HP On-Wafer RFIC Test Capability for IC Test System

Hewlett-Packard Company announces that its HP 84000 RFIC test systems now can test on-wafer RF integrated circuits (RFIC) at up to 18GHz. This high-speed capability will be demonstrated at the International Test Conference & Exhibition.

On-wafer testing verifies circuit functionality and is used whenever "Known Good Die" (KGD) are required. KGD are used to assemble a variety of components, from multichip modules (MCM)-- for which high packaging costs dictate high yields-to new products intended for plastic packages.

The expanded test capability of the HP 84000 system allows design engineers to repeat and correlate RF testing during functional wafer test. With RFIC on-wafer test functionality, the HP 84000 test solution now features software that adds to the system real-time wafer mapping, a binning summary, automated probe system control and fixture calibration. The system also includes all necessary hardware for docking onto wafer-probe systems. The on-wafer solution highlights a suite of new HP 84000 capabilities added as part of the introduction of system software Revision A.02.00.

Additional capabilities include: Error Vector Measurements (EVM) within the Digital Modulation Analysis Application Module; Adjacent Channel Power (ACPR) measurements under real-world burst-RF conditions, contained in the RF Pulsed Measurement Suite; and 16- and 32-bit digital subsystems to simplify the reading of data and to expand DUT (device under test) programming.

HP 84000 series RFIC test systems are capable of testing error-corrected S-parameters and of providing noise figure and power measurements on up to eight RF ports. Frequency coverage extends from 10MHz to 3GHz or 18GHz.

The RFIC on-wafer configurations and the A.02.00 software revision for the HP 84000 are expected to ship in March 1999. Prices start under $500,000.

Hewlett-Packard Company Phone: 800-452-4844 ext. 6144.