RF Module tests multi-port RF SoC devices.
Press Release Summary:
Designed for OPENSTAR® T2000 test platform, 12 GHz Wideband Signal Generator/Analyzer features 32 RF signal I/O ports per module. It offers 16-device simultaneous testing of RF devices consisting of 4-8 ports, and supports 4-device parallel testing or 16-port multi-band RF devices. By using module in combination with existing 800 Mbps digital, 500 mA DPS, and base-band waveform digitizer generator modules, all RF SoC device signal tests can be conducted on single test system.
Original Press Release:
Advantest Announces the Industry's First, Fully Integrated Single-Module RF Solution; Expands Suite of Leading-Edge SoC Consumer Device Test Solutions
New Module Provides Low-cost Test of Multi-port RF Devices for the T2000 Open Architecture Test Platform
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 18 /-- Advantest Corporation today is announcing its new RF test solution for highly accurate, low-cost testing of multi-port RF SoC devices, used widely in cellular phones and of increasing importance to the rapidly expanding wireless product and equipment market.
Advantest's 12GHz Wideband Signal Generator/Analyzer (12GWSGA) RF module is the industry's first RF test solution that is fully integrated: A single 12GHz module resident in the test head with the industry's highest RF port density (32 per module) and multiple unique RF vectored sources and signal analyzers. This cutting-edge RF test technology gives semiconductor producers high performance and flexibility at low cost, providing an excellent return on investment.
Meets Need to Cost-Effectively Test Wideband-capable ICs for Expanding Market
Wireless technology is proliferating beyond cellular phones and laptop computers, to game consoles and other new applications. Standards such as WiMAX (an 802.16e standard)* and MIMO** technology, which enable large volumes of data to be wirelessly transmitted at high speed, will become more widespread beginning in 2008. In turn, new wireless infrastructure capabilities demand Systems-on-a-Chip (SoCs) with higher levels of functional sophistication in conjunction with RF capabilities. Leading-edge SoC designs, including RF and MIMO technology for mobile phone transceiver ICs, require more RF ports. Conventional test solutions cannot deal with these increasing numbers of ports per IC and therefore cannot perform cost-effective parallel test of these devices. This has resulted in a demand for test systems that can test RF SoC devices with high throughput and increased parallelism, resulting in lower cost of test and the development of Advantest's new RF test solution.
Product Features
Advantest's new RF test solution responds to the need to reduce the cost of test while meeting the test challenges of sophisticated SoC devices. For use with Advantest's OPENSTAR(R) standard-based T2000 test platform, the new 12GHz WSGA RF Module enables high-precision, flexible testing of RF SoC devices.
Among its other features are:
-- More ports for greatly enhanced test efficiency
With 32 RF signal input/output ports per module (expandable to 128 ports with the simple installation of additional modules), multi-port RF devices can be tested in parallel. Offering 16-device simultaneous testing of current mainstream RF devices, consisting of 4-to-8 ports, it also supports 4-device parallel testing or 16-port multi-band RF devices, which is the wideband wireless technology that will become widespread starting in 2008.
-- Guaranteed high repeatability of test
Thanks to Advantest's newly developed high-speed Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) test algorithm, its new test solution offers enhanced repeatability, resulting in even greater test accuracy and reduced test times.
-- Testing of all RF SoC device signals with just one test system.
By using the T2000 12GHz WSGA module in combination with Advantest's existing 800Mbps digital, 500mA DPS and base-band waveform digitizer generator (BBWDG) modules, all RF SoC device signal tests can be conducted on a single test system, accurately and at low cost.
Advantest's new RF module is available in November 2007; pricing is available upon request.
Key Specifications
VSG Frequency Range: 100MHz - 6GHz
Signal Output Level: +8dBm - -120dBm
RF Ports: 16
Modulation Bandwidth: 40MHz
VSA Frequency Range: 100MHz - 12GHz
Signal Input Level: +17dBm
RF Ports: 16
Average Noise Floor: -153dBm/Hz
About Advantest
Advantest Corporation is the world's leading automatic test equipment supplier to the semiconductor industry, and also produces electronic and optoelectronic instruments and systems. A global company, Advantest has long offered total ATE solutions and serves the industry in every component of semiconductor test: tester, handler, mechanical and electrical interfaces, and software. Its logic, memory, mixed-signal and RF testers, and device handlers are integrated into the most advanced semiconductor production lines in the world. Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest established its first subsidiary in 1982 in the U.S.A. and now has 43 subsidiaries worldwide. Among them Advantest America, Inc. is based in Santa Clara, California and Advantest (Europe) GmbH is based in Munich, Germany. More information is available at www.advantest.com.
* The WiMAX (World Interoperability for Microwave Access) standard is a new wireless communication system for both fixed and mobile communications. It has a coverage range of a radius of 50km (31 miles) and data transfer speeds of 70Mbps.
**MIMO (Multi Input Multi Output) is the method of using multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver for multiplexed, reliable, high-speed communications.
OPENSTAR(R) is a registered trademark of the Semiconductor Test Consortium, Inc. in the USA, Japan and other countries.
CONTACT: Amy Gold of Advantest America, Inc., +1-212-850-6670, a.gold@advantest.com
Web site: www.advantest.com/
