In a blog post earlier this year, we highlighted 5 Ways SmartMatrix 1500XP Delivers Faster Time-to-Market for DRAM Memory Devices. Here’s a quick recap of these five:

  1. Higher parallelism, higher efficiency and lower cost of DRAM test
  2. Robust 3D MEMS spring with superior tip position and performance
  3. Superior thermal performance and design flexibility
  4. Excellent production uptime
  5. Ease of use and serviceability

Another challenge the SmartMatrix 1500XP probe card tackles, is the decreasing signal fidelity due to increased signal sharing and amplitude loss from reflections. Reflections of un-terminated lines must be controlled or matched to keep it to a minimum. With the implementation of Terminated TRE (TTRE) to improve signal reflection noise occuring at the share point, we can achieve higher signal sharing pattern and higher test speed without compromising probe card performance. For a typical application, ATE (Automated Test Equipment) can run faster on selective or critical lines required for higher speed operation such as the command lines. Implementing TTRE only on selective lines reduces the design complexity and cost; whereas implementing on all lines would drive up the routing complexity and in some cases would be constrained by the available real estate on the board. TTRE utilizes the VTT power to compensate for signal loss in high sharing pattern and turns these noisy share-points into high performance transmission lines.

Here are four features and four benefits of TTRE with the SmartMatrix 1500XP.

Features

  • FormFactor design ASIC module – enable high density placement
  • Switch to enable DC and low speed testing and tester calibration
  • On probe card VTT supply
  • Programmable from ATE voltage resource (e.g. unused driver, DC channel or PPS)

Benefits

  • Double test speed on critical lines from the typical 100 MHz to 200 MHz
  • Wafer throughput is significantly increased with faster test speed
  • Enable additional test coverage without increasing test time
  • Enable increase signal sharing or fan-out with superior signal integrity performance by increasing signal amplitude

TTRE, high-Impedance DUTLet technology, and the robust 3D MEMS springs extend the SmartMatrix product platform to address probing at ultra-high temperature up to 160C and test speed to 200 MHz for increased throughput and test coverage without increasing the overall cost of test. For more information, check out our website.