Real-Time Interactive Debugger for Semiconductor Test Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing testing processes for semiconductor devices are time-consuming and inefficient, requiring iterative development and debugging cycles, which delays the time-to-market for new devices and complicates the identification and correction of design or manufacturing defects.
Innovation Solution
A test system with an integrated debugger interface that allows users to interactively provide debug commands, translate them into high-level instrument control signals, and apply these signals to the device under test in real-time, reducing the need for rewriting and reloading test programs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If iterative test program development and reloading is used, then test programs can be developed and validated, but time-to-market is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The debugger interface allows test engineers to set up breakpoints, watchpoints, and debug configurations in advance before executing the full test program. This preliminary setup enables targeted debugging without requiring complete program rewrites and reloads, significantly reducing iteration time while maintaining validation effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The debugger serves as an intermediary layer between the test engineer and the test program execution. It provides real-time observation and control capabilities (single-step execution, variable inspection, breakpoint management) that allow debugging without interrupting the overall test flow or requiring program reloader operations, thus accelerating the development cycle.
2Measurement precision
If test programs are rewritten and reloaded for each debugging iteration, then defects can be identified and corrected, but debugging time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The debugger provides immediate feedback during test program execution by allowing single-step mode operation, real-time variable inspection, and dynamic breakpoint adjustment. This feedback mechanism enables precise defect identification without requiring program rewrites, as engineers can observe execution flow and state changes instantly and make targeted corrections.
Solution Approach 2:
The debugger interface dynamically adapts to the debugging needs by allowing runtime modification of breakpoints, watchpoints, and execution control parameters. This dynamic capability eliminates the need for static program rewriting, as engineers can adjust debugging parameters on-the-fly based on observed behavior, significantly reducing iteration time.
3Reliability
If full test programs are executed to validate design, then comprehensive testing is achieved, but time to identify specific defects increases
Solution Approach 1:
The debugger enables segmentation of the test program execution by allowing engineers to set breakpoints at specific locations and execute the program in single-step mode. This segmentation transforms a monolithic execution into manageable segments, enabling rapid identification of defect locations without sacrificing comprehensive testing coverage, as the full program can still be executed and observed in detail.
Data Source
AI summary
A test system that enables real-time interactive debugging of a device under test (DUT) using native customer code. A translation module may format, in real time, debug commands, corresponding to a user input, into a format recognizable by instruments in a tester. The user input may be a test program or test instructions written in a high-level programming language. The translation module may translate the user's debug commands into lower-level test instrument commands, based on which the tester may apply control signals to a processor in the DUT to test subsystems of the DUT. A result of the test may be provided to the translation module, which may, in real time, format another debug command, or provide an indication of the result to the user. The translation module may thus enable a user to step-through and modify native customer code in an interactive manner to debug a DUT.