Is Low Power Testing Necessary? What does the Test Industry Truly Need?

With the changing face of the consumer driven semiconductor industry, there are new challenges facing the industry which need to be resolved. Minimizing power dissipation is a significant and growing challenge with the growth of the wireless and portable device segments and with the need to be `green´. Even during manufacturing test, power is definitely among the top ten items needing attention and expertise. Since 90-nm there has been a recognition that power consumption during test can be a factor affecting product quality and yield. Excessive power consumption during manufacturing test affects the reliability of digital integrated circuits, leading to power-driven failures and higher infant mortality. These trends if continuing on their present course will force designers to adopt specific power management and low power design techniques for manufacturing test.