An Overview of Mixed-Signal Production Test: Past, Present and Future

In this article, a tutorial on the techniques and procedures used in a production test environment is presented. This overview is structured in such a way that the less experienced test engineer can learn about the common and various methods used in mixed-signal test. Various aspects related to test and their role in the manufacturing process of ICs are discussed. In fact, the paper starts off by motivating the need for testing and then describes the different methods: DC, AC, and dynamic testing as well as clocks, SerDes and RF testing. Design for Test (DFT) techniques are also described.