises an ATE testing module, a first upper computer, a source table programming automatic configuration device and an external source table module. An SCPI command set compatible with different types of external source tables is constructed in the source table programming automatic configuration device, and then the programming control of the universal source table is combined with the ATE to realize the testing of special electrical parameters, that is, the universal source table programming system receives the IO calling instruction of the ATE machine, completes the programming instruction calling and testing data returning of different types of external source tables, and then efficiently realizes the special electrical parameter testing and excitation application, thereby making up for the insufficient configuration resources of the ATE machine. Moreover, the programming system is simple to operate, greatly reduces the workload of engineering test personnel in building the programming system, and significantly improves the testing stability and reliability and the high-integrated circuit testing efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of chip testing technology, and in particular to a general source table control system and chip testing method based on ATE. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of the integrated circuit industry, the testing conditions and resources required for the electrical parameters of most chips are now very high. This leads to situations where the configuration resources of ATE (Automated Testing Equipment) machines cannot directly complete electrical parameter testing. The industry standard solution is to connect various types of general-purpose source meters to the ATE machine and then write programmable instructions in the corresponding machine's programming environment to call these source meters for testing. However, due to different communication interfaces (commonly USB, Ethernet, GPIB, etc.), the code for these programmable instructions varies. Furthermore, due to differences in ATE machines, the programming languages ​​and methods used for the programmable instructions differ, resulting in cumbersome operation and difficult debugging when using ATE machines for external source meter programming. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the purpose of this application is to propose a general source table control system and chip testing method based on ATE.

[0004] For the purposes described above, this application provides a general source table programmable control system based on ATE, including: an ATE test module, a first host computer, a source table programmable automatic configuration device, and an external source table module, wherein the first host computer is a source table programmable host computer;

[0005] The ATE test module is connected to the external source table module and the source table programmable automatic configuration device, respectively, and is used to connect to the chip under test, determine the electrical test parameters of the chip under test, determine the calling instruction according to the electrical test parameters, and send the calling instruction to the source table programmable automatic configuration device.

[0006] The first host computer is connected to the ATE test module and the source table programmable automatic configuration device respectively, and is used to determine the external source table, determine the SCPI command set according to the external source table, and send the SCPI command set to the source table programmable automatic configuration device.

[0007] The source table programmable automatic configuration device is connected to the ATE test module and the external source table module respectively. It is used to receive and store the call instruction and the SCPI command set, determine the SCPI instruction according to the call instruction and the SCPI command set, and send the SCPI instruction to the external source table module.

[0008] The external source meter module is connected to the source meter programmable automatic configuration device and the ATE test module, respectively, for receiving the SCPI command, performing special electrical parameter tests on the chip under test according to the SCPI command, and feeding back the test results to the source meter programmable automatic configuration device.

[0009] Optionally, the ATE test module includes: a second host computer and an ATE test platform, wherein the second host computer is the host computer software of the ATE test platform;

[0010] The second host computer is connected to the first host computer and the ATE test platform respectively. The second host computer includes an optical fiber interface connected to the ATE test platform, which is used to transmit the test stimulus and test data of the chip under test, and issue a call command according to the chip under test.

[0011] The ATE test bench includes a DUT test sub-board, which is connected to the second host computer, the source table programmable main control module and the external source table module, respectively, for connecting the chip under test, sending the call command and receiving the execution status of the call command.

[0012] Optionally, the DUT test subboard includes a call I / O channel and a feedback I / O channel;

[0013] The I / O channel is used to send the call instruction to the source table program control module.

[0014] The feedback I / O channel is used to receive the execution status of the call instruction from the source table program control module.

[0015] Optionally, the DUT test sub-board further includes a special electrical parameter test channel, which is used to connect to the pins of the chip under test and provide a communication channel for the external source meter module to perform electrical parameter tests on the chip under test.

[0016] Optionally, the second host computer further includes a test data reading module, which is used to read the test data of the external source table module stored in the first host computer.

[0017] Optionally, the source table programmable automatic configuration device includes a source table programmable main control module, which is used to parse and verify the calling instruction, determine the SCPI instruction based on the verification result, and send the SCPI instruction to the external source table module for chip testing.

