GHz Testing and Its Fuzzy Targets

Our forty-year history in IC testing teaches us that "test problems are eternal and test solutions are temporary." Test technology has never been easy; it just appears that way looking back. The GHz ICs are not just about speed, but the technology properties that come with it. The tiny geometry's that gave us speed also vex us with manufacturing uncertainty. GHz ICs happen to be more sensitive to interactive effects than their ancestors because 100 nm geometry's have more process variance, and the clock period is so small at 200-500 ps. These small clock periods are less forgiving.