Combining ATE and flying probe in-circuit test strategies for load board verification and test

Load board verification is normally performed by IC manufacturers on an automatic test equipment (ATE) as per of the standard test procedure prior to final test. Since test load boards are used as an interface between the automatic test equipment (ATE) and integrated circuit (IC), it is thus important to ensure that a particular load board is functioning otherwise the test integrity of all IC tested using the board will be questionable. As load boards become increasingly complex and difficult to verify accurately, IC manufacturers may need to use in-circuit testing as an addition to load board verification. Traditional in-circuit test platforms are expensive to implement due to cost in the bed-of-nails fixture. With the introduction of flying-probe in-circuit test platforms, this option is now a cost-viable solution. This paper discusses the issues that surround the combined test strategy of flying-probe in-circuit test and load board verification on an ATE. It goes on to propose a structure test strategy to combine both test platforms. Finally, the results and discussion are presented.