[0018] Optionally, the source table program-controlled automatic configuration device further includes an instruction isolation module, which is used to receive the calling instruction and the feedback made by the source table program-controlled main control module to the calling instruction.

[0019] Optionally, the source table programmable automatic configuration device further includes an SCPI transceiver module, which is connected to the first host computer and the source table programmable main control module respectively, and the SCPI module includes an SCPI protocol library;

[0020] The SCPI module is used to receive the SCPI protocol set and store the SCPI protocol set in the SCPI protocol library; wherein, the SCPI protocol library includes multiple SCPI instructions.

[0021] Optionally, the source table program-controlled automatic configuration device further includes a router module, which is used to transmit the SCPI command to the source table network port of the external source table module and receive the undecoded test data fed back by the external source table module.

[0022] Based on the same inventive concept, this application also provides a chip testing method, applied to the ATE-based general source table control system as described in any of the preceding claims, the method comprising:

[0023] The ATE test module identifies the chip under test, determines the calling instruction based on the chip under test, and sends the calling instruction to the source table programmable automatic configuration device.

[0024] The first host computer determines the electrical parameter requirements of the chip under test and the external source table of the external source table module, determines the SCPI command set according to the electrical parameter requirements and the external source table, and stores the SCPI command set in the source table programmable automatic configuration device.

[0025] The source table programmable automatic configuration device determines the SCPI instruction based on the call instruction and the SCPI command set, and sends the SCPI instruction to the external source table module;

[0026] The external source meter module receives the SCPI command, performs special electrical parameter tests on the chip under test according to the SCPI command, and feeds back the test results to the source meter programmable automatic configuration device.

[0027] Based on the same inventive concept, this application also provides a general source meter programmable control system and chip testing method based on ATE. The general source meter programmable control system based on ATE includes an ATE test module, a first host computer, a source meter programmable automatic configuration device, and an external source meter module. By constructing an SCPI command set compatible with different types of external source meters in the source meter programmable automatic configuration device, the testing of special electrical parameters is realized by combining the programmable control of the general source meters with ATE. That is, the general source meter programmable control system receives IO call instructions from the ATE machine, completes the programmable command call of different types of external source meters and test data feedback, thereby efficiently realizing the testing and excitation of special electrical parameters, thus making up for the insufficient configuration resources of the ATE machine. Moreover, the programmable control system is simple to operate, greatly reducing the workload of engineering test personnel in building the programmable control system, and significantly improving the testing stability and reliability of high integrated circuit testing efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0028] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this application or related technologies, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or related technologies will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the general source table control system based on ATE according to an embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operating mechanism of the ATE-based general source table programmable control system according to an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the workflow of the ATE-based general source table control system according to an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 4 This is a schematic flowchart of a chip testing method according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0033] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

[0034] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in the embodiments of this application should have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. The terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in the embodiments of this application do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Terms such as "comprising" or "including" mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Terms such as "connected" or "linked" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are only used to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0035] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions disclosed herein, some technical terms involved in this disclosure will be introduced below.

[0036] ATE stands for Automated testing equipment, which is capable of automatically executing test procedures.

[0037] SCPI, Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments, is a commonly used control protocol for programmable instruments.

[0038] DUT, or Device Under Test, is a hardware platform used to fix and test the device under test, which can be understood as the chip under test.

[0039] General source code control system: Software that helps control changes to source code in programming projects.

[0040] Special electrical parameters: Electrical parameters that exceed the machine's resource configuration or electrical parameters that the ATE machine cannot directly test due to its inherent settings. These will be referred to as special electrical parameters in the following text.

[0041] To make the technical solutions of this disclosure clearer and easier to understand, the following detailed description of the ATE-based general source table control system and chip testing method provided in the embodiments of this disclosure is given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0042] As described in the background section, with the rapid development of the integrated circuit industry, the testing conditions and resources required for the electrical parameters of most chips are now very high. This leads to situations where the configuration resources of ATE (Automated Testing Equipment) machines cannot directly complete electrical parameter testing. The industry standard solution is to connect various types of general-purpose source meters to the ATE machine and then write programmable instructions in the corresponding machine's programming environment to call these source meters for testing. However, due to different communication interfaces (commonly USB, Ethernet, GPIB, etc.), the code for these programmable instructions varies. Furthermore, due to the differences in ATE machines, the programming languages ​​and methods used for the programmable instructions differ. This results in extremely cumbersome operation and difficult debugging when using external source meters for programmable control based on the ATE machine.

