Integrated Circuit Test Engineering: Modern Techniques [Paperback]

Ian A. Grout (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 21, 2005 | ISBN-10: 1846280230 | ISBN-13: 978-1846280238 | Edition: 1st Edition.

Using the book and the software provided with it, the reader can build his/her own tester arrangement to investigate key aspects of analog-, digital- and mixed system circuits

 

Plan of attack based on traditional testing, circuit design and circuit manufacture allows the reader to appreciate a testing regime from the point of view of all the participating interests

 

Worked examples based on theoretical bookwork, practical experimentation and simulation exercises teach the reader how to test circuits thoroughly and effectively

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Nearly sixty years ago, the first successful demonstration of the transistor proved to be the herald of a new era of microelectronics. The ever-increasing complexity and functional speed of microelectronic circuits now containing tens of millions of transistors demand appropriate and rigorous test engineering activities during development and production. Test engineering must also be more closely interwoven with microelectronic design. An understanding of circuit test engineering is vital to any student desiring a career involving any stage in the design or manufacture of integrated circuits.

Taking a three-pronged approach – dealing with test engineering from traditional-test, design and manufacturing view-points – Integrated Circuit Test Engineering encapsulates the subject as it stands today. After an introduction covering background from basic testing rules to trends in technology, the reader learns about:

• fabrication processes;

• a diverse and complete range of detailed tests and procedures calculated to teach you all the tests you will require and how to choose which one(s) to use;

• how to design for testability;

• fault simulation;

• automatic test equipment and

• the economics of testing.

 

From a practical perspective, the text includes:

• A range of worked examples and exercises together with well-organized references and bibliography to aid further enquiry.

• An introduction to various software such as MATLAB^® and Spice explaining their use in testing together with that of IEEE-standard hardware-description languages Verilog^®-HDL and VHDL.

• A series of experiments based on material which can be freely downloaded from springeronline.com instructing you in the construction of a hardware test arrangement for MS Windows PCs (functionality, schematic and printed-circuit-board layout)with Visual Basic programs to drive the experiments.

 

Integrated Circuit Test Engineering provides a thorough-going and illuminating introduction to test engineering in analogue, digital and mixed-signal integrated circuits. This text is a valuable practical learning tool for advanced undergraduate and graduate electronic engineering students, an excellent teaching resource for their tutors and a useful guide for the practising electronic engineer.

About the Author

Doctor Ian Grout is a lecturer within the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering at the University of Limerick. His research interests include microelectronic circuit design, control systems applications, design for test (digital and mixed-signal), test technology, CAD tool development and interfacing. He currently teaches microelectronic circuit design for electronic engineering students and test engineering for the final year electronic systems and VLSI Masters students. He is also the course leader for the Electronic Systems undergraduate programme within the university.

Doctor Grout has previously held positions with the UK Ministry of Defence and Defence Research Agency. He is currently the chair of the Educational ECAD (Electronic Computer Aided Design) User Group, UK, http://www.eeug.org.uk.

Product Details

• Paperback: 362 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1st Edition. edition (October 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1846280230
• ISBN-13: 978-1846280238
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #104,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > Computers & Technology > Hardware > PCs
  • #72 in Books > Computers & Technology > Computer Science > Systems Analysis & Design

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars comprehensive discussion, November 24, 2011

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Integrated Circuit Test Engineering: Modern Techniques (Paperback)

The complexity of modern electronic circuitry means that design for testability is often a necessity. Yet in many undergraduate electrical engineering courses, circuit testing is offered only as an afterthought. In contrast, Grout explains the different types of testing in a comprehensive manner. The pedagogy is from the ground up. Starting by looking at how chips are made. You need a simple but clear physical picture of the overall processes to comprehend how a circuit on silicon can be tested.

The idea of a Hardware Description Language [HDL] is given. It uses a set of layers of abstraction, not unlike OSI and TCP/IP in fact. At the lowest HDL level is the modelling of a transistor as a switch. While above this is the logic gate; a refinement that deliberately discards as much of the device physics as safely possible. Above that in turn is the register transfer level, etc.

A very important idea that you should pay careful attention to is the Built In Self Test [BIST]. Having an intrinsic hardware self test can be the simplest way to verify crucial circuitry. Perhaps BIST is not appropriate for all circuits, but for some circuits in some applications [like satellites], it might excel or indeed be the only viable approach.

The text covers both analog and digital testing methods. With an emphasis on digital because most electronics today is the latter.

The book also gives a precis of Verilog and VHDL, the 2 main HDLs out there. If you need a more comprehensive description of either, other texts will be necessary.