Contactless testing: Possibility or pipe-dream?

The traditionally wired interfaces of many electronic systems are in many applications being replaced by wireless interfaces. Testing of electronic systems (both integrated circuits and printed circuit boards) still requires physical electrical contact through probe needles and/or sockets. This paper addresses the state-of-the-art, options, and hurdles-still-to-take of contactless testing, which would resolve many test challenges due to shrinking size and pitch of pads and pins and inaccessibility of advanced assembly techniques as System-in-Package (SiP) and 3D stacked ICs. 1 Wireless Testing of Integrated Circuits Dae Young Lee and John P. Hayes – University of Michigan Direct-contact probing is the standard way to test integrated circuit (IC) wafers via automatic test equipment (ATE). However, it entails high cost due to contact-point deformation and the need for repeated cleaning of probe needles. Wireless testing aims to replace probe needles with contactless circuits that link...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: DATE
• Authors: Erik Jan Marinissen, Dae Young Lee, John P. Hayes, Chris Sellathamby, Brian Moore, Steven Slupsky, Laurence Pujol
• Keywords: DATE 2009, Hardware, Integrated Circuit, Probe Needles, Wireless Testing