[0043] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by this application is: to design a universal source meter programmable control system that is compatible with different types and models of external source meters, to realize special electrical parameter testing based on ATE equipment and supplemented by this system, to build an SCPI protocol library compatible with different types of external source meters, to receive IO call instructions from ATE equipment through the universal source meter programmable control system, to complete the programmable instruction call and test data feedback of different types of external source meters, and thus to efficiently realize special electrical parameter testing and excitation application, so as to make up for the insufficient configuration resources of ATE equipment.

[0044] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a general source table control system and chip testing method based on ATE. The general source table control system based on ATE includes: an ATE test module, a first host computer, a source table automatic configuration device, and an external source table module, wherein the first host computer is a source table control host computer; the ATE test module is connected to both the external source table module and the source table automatic configuration device, and is used to connect to the chip under test, determine the electrical test parameters of the chip under test, determine a calling instruction based on the electrical test parameters, and send the calling instruction to the source table automatic configuration device; the first host computer is connected to both the ATE test module and the source table automatic configuration device, and is used to determine the external source table, determine the SCPI command set based on the external source table, and send the SCPI command set to the external source table module. The SCPI command set is sent to the source table programmable automatic configuration device; the source table programmable automatic configuration device is connected to the ATE test module and the external source table module respectively, and is used to receive and store the call instruction and the SCPI command set, determine the SCPI instruction according to the call instruction and the SCPI command set, and send the SCPI instruction to the external source table module; the external source table module is connected to the source table programmable automatic configuration device and the ATE test module respectively, and is used to receive the SCPI instruction, perform special electrical parameter tests on the chip under test according to the SCPI instruction, and feed back the test results to the source table programmable automatic configuration device for test result judgment.

[0045] Therefore, this application constructs a general source table programmable control system (including a source table programmable host computer and a source table programmable automatic configuration device) that can dynamically change the source table function configuration and test item order. The general source table programmable control system is connected to the host computer of the ATE test machine through a simple electrical wire, and programmable control can be achieved without writing complex programmable control programs based on the ATE test machine code compilation environment. The test data collected by the source table can be transmitted back to the UI interface of the ATE test machine for test result judgment. Both the host computer software and the embedded software integrate the SCPI protocol library, and the two can be interconnected with only a simple communication protocol, thereby controlling the corresponding source table and realizing the signal generation and testing functions.

[0046] like Figure 1 As shown, the general source table programmable control system based on ATE includes: an ATE test module, a first host computer, a source table programmable automatic configuration device, and an external source table module, wherein the first host computer is a source table programmable host computer.

[0047] The ATE test module is connected to the external source table module and the source table programmable automatic configuration device, respectively, and is used to connect to the chip under test, determine the electrical test parameters of the chip under test, determine the calling instruction according to the electrical test parameters, and send the calling instruction to the source table programmable automatic configuration device.

[0048] The first host computer is connected to the ATE test module and the source table programmable automatic configuration device respectively, and is used to determine the external source table, determine the SCPI command set according to the external source table, and send the SCPI command set to the source table programmable automatic configuration device.

[0049] The source table programmable automatic configuration device is connected to the ATE test module and the external source table module respectively. It is used to receive and store the call instruction and the SCPI command set, determine the SCPI instruction according to the call instruction and the SCPI command set, and send the SCPI instruction to the external source table module.

[0050] The external source meter module is connected to the source meter programmable automatic configuration device and the ATE test module, respectively, for receiving the SCPI command, performing special electrical parameter tests on the chip under test according to the SCPI command, and feeding back the test results to the source meter programmable automatic configuration device for test result judgment.

[0051] like Figure 1 As shown, the general source table control system based on ATE includes a general source table control system and an ATE test system. The general source table control system includes a source table control host computer, a source table control automatic configuration device, and an external source table module. The ATE test system includes an ATE test machine and an ATE test machine host computer.

[0052] The ATE test bench includes: DUT test subboard, fiber optic interface, power supply channel and test bench I / O channel. The fiber optic interface is used to connect the ATE test bench and the ATE test bench host computer.

