Multiport Calibration ATE Architecture, Design and Support

What We Do Solve challenging high-speed and microwave measurement problems, providing customers with accurate, reliable, and repeatable data

Fixturing Calibration & Error Correction Reference Plane Positioning

Areas of Expertise Test System HW & SW Develop- ment Measurement Science Fixturing Calibration & Error Correction Data Analysis ATE System Development RF High-Speed Multi-port SMT Non-coaxial Device- specific Conventional Novel Signal Integrity Power Integrity

Simple Company Philosophy Fast Simultaneously make measurement systems: Accurate

Description of Problem Multi-port Device Under Test Switch Matrix & Test Cables have non- negligible loss, group delay, dispersion Must calibrate at DUT port Calibration must be done at least once per day Manual calibration is time-consuming and error-prone Time required to calibrate reduces system throughput

Why It Matters Poor (or no) calibration results in poor measurement accuracy Poor accuracy causes - Bad parts to pass through, or - Good parts to be scrapped Both represent real costs through - Higher-level system failures & customer relations issues, or - Increased material costs due to scrapage Time required for calibration takes away from system throughput and must be minimized to reduce cost per tested part

Conventional Approaches DescriptionAdvantagesDisadvantages SOLT cal at VNA only Simple, fastPoor accuracy SOLT cal at DUT ports Potential for very good accuracy Very time consuming for large devices Manual process is error-prone SOLT cal at VNA, characterize and de-embed to DUT Potential for good accuracy Tedious to characterize each path Cal not updated for changes due to environment or mechanical flexure

ATE Solution 1 Calibrate at VNA test ports 2 Automatically characterize interconnect path in situ Calibration can be done with DUT connected 3 Measure DUT Measurement done with cal modules connected 4 Automatically de-embed interconnect and display data at DUT reference plane Instrument Calibration Module FCM Reference Planes FCM = Fixture Characterization Module

VNA & ICM

Fixture Characterization Module

Cal Module Controller

Calibration Procedure 4-Ports 2000 points IFBW = 3000Hz Calibration time = 48 sec

Measurement Procedure 4-Ports 2000 points IFBW = 3000Hz Measurement time = 9 sec

2-Port Probe System Configuration 2-port Calibration Process:  Bring Port 1 probe down on Short  Measure Short on Port 1  Bring Port 1 probe down on Open  Measure Open on Port 1  Bring Port 1 probe down on Load  Measure Load on Port 1  Bring Port 2 probe down on Short  Measure Short on Port 2  Bring Port 2 probe down on Open  Measure Open on Port 2  Bring Port 2 probe down on Load  Measure Load on Port 2  Bring Port 1 and Port 2 probes down on Thru  Measure Thru between Ports 1 & 2 2-port Calibration Process:  Press Calibrate Button Option 1 Traditional Approach ATE Approach

2-Port Probe System Configuration Option 2 Calibration Process:  Bring Port 1 and Port 2 probes down on Thru  Measure Thru between Ports 1 & 2 Compared to Option 1:  Hardware configuration simplified  Does not allow calibration on-the-fly ATE Approach

4-Port Probe System Configuration Switch Matrix 4-port Calibration Process:  Approximately 30 steps 4-port Calibration Process:  Press Calibrate Button Traditional Approach ATE Approach

Software: Programmatic Module Control SCPI-based command set TCP/IP over Ethernet VISA compatible Web Browser Interface to configure Module Controller Full VISA-based LabVIEW and CVI Wrappers provided Example Command (Set FCM at module port 5 to thru state): CONTROL:FCM5:STATE THRU

Software: Automated Cal with TruCal Application Programming Interface (API) for all ATE Calibration Algorithms Standard Win32 DLL Callable from any language/IDE that supports DLL access (e.g. C, C++, LabVIEW, CVI, VB, etc.) Uses rudimentary C data types for maximum compatibility Full LabVIEW API Wrapper provided Example Function (Initialize 2-port algorithm): TC2P_Initialize(double* dFreqs, int nFreqs, int nStates);

Characteristics: Automated In situ calibration allows system to be calibrated without removing DUT and connecting standards No manual, error-prone operations Fast calibration improves system availability Non-intrusive calibration allows it to be done more frequently

Characteristics: Accurate Calibration transfer standards have TRL-level accuracy In situ calibration removes inaccuracies resulting from test cable performance with flexure of conventional cal methodologies Fast calibration facilitates more frequent calibration as needed

Characteristics: Cost-Effective Improved accuracy avoids costs associated with shipping bad material resulting in high-level system failure and customer dissatisfaction Improved accuracy avoids scrapping good material just when it has the maximum value-added, reducing manufacturing cost Increased system up-time reduces cost per tested part by being able to test more devices in a shift

Contact information For more information please contact us at: ATE Systems, Inc.Phone: Rangeway Road North Billerica, MA 01862http://