Improved Test Methodology for Production Testing of RF Switches Using a New Relative Measurement Technique

High-volume production testing using automatic test equipment (ATE) is an important part of the integrated circuit manufacturing industry, where it allows products to be rigorously characterized to ensure conformity with their data-sheet specifications. When used in production, the accuracy and repeatability of the ATE must itself be understood so that the final measurements are a true reflection of the underlying product performance and are not adversely influenced by variations or inaccuracies in the ATE setup. This paper reports on the application of the ATE to production testing of CMOS solid-state RF switches operating at 1 GHz and the steps that have been taken to remove sources of variation from the measurement setup. In particular, a calibration path based on the solid-state GaAs switches, which shares most of the RF signal path with the device under test (DUT), is described. The introduction of the calibration path reduces the variability of the measurement system by up to 60%, thus ensuring the suitability of the new setup for an ongoing high-volume production test.