[0053] In some implementations, such as Figure 1 As shown, the test subboard in the DUT test subboard is used to mount the chip under test (i.e., as shown in the diagram). Figure 1 The DUT shown is the hardware that directly interacts with the ATE machine, including the functional verification circuit, special electrical parameter test channel, DUT IO channel, call IO channel, feedback IO channel and power supply channel.

[0054] Furthermore, the functional verification circuit is used to verify the functional verification auxiliary circuit of the chip under test, providing a working environment for the functional implementation and parameter testing of the chip under test.

[0055] The special electrical parameter test channel connects the chip pins of the chip under test that require special electrical parameter testing to the special electrical parameter test channel. The special electrical parameter test channel needs to be designed in a user-friendly way to facilitate reliable connection with the source meter test channel of the external source meter module and ensure the effectiveness of the connection.

[0056] The DUT IO channel connects the pins of the chip under test to the IO channel of the ATE equipment to perform tests on electrical parameters such as connectivity and functional performance.

[0057] The IO channel is invoked, and the IO interface of the DUT test daughterboard is directly connected to the ATE machine. The invocation command signal sent by the ATE machine is directly sent to the instruction isolation module of the source table program control module, providing invocation commands to the source table program control module.

[0058] The feedback IO channel is directly connected to the IO interface of the ATE machine through the DUT test subboard. The feedback command signal sent by the source table programmable automatic configuration device is transmitted to the feedback IO channel of the test subboard. The host computer software of the ATE test machine can obtain the execution status of the call command by reading the channel level.

[0059] The power supply channel, as the core of the power supply for the chip under test, is directly connected to the power channel output of the ATE machine through the DUT test board, and power filtering design is implemented to ensure the stable operation of the chip under test.

[0060] In some implementations, such as Figure 1 As shown, the ATE test machine host computer software (i.e., the ATE test machine host computer) is deployed on an industrial control computer. The ATE test machine host computer software communicates with the ATE test machine through a fiber optic interface to control the ATE test machine. It can perform electrical parameter tests such as the connectivity and functional performance of the chip under test, issue call commands, and read feedback commands. At the same time, the ATE test machine host computer software can also read the external source table test data stored in the source table programmable host computer software through the test data reading module. In addition, the ATE test machine host computer software can also display the judgment results of the test results on the UI interface.

[0061] In some implementations, such as Figure 1 As shown, the source meter programmable automatic configuration device is used to capture and parse the call commands sent by the ATE machine through the I / O channel in real time. Based on the call commands and the "SCPI" programmable command set issued by the host computer software, it filters the corresponding SCPI commands according to sequence and function, and then sends them to the external source meter module through the router module. The external source meter performs special electrical parameter tests based on the received SCPI commands. After the test is completed, the main control module uploads the undecoded test data returned by the external source meter to the source meter programmable host computer software through the SCPI transceiver module. Simultaneously, the LCD display module displays the call commands, SCPI command call status, and external source meter test status in real time. The source meter programmable automatic configuration device includes a source meter programmable main control module, an SCPI transceiver module, an LCD display module, a command isolation module, and a router module.

[0062] Furthermore, the source table programmable main control module is the core module of the source table programmable automatic configuration device. Through the "SCPI" programmable command set issued by the host computer software and the call instructions parsed by the source table programmable main control module, it can sequentially call the general source table SCPI instructions in the SCPI protocol library and transmit them to the external source table module via the router module. After the external source table test is completed, the source table programmable main control module will upload the undecoded test data returned by the external source table to the source table programmable host computer software via the SCPI transceiver module; simultaneously, the source table programmable main control module will send the call instructions, SCPI instruction call status information, and external source table test status information to the LCD display module for display. All the general source table SCPI instructions in the SCPI protocol library constitute the SCPI command set.

[0063] The SCPI transceiver module of the source table programmable automatic configuration device connects to the programmable network port of the industrial control computer via a network cable. This facilitates data exchange between the source table programmable host computer software and the source table programmable main control module, including the "SCPI" programmable command set and undecoded test data. Furthermore, the SCPI transceiver module integrates an SCPI protocol library containing SCPI commands recognizable by mainstream source tables in the industry. All SCPI commands are configured in a dedicated storage space and continuously updated. Building the SCPI protocol library significantly reduces the workload of SCPI programmable code debugging for R&D personnel, greatly improving testing efficiency.

