A design approach of a Parametric Measurement Unit on to a 600MHz DCL

A design approach of a Parametric Measurement Unit (PMU) is presented along with integration onto the same Integrated Circuit (IC) with 600MHz Driver, Comparator, and Active Load (DCL). These circuits are necessary components of many Automated Test Equipment (ATE) systems used to test ICs and are often referred to collectively as the Pin Electronics (PE). PMUs are high accuracy and low bandwidth circuits that have to drive a range of capacitive loads. The need for high accuracy requires the use of feedback and high gain operational amplifiers. The tradeoff to be made in these circuits is between accuracy and settling time. Better accuracy requires higher gain which requires more aggressive compensation which increases settling time. A design approach will be proposed that strikes a balance between DC accuracy and settling time. In areas of the circuit that affect the speed of the test path, novel design techniques are used to minimize the output capacitance of the PMU allowing its integration onto the 600MHz DCL.