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Evaluation of a Two-Tier Adaptive Indirect Test Flow for a Front-End RF Circuit

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Abstract

This paper focuses on test cost reduction for RF circuits based on the use of an indirect test strategy. The implementation of a two-tier adaptive test flow is investigated, in which only circuits with a sufficient prediction confidence level are evaluated by the indirect test while others are re-evaluated by specification-based test. A methodology is presented that permits to explore different tradeoffs between test quality and test cost and to make pertinent choices for the efficient implementation of such a test flow. The methodology is applied to a front-end RF circuit designed for WLAN applications and results show that substantial test cost reduction can be achieved without compromising the test quality.

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Acknowledgment

This work has been carried out under the framework of PENTA-EUREKA project “HADES: Hierarchy-Aware and secure embedded test infrastructure for Dependability and performance Enhancement of integrated Systems”.

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Correspondence to F. Azais.

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Responsible Editor: L. M. Bolzani Pöhls

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Badawi, H.E., Azais, F., Bernard, S. et al. Evaluation of a Two-Tier Adaptive Indirect Test Flow for a Front-End RF Circuit. J Electron Test 37, 225–242 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10836-021-05934-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10836-021-05934-4

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