[0064] The LCD display module, serving as the system's human-machine interface, is driven by the source table programmable main control module. It is primarily used to display call commands, SCPI command call status, and external source table test status in real time, and can also customize the display of parameter information.

[0065] The instruction isolation module is used to isolate the call instructions for the I / O channels transmitted by the DUT test daughterboard and the feedback instructions sent by the source table programmable main control module. This eliminates potential differences and prevents the call instructions or feedback instructions from being recognized normally due to inconsistent level standards. It also prevents high voltage and high current signals from being directly fed into the ATE equipment and causing equipment damage.

[0066] The router module is used to transmit the SCPI commands called by the source table programmable main control module to the network port of the corresponding external source table through the router module, and to receive the undecoded test data returned by the external source table.

[0067] In some implementations, an external source meter module is used to address situations where the ATE (Automatic Test Equipment) cannot meet the accuracy requirements for testing the specific electrical parameters of the chip under test. For example... Figure 1As shown, the external source meter module is compatible with the following external source meters: high-precision benchtop power supplies, high-performance oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, network vector analyzers, 7.5-digit digital multimeters, signal generators, etc. Each external source meter's network port connects to the router module of the source meter programmable automatic configuration device, and each external source meter's test interface connects to the special electrical parameter test channel of the DUT test sub-board. When an external source meter receives an SCPI command requiring testing of a special electrical parameter interface, the external source meter will execute the measurement process and return the undecoded test data to the source meter programmable main control module via the router module.

[0068] In some implementations, the source table programmable host computer software integrates the SCPI programmable commands of various types of external source tables into the host computer software protocol library, and realizes the test sequence, execution function and IP address configuration of external source tables through the host computer software interface. Among them, the functions of the host computer software include: (1) realizing centralized batch processing of external source table execution function and sequence configuration, including operations such as adding, deleting, inserting and sorting. (2) after configuring the external source table execution function and sequence, sending the encoded "SCPI" programmable command set to the source table programmable automatic configuration device. (3) after the external source table measurement is completed, decoding the undecoded test data returned by the source table programmable automatic configuration device through the host computer software protocol library, and recording the decoded test data in the test data storage module. The stored data is automatically uploaded to the UI interface of the ATE machine for display of test results, and the test results are judged according to the displayed content.

[0069] It should be noted that when performing source table programmable control, the commonly used control protocol is the Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments (SCPI). The SCPI instruction set is based on the IEEE 488.1 and IEEE 488.2 standards and is a standard instrument command language composed of ASCII characters. It defines a set of standard syntax command formats for controlling programmable instruments and is widely used among major instrument manufacturers. It is an important standard for modern control of programmable instruments.

[0070] In some implementations, such as Figure 2 As shown, this application provides a block diagram of the operation mechanism of a general source table program control system based on ATE. Before the general source table program control system runs, the SCPI instructions of various types of source tables are integrated into the host computer software protocol library (MySQL database) in advance through the source table program control host computer software, and simultaneously entered into the SCPI protocol library (embedded driver library) of the source table program control automatic configuration device, so that the two can be associated when communicating with simple protocols.

[0071] When the general source meter programmable control system is running, firstly, the source meter programmable control host computer software configures and encodes the functions and sequence of execution for the external source meters, and sends the encoded "SCPI" programmable control command set to the SCPI transceiver module of the source meter programmable control automatic configuration device; secondly, the instruction isolation module isolates the call instructions sent by the ATE machine, and the source meter programmable control main control module calls the external source meter SCPI instructions in sequence according to the call instructions, while simultaneously feeding back the call status of the SCPI instructions to the host computer software of the ATE test machine, and transmitting the called SCPI instructions to the source meter network port through the router module; at this time, the external source meter will perform measurement work according to the received SCPI instructions. The test data is then returned to the source meter programmable main control module via the router module. Simultaneously, the LCD display module shows the call command, SCPI command call status, and external source meter test status in real time. Next, the source meter programmable main control module uploads the test data to the source meter programmable host computer software via the SCPI transceiver module. Following this, the source meter programmable host computer software decodes the test data according to the SCPI protocol in the host computer software protocol library and stores the decoded test data in the test data storage module. Finally, the ATE test machine's host computer software reads the external source meter test data stored in the source meter programmable host computer software for judging the test results of special electrical parameters.

