Advantest and Wavecrest Co-Develop Jitter Analysis Tool for Test of Complex Internet IC Technology
... both members of Semiconductor Test Consortium, companies partner to broaden applications for open architecture test
SANTA CLARA, Calif. and EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., July 13 / - Advantest Corporation , the world's leading supplier of semiconductor test equipment, and Wavecrest Corporation, a leader in designing and manufacturing cutting-edge test and measurement solutions for analysis of signal integrity, jitter, and timing, announce a new, jointly developed jitter analysis software tool (JAT) for Advantest's multi-lane 6.5Gbps high-speed interface SerDes test solution.
The new software tool provides versatile, high-volume, rapid analysis of the performance, reliability and interoperability of high-speed serial transmitters, receivers and interfaces for complex Internet infrastructure applications, such as Fibre Channel, SONET, Gigabit Ethernet, PCI Express, SATA, and FB DIMM
The 6.5Gbps high-speed interface test module and the new Jitter Analysis Tool run on Advantest's T2000 open architecture test platform, providing a unique environment optimized for testing SoC devices with high-frequency interfaces. The T2000 open architecture test platform is based on OPENSTAR®, the industry's first totally public set of test architecture specifications, managed by the Semiconductor Test Consortium.
Advanced Jitter Analysis Features
The new Jitter Analysis Tool measurement capabilities include deterministic jitter, random jitter, total jitter, and eye width measurements on high-speed serial links. Jitter measurements are used to pinpoint the data transmission reliability in high-speed serial interfaces.
A unique feature of this solution is its ability to perform jitter measurements relative to either a forwarded, embedded, or common clock reference. This flexibility allows a single toolset to both characterize and test a broad complement of high-speed interfaces including PCI-Express Generation 2, XAUI revision 2 and HyperTransport(TM) revision 3.
In addition, the new Advantest-Wavecrest solution can simultaneously measure jitter on multiple lanes in parallel without the addition of complicated MUX hardware and external instrumentation. This environment is ideal for testing complicated networking and/or server devices which will often include hundreds of high speed lanes.
It leverages Wavecrest's patented TailFit(TM) algorithm, providing Dual- Dirac measurements, which are the mainstay of most high-speed SerDes interface jitter specifications. The algorithms used in jitter analysis tools are key to the accuracy and reliability of their analysis. The approach used in this new tool has proven itself unique in its ability to measure jitter on highly occluded transmission eyes. Since many high-speed interfaces are specified with 60% (or more) occlusion, this capability is necessary in order to insure that no good devices are discarded as bad.
Partnering to Serve Customers
Advantest and Wavecrest, both members of the Semiconductor Test Consortium (STC) founded to foster collaboration for the timely development of open semiconductor test solutions, worked together to adapt a Wavecrest instrument tool from a laboratory environment to an ATE environment. Adapting this bench instrument tool offers a combination of speed and accuracy that has not been available in the ATE industry.
R. Keith Lee, President and CEO of Advantest America, Inc., says, "More than ever before, our customers need powerful, fast, accurate test solutions and it makes perfect sense to partner with an excellent company such as Wavecrest to be able to offer our customers an enhanced test solutions suite. The Wavecrest jitter analysis tool complements our test systems, handlers and software solutions and meets the high engineering standards that have made Advantest the leader in the ATE industry."
Dennis J. Leisz, President and CEO of Wavecrest, Corporation, says, "Since our inception in 1985 Wavecrest has provided leading edge design and test products for the semiconductor industry. This new partnership with Advantest will build upon our two companies' strengths allowing us to introduce a new generation of powerful test tools."
Dr. Mike Li, CTO of Wavecrest, says, "It's exciting to offer this unique capability to the market and to bring the excellence of a lab tool to the manufacturing floor. Our jointly adapted jitter analysis tool is fast, accurate and reliable -- mirroring the capabilities of Advantest's T2000 test platform -- and will benefit the industry by ensuring higher performing, more reliable Internet connections."
About Advantest:
Advantest Corporation is the world's leading supplier of automatic test equipment to the semiconductor industry. Advantest's SoC, logic, memory, mixed-signal and RF testers and device handlers are integrated into the most advanced semiconductor fabrication lines in the world. Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest established its North American subsidiary in 1982 and its European subsidiary in 1984.
More information is available at http://www.advantest.com/.
About Wavecrest:
Wavecrest Corporation was founded in 1985 to design and manufacture leading edge signal analysis design and test instruments for high-speed complex semiconductors and systems. Wavecrest products are found throughout the world in semiconductor design labs and in IC production test environments.
More information is available at www.wavecrest.com/.
Source: Advantest Corporation
CONTACT:
Amy Gold of Advantest America, Inc.
+1-212-850-6670
a.gold@advantest.com
or
Dennis Petrich of Wavecrest Corporation
+1-952-646-0500
dpetrich@wavecrest.com
Web site:
http://www.advantest.com/
http://www.wavecrest.com/
