An emulator for an automatic test system

摘要

Testing is an integral part of an integrated circuit production facility and is a major step in the production process. Of the many problems associated with testing, we wish to address our selves to one aspect of the problem of test program verification.

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Test program verification is carried out on two levels; one is to ensure that the program operates as specified, and the second is to ensure that the specified test is a correct or adequate test. Test verification at BNR can be a time consuming, hence expensive, operation because the test system supports a prototype production line and thus the testing load is composed of a large number of different circuit types with only a small number of each type. A major part of the testing effort is devoted to the writing and debugging of test programs and then the subsequent debugging of the tests themselves. Verification of the test itself is a problem because the characteristics of a prototype device are not necessarily known with a high degreeof accuracy and so the test specification may be based only on educated guesswork.