[0072] If used in conjunction with an ATE (Automatic Test Equipment) machine to automatically test multiple special electrical parameters, the source meter control host computer software can configure common SCPI commands used in external source meter testing, and configure multiple instruction sequences. Then, it can implement programmable operations based on the ATE machine's I / O level trigger commands. The specific process is as follows: the ATE test machine sets up m control I / O ports to connect to the source meter automatic configuration device, theoretically allowing for the loading of 2... m (e.g., with 6 lines, theoretically 64 SCPI control commands can be loaded when m equals 6). Each of the m control lines applies a different high / low level, from 000...000 to 111...111, with each value corresponding to an SCPI control command. The ATE tester applies a level signal to the source meter's automatic configuration device. Upon receiving the level signal, the configuration system converts it into a digital identifier, searches for and filters the corresponding SCPI commands, and sends them sequentially to the external source meter via a router module. The external source meter receives the SCPI commands, executes the test, and then transmits the test data back to the source meter's host computer software via the automatic configuration device. The ATE tester's host computer software reads the test data and judges the limit test results. After the ATE test is completed, a control call IO level command is resent to load a new SCPI command. This process repeats until all special electrical parameters are tested, thus achieving the goal of using different types of external source meters to assist the ATE tester in completing special electrical parameter tests.

[0073] In some implementations, this application also provides a workflow for a general source table control system based on ATE, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the first step involves configuring and encoding the test sequence, execution function, and IP address of the external source meter in the source meter programmable host computer software according to the specific electrical parameter test requirements of the chip under test (these requirements mainly include strict requirements for power quality and necessary emergency power supply configuration to ensure that the power supply needs of critical loads can be met under various conditions). This forms the "SCPI" programmable command set, which is then downloaded to the designated storage space of the SCPI transceiver module via the host computer system. The second step involves the ATE tester host computer software testing the chip under test. When the ATE tester host computer software executes a test item that requires specific electrical parameter testing, it will run a vector of call instructions. This vector contains the SCPI instruction call identifier and sends the call instruction to the source meter programmable automatic configuration device through the I / O channels. The number of I / O channels called depends on the number of specific electrical parameter test items for the chip under test. The third step involves the source table automatic configuration device parsing the received call command after it has been isolated by the command isolation module. If the command is invalid, the device triggers an internal timer and resamples the call command on the I / O channel every second. If the command still fails after 10 seconds, the device sends a failure signal to the ATE via the feedback I / O channel. Upon receiving the failure signal, the ATE can perform further processing as needed, such as resending the command or directly determining the test item as FAIL and proceeding to the next test. If the call is successful, the corresponding SCPI command from the SCPI protocol library is selected. The fourth step involves the source table automatic configuration device transmitting the SCPI command to the external source table's network port via the router module. The external source table then performs measurements based on the received SCPI command. After the measurement is complete, the source table returns the test data to the source table automatic configuration device via the network port. Fifth, the source meter programmable automatic configuration device uploads the measurement data to the source meter programmable host computer software. The source meter programmable host computer software decodes the received undecoded test data and saves the test data in the test data storage module. Sixth, after reading the test data, the ATE test machine's host computer software executes the test item corresponding to the application program and judges the parameter test results. When the test item is completed, if it is necessary to continue to perform special electrical parameter tests, the ATE test machine will continue to send the SCPI retrieval command for the next special electrical parameter test item until all special electrical parameter tests are completed.

[0074] In some implementations, to better understand the technical solutions in this application, the technical solutions are described in general as follows: Before the system runs, firstly, the modules of the test system are reliably connected, and the test daughterboard is connected to the ATE machine motherboard. The system switch is turned on, and the system self-test is waited for to complete. By querying whether the SCPI instructions in each type of source table in the host computer software protocol library are complete and whether they meet the special electrical parameter test requirements of the chip under test, under normal circumstances, the host computer software protocol library can meet most of the special electrical parameter test requirements of the chip under test. For some chips under test with special requirements, customized SCPI instructions can be developed according to the test requirements and updated to the host computer software protocol library and the SCPI protocol library.

