Cost containment for high-volume test of multi-gb/s ports

The agenda of high volume manufacturing (HVM) test is cost. Equipment costs, throughput, factory overhead, yield, and many other parameters make up overall test costs. But the start of any cost optimization must start with a very clear perspective of what HVM test must achieve, and what it cannot afford to be responsible for. HVM test is mostly a screen to ensure that outgoing products meet established goals for quality defect rate and reliability. It cannot afford to duplicate design validation processes that do not efficiently support this primary screening goal. Multi-GB/s devices drive this distinction to a critical level.