Spice up your life: simulate mixed-signal ICs!

Philips Semiconductor is a supplier to a wide range of markets for analogue and mixed-signal consumer ICs. These products extend from the simplest form of linear products to advanced VLSI analogue systems such as the One-Chip TV. For new mixed-signal products Philips has started to adopt a strategy of testing similar to that used for digital ICs. This is based on efficiently proving the product is free of known defects or other process deformations. This is referred to as DOT or Defect Oriented Testing. It is an alternative to testing the device in production purely to its specification, this has more recently been called SPOT, SPecification Oriented Testing. SPOT is used within Philips but preferable only for device verification and validation as part of design or early in the Test and Product Engineering (TPE) cycle.