[0075] Then, based on the special electrical parameter test items and test sequence in the ATE test flow, the source meter programmable host computer software configures and encodes the functions and sequence executed by the external source meter, and sends the encoded "SCPI" programmable command set to the SCPI transceiver module of the source meter programmable automatic configuration device. After the SCPI programmable commands are prepared, the test items in the test flow are run. The test items have two modes: individual test and fully automatic test. When individual test is clicked, the special electrical parameter test item will send a call command to the application automatic configuration system through the ATE test machine's call IO channel. The source meter programmable automatic configuration device will parse the command and call the corresponding SCPI command, which will be transmitted to the source meter's network port through the router module. The external source meter will perform the test according to the received SCPI command and feed back the test data. The source meter programmable automatic configuration device will upload the fed back the test data to the source meter programmable host computer software, which will decode and store the test data. Subsequently, the ATE test machine host computer software will read the test data and upload it to the UI interface for test result judgment. When the source meter programmable automatic configuration device detects a failed call, it will repeat the call attempt. If the call still fails after a certain number of repetitions (this number can be set), the source meter programmable automatic configuration device will feed back the SCPI command call failure result to the ATE machine for further processing. The ATE can either send the call command to the source meter programmable automatic configuration device again, or skip this test and output FAIL to proceed to the next test. In the fully automatic test mode, the ATE test machine's host computer software will automatically and orderly perform special electrical parameter tests individually according to the test item execution order. After completing the current test item, it will automatically move to the next test and output the test results in real time until all test items are completed.

[0076] This enables programmed testing of external source meters to compensate for insufficient ATE machine configuration resources. Moreover, the programmed system is easy to operate, which can greatly simplify the workload of engineering test personnel in setting up the programmed system. It has high test stability and reliability, which can significantly improve the efficiency of integrated circuit testing and has very high engineering application value.

[0077] It should be noted that the method in this embodiment can be executed by a single device, such as a computer or server. The method can also be applied in a distributed scenario, where multiple devices cooperate to complete the task. In such a distributed scenario, one of these devices may execute only one or more steps of the method in this embodiment, and the multiple devices will interact with each other to complete the method described.

[0078] It should be noted that the above description describes some embodiments of this application. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recorded in the claims can be performed in a different order than that shown in the above embodiments and still achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require a specific or sequential order to achieve the desired result. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0079] Based on the same inventive concept, corresponding to any of the above embodiments, this application also provides a chip testing method.

[0080] refer to Figure 4 The chip testing method, applied to the ATE-based general source table control system as described above, includes:

[0081] The ATE test module identifies the chip under test, determines the calling instruction based on the chip under test, and sends the calling instruction to the source table programmable automatic configuration device.

[0082] The first host computer determines the electrical parameter requirements of the chip under test and the external source table of the external source table module, determines the SCPI command set according to the electrical parameter requirements and the external source table, and stores the SCPI command set in the source table programmable automatic configuration device.

[0083] The source table programmable automatic configuration device determines the SCPI instruction based on the call instruction and the SCPI command set, and sends the SCPI instruction to the external source table module;

[0084] The external source meter module receives the SCPI command, performs special electrical parameter tests on the chip under test according to the SCPI command, and feeds back the test results to the source meter programmable automatic configuration device.

[0085] By constructing an SCPI command set compatible with different types of external source meters in the source meter programmable automatic configuration device, and receiving IO call instructions from the ATE machine through the general source meter programmable control system, the programmable command call and test data feedback of different types of external source meters are completed, thereby efficiently realizing the testing and excitation of special electrical parameters, thus making up for the insufficient configuration resources of the ATE machine.

[0086] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely exemplary and is not intended to imply that the scope of this application (including the claims) is limited to these examples; within the framework of this application, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of different aspects of the embodiments of this application as described above, which are not provided in the details for the sake of brevity.

[0087] Additionally, to simplify the description and discussion, and to avoid obscuring the embodiments of this application, the well-known power / ground connections to integrated circuit (IC) chips and other components may or may not be shown in the provided drawings. Furthermore, the apparatus may be shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the embodiments of this application, and this also takes into account the fact that the details of the implementation of these block diagram apparatuses are highly dependent on the platform on which the embodiments of this application will be implemented (i.e., these details should be fully understood by those skilled in the art). While specific details (e.g., circuits) have been set forth to describe exemplary embodiments of this application, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments of this application can be implemented without these specific details or with variations thereof. Therefore, these descriptions should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0088] Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, many substitutions, modifications, and variations of these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. For example, other memory architectures (e.g., dynamic RAM (DRAM)) may be used with the embodiments discussed.

