ATE Jitter Calibration via Walking Strobe Clock Sampling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automatic test equipment (ATE) faces challenges in accurately calibrating jitter insertion for testing devices under test (DUT), leading to potential inaccuracies in determining a DUT's jitter tolerance, which can result in incorrect assessments of the DUT's performance.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves adding jitter to a test signal, sampling the jittered signal using a walking strobe clock, generating a reconstructed jittered signal, and calibrating the ATE based on the measured jitter, using a clock generator, digital-to-analog controller, and phase shifter to determine and adjust the jitter amplitude, with data storage for future testing conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional calibration methods are used, then calibration can be performed, but measurement precision and time efficiency are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the jittered signal by sampling it with a walking strobe clock and reconstructing it digitally. This virtual replica allows precise measurement of jitter characteristics without requiring complex physical measurement setups, thereby improving measurement precision while reducing calibration time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical/electrical measurement methods with digital signal processing techniques. By converting the physical jittered signal into digital values through sampling and reconstruction, the system achieves more precise and efficient calibration without the time-consuming procedures of conventional methods.
2Productivity
If manual jitter measurement procedures are used, then calibration can be performed, but labor requirements and measurement time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration system performs self-calibration by automatically generating jittered signals, sampling them with the walking strobe clock, reconstructing the signals, and measuring jitter characteristics without requiring external manual intervention. This self-service approach dramatically increases calibration speed while maintaining operational simplicity through automated procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous calibration through automated signal generation, sampling, and measurement processes that can run continuously without interruption. The walking strobe clock continuously samples the jittered signal, and the system continuously updates calibration data, maintaining constant productivity without manual pauses or interruptions.
3Reliability
If predefined jitter data is used without calibration, then testing can proceed quickly, but measurement precision deteriorates due to inherent circuit inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system measures the actual jitter in the generated test signals and uses this information to calibrate the predefined jitter data. The measured jitter values feed back into the calibration process, allowing the system to adjust and correct inaccuracies, thereby improving testing reliability while managing complexity through automated feedback loops.
Data Source
AI summary
Calibrating automatic test equipment (ATE) includes adding jitter to a test signal to produce a jittered signal, sampling the jittered signal to produce digital values, generating a reconstructed jittered signal from the digital values, determining an amount of jitter in the reconstructed jittered signal, and calibrating the ATE based on the amount of jitter in the reconstructed jittered signal.