Reducing test cost for mixed signal circuits “From TOETS to ELESIS”

Abstract

In the coming years European Semiconductor companies will bring many new applications to the market to improve the way of living in Europe. Examples are linked to road safety, personal health care, secured wireless communications, and lighting and consumer electronics. These applications concern very complex semiconductor systems with highly integrated technologies where digital, memories and analogue are funnelled in one piece of silicon. In these kind of applications, reliability and trustability is a key factor which cannot be guaranteed without extensive test solutions. This may lead to expensive and unreliable test solutions when necessary preventive efforts are omitted. Within the ELESIS project, we have built a European research consortium that provides cooperation between leading semiconductors companies in Europe, small and medium enterprises that are dedicated to system test and tooling and well-recognized European Institutes and Universities. In this European research consortium, we will focus on improving the industrial test infrastructure for mixed signal and analog circuits, leading to safe, reliable, high quality and low cost semiconductors products in Europe, starting from the TOETS consortium partners and experience on digital circuits.