METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BUILT-IN SELF-TEST

• US 20200003830A1
• Filed: 03/17/2017
• Published: 01/02/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PhotonIC Technologies (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: PhotonIC Technologies (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lu, Ming, Chiang, Patrick Yin, Ma, Jianxu, Bai, Rui, Chen, Xuefeng, Wang, Juncheng
• Granted Patent: US 10,641,823 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2856 Internal circuit aspects, e.g. built-in test features; Test chips; Measuring material aspects, e.g. electro migration [EM]
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2884 using dedicated test connectors, test elements or test circuits on the IC under test G01R31/2855 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus comprises one or more non-clock and data recovery (CDR) components on a substrate, a signal generator on the substrate and coupled to at least one of the one or more non-CDR components, and a CDR component on the substrate and coupled to the one or more non-CDR components, wherein the CDR component is configured to recover clock data from a received signal by the CDR component, and configured to determine a signal based on the received signal and the clock data.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

one or more non-clock and data recovery (CDR) components comprising one or more amplifiers on a substrate;

a signal generator on the substrate and coupled to at least one of the one or more non-CDR components; and

a CDR component on the substrate and coupled to the one or more non-CDR components, wherein the CDR component is;

configured to recover clock data from a received signal by the CDR component, and

configured to determine a signal based on the received signal and the clock data.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more amplifiers comprise a trans-impedance amplifier or a limiting amplifier.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal generator is configured to provide a test signal for self-testing one or more components selected from a group consisting of the one or more non-CDR components and the CDR component.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a signal checker on the substrate and coupled to the CDR component or at least one of the one or more non-CDR components, wherein the signal checker is configured to determine a measure upon receipt of the test signal after the test signal passes through the one or more components selected from the group consisting of the one or more non-CDR components and the CDR component.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the signal generator or the signal checker is configured to couple with an external device configured to monitor the signal generator or the signal checker.

9. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a signal adjuster on the substrate and coupled to the signal generator, wherein the signal adjuster is configured to adjust one or more parameters of the test signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more parameters of the test signal are selected from a group consisting of amplitude, bandwidth, jitter, and noise level.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the signal adjuster comprises an amplifier coupled to a tunable current source, and wherein the amplifier and the tunable current source are collectively configured to adjust amplitude of the test signal, gain of the amplifier being adjustable through tuning the tunable current source.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the signal adjuster comprises a tunable resistor or a tunable capacitor, and wherein the tunable resistor or the tunable capacitor is configured to adjust the bandwidth of the test signal.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the signal adjuster comprises a delay line coupled to a tunable radio-frequency (RF) source, and wherein the delay line and the tunable RF source are collectively configured to adjust the jitter of the test signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the tunable RF source is configured to provide sinusoidal RF signals with tunable frequency or tunable power.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the signal adjuster comprises a tunable noise source configured to adjust noise level applied to the test signal.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a programmable switch coupled to the signal adjuster and at least two components selected from a group consisting of the CDR component and the one or more non-CDR components.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the programmable switch is configured to selectively direct the test signal to a component selected from a group consisting of the one or more non-CDR components and the CDR component.

2. (canceled)

7-8. -8. (canceled)

18-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A method of using an apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

one or more non-clock and data recovery (CDR) components on a substrate;

a signal generator on the substrate and coupled to at least one of the one or more non-CDR components; and

a CDR component on the substrate and coupled to the one or more non-CDR components, wherein the CDR component is;

configured to recover clock data from a received signal by the CDR component, and

configured to determine a signal based on the received signal and the clock data,

and the method comprising;

providing, by the signal generator, a test signal with one or more adjustable parameters;

passing the test signal subsequently through one or more components selected from a group consisting of the one or more non-CDR components and the CDR component;

determining a measure upon receipt of the test signal;

determining whether the one or more components function properly based on the measure;

obtaining a first measure with respect to a first group of components on the substrate;

obtaining a second measure with respect to a second group of components on the substrate, the second group being part of the first group;

determining a characteristic with respect to a difference set of the first group and the second group based on the first measure and the second measure; and

determining whether the difference set functions properly based on the characteristic.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the one or more components comprise at least one of the one or more non-CDR components.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the one or more adjustable parameters are selected from a group consisting of amplitude, bandwidth, jitter, and noise level.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising adjusting the one or more adjustable parameters of the test signal by tuning at least one of a group consisting of:

a tunable resistor,

a tunable capacitor,

a tunable noise source,

a tunable radio-frequency (RF) source coupled to a delay line, and

a tunable current source.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the test signal comprises pseudo-random bits, and the measure is indicative of a number of error bits out of the pseudo-random bits.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein the first measure is determined by a signal checker upon receipt of the test signal after the test signal passes through the first group of components, and the second measure is determined by the signal checker upon receipt of the test signal after the test signal passes through the second group of components.

33. The method of claim 25, wherein the characteristic is determined based on a difference between the first measure and the second measure.

34. The method of claim 25, wherein the first measure is indicative of a first number of error bits received by a signal checker, and the second measure is indicative of a second number of error bits received by the signal checker, and characteristic is determined by:

determining a first bit error rate based on the first measure;

determining a second bit error rate based on the second measure; and

determining a difference between the first bit error rate and the second bit error rate.

35. The method of claim 25, wherein the difference set is determined to function properly when the characteristic is within a threshold, and wherein the difference set is determined to function improperly when the characteristic is above the threshold.

26. (canceled)

31. (canceled)

36. A method of using an apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

one or more non-clock and data recovery (CDR) components on a substrate;

a signal generator on the substrate and coupled to at least one of the one or more non-CDR components; and

a CDR component on the substrate and coupled to the one or more non-CDR components, wherein the CDR component is;

configured to recover clock data from a received signal by the CDR component, and

configured to determine a signal based on the received signal and the clock data,

and the method comprising;

providing, by the signal generator, a test signal with one or more adjustable parameters;

determining a set of first parameters for the test signal;

adjusting the test signal according to the set of first parameters; and

determining sensitivity of a second parameter for the test signal, the sensitivity of the second parameter being indicative of a minimal value or a maximal value of the second parameter, given the set of first parameters excluding the second parameter, which allows one or more components that the test signal passes through function properly.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the sensitivity of the second parameter is determined using a linear searching method or a binary searching method.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the set of first parameters and the second parameter are selected from a group consisting of amplitude, bandwidth, jitter, and noise level, and wherein the second parameter does not belong to the set of first parameters.

39-60. -60. (canceled)