An Approach to Testing IC´s for Consumer Applications

It has been argued that a large majority of consumer devices will be specialized systems devices. Due to of the specialized nature of these devices, it has been suggested that functional testing will alleviate correlation problems of test to systern installation and permit testing to be more readily understood. By use of test decks which incorporate provision for specialized functions, the requirement for stimuli programming can be greatly relieved. Engineering time required for development of test batteries can be kept minimal thus relieving tooling costs. Measurernent techniques may be held to a few basic methods. Modifications can be performed on the test decks to permit special schemes. Requirements will vary from device to device. Due to volume requirements and the prospective rnarket price of devices for consumer electronics, it is necessary to reduce testing costs to a minimum, The use of high-speed test machines has been proven in the past on digital devices. The economic requirements, although different, do imply that large machines are feasible for consumer devices, provided that the cost of such machines is realistic.