An improved RF loopback for test time reduction

In this work a method to improve the loopback test used in RF analog circuits is described. The approach is targeted to the SoC environment, being able to reuse system resources in order to minimize the test overhead. An RF sampler is used to observe spectral characteristics of the RF signal path during loopback operation. While able to improve the observability of the signal path, the method also allows faster diagnosis than conventional loopback tests, as the number of transmitted symbols can be greatly reduced. Practical results for a prototyped RF link at 860MHz are presented in order to demonstrate the relevance of the method.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2006
• Where: DATE
• Authors: Marcelo Negreiros, Luigi Carro, Altamiro Amadeu Susin
• Keywords: DATE 2006, Hardware, Loopback Tests, RF Analog Circuits, Signal Path