Field of the invention

The present invention concerns the technical field of electronics, in particular the invention refers to the field of automatic test equipment (ATE) of electronic components .

Background Art

Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) has long been known that serve to test electronic devices (for example integrated circuits) , setting a configuration of input signals to the device under test (DUT) and analysing the output of the said signals. In the field of the said automatic test equipment (ATE) , among the other components, units called source measure units are used, which are able to provide a feed to the device in the test phase and contemporarily monitor the tension and the current consumed by it in order to characterize its behaviour or test its correct operativeness.

Such source measure units, at best, can, for a given pair of terminals, impose positive or negative tensions and contemporarily absorb or deliver current (positive or negative currents) , with different values within definite ranges both of tension and of current, therefore being able to work in all the four quadrants of the V-I characteristic (4-quadrant unit). The choice of' the working point for such units must be imposed from the outside by means of one or more than one control signals.

If more of this type of channels are wanted, to be used in an independent manner, it is necessary to have more control signals and analogical commutation devices for the realization of all the configurations of signals included in the control protocol. Such analogical commutation devices generally occupy a lot of space and these space needs in fact limit the number _. of source measure units that can be used contemporarily and, therefore, the possibility of executing complex tests more quickly and the number of testable devices in parallel with the same ATE.

Disclosure of invention

The aim of the present invention is therefore that of realizing analogical devices that solve at least in part the said inconveniences.

In particular, it is the aim of the present invention to realize an electronic assembly 1 that serves the functions of feed and measure and that presents contained dimensions.

These and other aims are obtained with the present electronic assembly 1, as per claim 1.

In particular, while in the background art each one of the source measure units could be used for a single channel, it is now possible to use it contemporarily on more than one channel in programmable functioning by means of a single signal. This is obtained through an assembly that integrates together one or more than one programmable four-quadrant source measure units (2), and a particular transceiver, which implements two or more analogical switches, digitally controlled by means of a single digital signal, using a dedicated one-wire protocol .

In such a manner, having the possibility of using the same source measure unit for more than one channel, implemented by the transceiver, programmable with a single wire, the dimensions are significantly reduced, the performances being equal.

Advantageously, the measure sources (2) are four- quadrant ones. Advantageously, the assembly (1) is realized at choice:

- by means of a single integrated circuit;

- by means of a discreet-element circuit;

- by means of a circuit realized with a combination of integrated and discreet elements.

Advantageously, it is here included also a module (4) comprising the combination of more than one electronic assembly (1) as described.

Advantageously, such a module (4) can comprise an overall number of one hundred and sixty assemblies (1) .

Advantageously, it is here described also an equipment (20) characterized in that it comprises at least a module (4) as described.

Advantageously, such an equipment (20) can further comprise a FPGA (50), a power multiplexer (10) and a feeding module (40) used in combination with a standard ATE (30) for the test of electronic devices (DUTS) , in such a way that the power multiplexer allows to multiply the high intensity current sources made available by the ATE, and the FPGA module to operate the digital communication between the DUT and the ATE and the internal control functions of the equipment.

Advantageously, the power multiplexer allows to multiply by two the high intensity current sources made available by the ATE, in such a way that the original functions of the ATE result doubled and it can be used for testing contemporarily a double number of devices with respect to its original performances.

Brief description of drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will result clearer with the description of one of its embodiments that follows, made to illustrate but not to limit, with reference to the annexed drawings, wherein:

- Figure 1 shows the configuration of the source measure unit (DCSource) in accordance with the invention;

- Figure 2 shows the configuration of the module (DCSmodule) that includes a plurality of source measure units (DCSource) in accordance with the invention;

- Figure 3 shows a scheme of a 16-channel transceiver contained inside the DCSource;

- Figure 4 shows a block diagram of figure 3 in a more general form;

- Figure 5 and figure 6 show an application of the invention through an equipment indicated with the acronym Microdoubler and a description of its use for tests.

Description of one preferred embodiment

As described in figure 1, an electronic assembly 1 is described in accordance with the present invention comprising the combination of at least one programmable four-quadrant source measure unit 2 and a particular transceiver 3 in communication with the source measure unit 2.

The transceiver 3 used in accordance with the invention implements a sufficient number of analogical switches, digitally controlled by means of a single digital signal by using a dedicated one-wire protocol (see figure 1) . Such an electronic assembly 1 is called hereinafter for simplicity purposes with the acronym "DCSource".

The combination of such elements (that is the transceiver 3 in communication with the source unit 2) allows to realize feeding and measure units (that is DCSource) of very reduced dimensions and high technical performances that can be produced also in big quantities in a very reduced space. As for example shown in figure 2, a plurality "n" of DCSource can therefore be grouped in the same module 4 or electronic device 4 that will be called hereinafter DCSmodule (see for example figure 2). The same figure shows an N wires control input and the output .

More in detail, as shown in figure 4, the DCSource 1 consists of a source measure unit used together with a transceiver containing n independent digital analogical Switches and an appropriate logic, programmable with one- wire protocol. In such a manner, it is possible to control the said switches through a single signal instead of n signals that would otherwise be necessary.

Figure 3 shows in detail a specific technical solution for a sixteen-channel transceiver 3.

The fact of presenting such a big quantity of high performance source measure units inside the same device allows to use common resources, such as feeding, calibration, input signal generation and output signal elaboration circuits and all the interfaces, rationalizing the diagram of the final equipment. In such a manner, a great saving is obtained in terms of space, consumption, costs and elaboration times.

A significant applicative example of such a module 4 (DCSmodule) is represented by the test equipment 20, as per figure 5, and for simplicity purposes called with the acronym MICRODOUBLER, in which the performances of a standard ATE are doubled, sharing and rationalizing the resources .

The Microdoubler 20 is a hardware that can be inserted between a standard ATE and a series of devices exposed to control (DUTS), as shown in figure 5 and figure 6. As can be inferable from figure 5, the Microdoubler on one side connects directly on the head test of the standard ATE, where the DUT connected in the old solution, since its interface on the ATE side is identical to that of the DUT .

On the .DUT side, instead, the connections are doubled, and it is possible to connect (and therefore to test contemporarily) a double number of DUT with respect to the number that is normally connected by the same ATE.

The scheme of the MICROUDOUBLER 20 comprises the following components.

A power multiplexer 10 that allows to double the N current high intensity sources. A DCSmodule 4 that provides up to 160 DCsource that are added to those present in the ATE 30. A feeding module 40 and a FPGA module 50 that operates both the digital communication between the DUT and the ATE and the internal control functions of the microdoubler . In particular, the FPGA realizes the necessary control signals for the DCSource ( see figure 2 ) .

Specifically, the module DCS that can be conveniently used presents 160 four-quadrant DCSource having the following characteristics:

- Current ranges 20uA, 200uA, 2mA, 20mA, 200mA

- Tension ranges IV, 3V, 5V, 10V, 20V, 30V, 80V

- Alarms of exceeding the programmed tension and current thresholds.

Functions of: tension arrangement, current arrangement, tension measure, current measure, arrangement of the condition of high impedance.

Function of measure of the typical times of the signal (output/ascent signal, duration, delays).

The scheme described in the case of doubling the potentialities can be realized more generically by multiplying by N the high intensity current sources and the measure sources, using in such a case more DCSmodule.