Incremental generation of calibration factors for automated test equipment

• US 7,206,710 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2005
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advantest Corporation
• Original Assignee: Verigy Limited (Advantest Corporation)
• Inventors: Zhou, Zhengrong, Millhaem, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai; Carol S. W.
• Application Number:
  US11/036,575
• Publication Number:
  US 20060161368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 702/82, 702/85, 702/89, 702/106, 702/108, 702/113, 702/117, 702/118, 702/120, 702/122, 324/601, 714/742
• US Class Current: 702/107
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3191 Calibration

Abstract

In one embodiment, a request to perform a calibration process for automated test equipment (ATE) is received. The request is associated with a calibration parameter set. After receiving the request, one or more signatures for calibration data corresponding to the calibration parameter set are derived, and a determination is made as to whether calibration data corresponding to the signature(s) has already been generated. Thereafter, an incremental set of calibration data is generated, with the generated calibration data i) corresponding to the signature(s), but ii) not having already been generated. In another embodiment, a request to perform a calibration process for ATE is received, and the request is associated with specified test setups. An incremental set of calibration data corresponding to the specified test setups is then generated.

Claims

1. A method for generating calibration data for automated test equipment (ATE), comprising:

receiving a request to perform a calibration process for the ATE, said request being associated with a calibration parameter set;

deriving one or more signatures for calibration data corresponding to the calibration parameter set;

determining whether calibration data corresponding to the signature(s) has already been generated; and

generating an incremental set of calibration data for automated test equipment (ATE) that i) corresponds to the signature(s), but ii) has not already been generated so as to save a significant amount of time during device testing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the signature(s) are derived by accessing a set of calibration rules for the ATE.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein calibration data is generated by executing calibration tasks based on ones of the calibration rules corresponding to the calibration parameter set.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether calibration data corresponding to the signature(s) has already been generated comprises indexing a database of calibration data using the signatures;

the method further comprising storing generated calibration data and corresponding signatures in the database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the database of calibration data is initially a null set.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to perform the calibration process for the ATE is further associated with specified test setups;

and

wherein the incremental set of calibration data is limited to calibration data that also corresponds to the specified test setups.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the calibration parameter set and signature(s) comprise a testing path.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the calibration parameter set and signature(s) comprise a temporal indication.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the temporal indication comprises at least one of:

a timestamp and an age.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the calibration parameter set and signature(s) comprise a testing frequency.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the calibration parameter set and signature(s) comprise a modulation format.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the calibration parameter set and signature(s) comprise a measurement bandwidth.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the calibration data comprises radio frequency (RF) calibration data.

14. A number of machine-readable media having stored thereon sequences of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform the actions of:

receiving a request to perform a calibration process for the ATE, said request being associated with a calibration parameter set;

deriving one or more signatures for calibration data corresponding to the calibration parameter set;

determining whether calibration data corresponding to the signature(s) has already been generated; and

generating an incremental set of calibration data that i) corresponds to the signature(s), but ii) has not already been generated, so as to save a significant amount of time during device testing.

15. The machine-readable media of claim 14, wherein the sequences of instructions further cause the machine to present a user interface to a user, the user interface providing at least one field for receiving said request.

16. The machine-readable media of claim 14, wherein the signature(s) are derived by accessing a set of calibration rules for the ATE.

17. The machine-readable media of claim 16, wherein calibration data is generated by executing calibration tasks based on ones of the calibration rules corresponding to the calibration parameter set.

18. The machine-readable media of claim 14, wherein determining whether calibration data corresponding to the signature(s) has already been generated comprises indexing a database of calibration data using the signature(s);

the sequences of instructions further causing the machine to store generated calibration data and corresponding signatures in the database.

19. The machine-readable media of claim 14, wherein the calibration parameter set and signature(s) comprise at least one of:

a testing path, a temporal indication, a testing frequency, a modulation format, and a measurement bandwidth.

20. A computer-implemented method for generating calibration data for automated test equipment (ATE), comprising:

receiving a request to perform a calibration process for the ATE, said request being associated with specified test setups;

determining whether calibration data associated with the specified test setups already exists; and

generating an incremental set of calibration data corresponding to said specified test setups for automated test equipment (ATE), the incremental set of calibration data not including calibration data that has been determined to already exist, so as to save a significant amount of time during device testing.