[0089] The embodiments of this application are intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications, and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the embodiments of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A general-purpose source table control system based on ATE, applied to chip testing, characterized in that, include: The system includes an ATE test module, a first host computer, a source table programmable automatic configuration device, and an external source table module, wherein the first host computer is a source table programmable host computer. The ATE test module is connected to the external source table module and the source table programmable automatic configuration device, respectively, and is used to connect to the chip under test, determine the electrical test parameters of the chip under test, determine the calling instruction according to the electrical test parameters, and send the calling instruction to the source table programmable automatic configuration device. The first host computer is connected to both the ATE test module and the source table programmable automatic configuration device, and is used to determine the external source table, determine the SCPI command set based on the external source table, and send the SCPI command set to the source table programmable automatic configuration device; wherein the source table programmable automatic configuration device includes a source table programmable main control module, an instruction isolation module, an SCPI transceiver module, and a router module, the source table programmable main control module is used to parse and verify the calling instruction, determine the SCPI instruction based on the verification result, and send the SCPI instruction to the external source table module for chip testing; The instruction isolation module is used to receive the call instruction and the feedback from the source table program control module to the call instruction; The SCPI transceiver module is connected to the first host computer and the source table program control module, respectively. The SCPI module includes an SCPI protocol library. The SCPI module is used to receive the SCPI protocol set and store the SCPI protocol set in the SCPI protocol library; wherein, the SCPI protocol library includes multiple SCPI instructions; The router module is used to transmit the SCPI command to the source table network port of the external source table module, and to receive the undecoded test data fed back by the external source table module. The source table programmable automatic configuration device is connected to the ATE test module and the external source table module respectively, and is used to receive and store the call instruction and the SCPI command set, determine the SCPI instruction according to the call instruction and the SCPI command set, and send the SCPI instruction to the external source table module. The external source meter module is connected to the source meter programmable automatic configuration device and the ATE test module, respectively, for receiving the SCPI command, performing special electrical parameter tests on the chip under test according to the SCPI command, and feeding back the test results to the source meter programmable automatic configuration device for test result judgment.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ATE test module includes: a second host computer and an ATE test machine, wherein the second host computer is the host computer software of the ATE test machine; The second host computer is connected to the first host computer and the ATE test platform respectively. The second host computer includes an optical fiber interface connected to the ATE test platform, which is used to transmit the test stimulus and test data of the chip under test, and issue a call command according to the chip under test. The ATE test bench includes a DUT test sub-board, which is connected to the second host computer, the source table programmable main control module and the external source table module, respectively, for connecting the chip under test, sending the call command and receiving the execution status of the call command.

3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The DUT test subboard includes a call IO channel and a feedback IO channel; The I / O channel is used to send the call instruction to the source table program control module. The feedback I / O channel is used to receive the execution status of the call instruction from the source table program control module.

4. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The DUT test subboard also includes a special electrical parameter test channel, which is used to connect to the pins of the chip under test and provide a communication channel for the external source meter module to perform electrical parameter tests on the chip under test.

5. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second host computer also includes a test data reading module, which is used to read the test data of the external source table module stored in the first host computer.

6. A chip testing method, characterized in that, Applied to the general source table control system based on ATE as described in any one of claims 1-5, the method includes: The ATE test module identifies the chip under test, determines the calling instruction based on the chip under test, and sends the calling instruction to the source table programmable automatic configuration device. The first host computer determines the electrical parameter requirements of the chip under test and the external source table of the external source table module, determines the SCPI command set according to the electrical parameter requirements and the external source table, and stores the SCPI command set in the source table programmable automatic configuration device. The source table programmable automatic configuration device determines the SCPI instruction based on the call instruction and the SCPI command set, and sends the SCPI instruction to the external source table module; The external source meter module receives the SCPI command, performs special electrical parameter tests on the chip under test according to the SCPI command, and feeds back the test results to the source meter programmable automatic configuration device.

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