Integrated Circuits Design and Test LaboratoryWelcome to the Integrated Circuits Design and Test Laboratory. As a new visitor you are welcome to browse the ICD&T cite and learn about design and test of semiconductors and other topics that are of interest to us.1 A short introduction to the laboratory is the mission statement.
The mission of the Integrated Circuits Design and Test Laboratory is to provide local and regional leadership, and be a recognized national focal point for research and education in the area of integrated circuit design and test.
The mission of Integrated Circuits Design and Test Laboratory is to establish a local, regional and national focal point for innovative research and education in the area of integrated circuit design and test. The Portland State University Spire of Excellence designation recognizes the laboratory's significance to Oregon and the Pacific Northwest high-frequency digital, mixed-signal and RF design communities as well as the large concentration of industry leaders in semiconductor manufacturing and semiconductor testing.
Introduction
The Integrated Circuit Design and Test (ICD&T) Laboratory is located in downtown Portland on the Portland State campus in the Fourth Avenue Building. The bricks and mortar were provided by a State of Oregon initiative to expand engineering education and research in the Portland metro area.
The facility is used to support research in all areas of semiconductor test and measurement including device characterization, circuit debug and production testing. The facility is also available to students in senior and graduate level courses on these topics.
The ICD&T laboratory equipment support digital, mixed-signal and RF test and measurement. The laboratory has a Credence SC312 (donated by Credence Systems Corp. in 1998) that provides up to 304 50MHz digital I/Os. The SC312 includes analog pin electronics to support low-frequency mixed-signal test. A second ICD&T tester, a Credence Quartet One, provides higher clock frequencies and data rates (200 MHz) and larger pin-counts (max. 512) as well has 1G bit of scan memory. The Quartet one includes the RF option of 4 7 GHz sources that are under tester control. Additional rack and stack equipment expands the mixed-signal test and measurement to the RF region (40GHz) for network and spectrum analysis, time domain reflectometry and other high-frequency and RF package, circuit and device characterization. Instrumentation is controlled by GPIB using HPView command software. Automatic, semi-automatic and manual probe of wafers (200mm), die and transistors is supported with a Electroglas 4/200e low noise prober. The prober has a low femto-amp noise floor and includes a thermally controlled -60C to +120C Cascade Microtech 200mm chuck.
Current Research
Recent laboratory research focus and sponsor funding has centered on mining the statistical signatures in the wafer sort and final test data.
Within the Integrated Circuit Design and Test Laboratory is the Advanced Test Methods Group headed by Dr. Daasch. Students in this group have opportunities to work with leading semiconductor companies in design as well as semiconductor test. Recent research efforts have focused on the statistical post-processing of test data to screen defective ICs (i.e. the outliers) and processing trends that reduce yield or product reliability. For deep-submicron technologies this defect-based test strategy maximizes the effectiveness of the design-for-test and design-for-reliability circuitry.
Accomplishments
Six patents awarded and 30+ publications since ICD&T Laboratory founding in 2000.
- Laboratory students have held five LSI Graduate Fellowships and one Intel Doctoral Fellowship: Laboratory faculty have received five Intel Oregon Faculty Development awards. Two faculty are IEEE Fellows and one (retired) holds the prestigious IEEE Millennium Medal.
Successful technology transfer of the ICD&T laboratory research in statistical post-processing: The Statistical Post-Processing research partnership between Portland State University's Integrated Circuit Design and Test Laboratory in Electrical and Computer Engineering and LSI Logic, a leading integrated device manufacturer, has reduced yield losses, eliminated expensive and time consuming tests, and reduced test engineering time. Statistical Post-Processing of test results are applied to over 99% of the wafers produced world-wide by LSI.
- Over $1.3 million dollars in research grants and contract awards and $3 million in equipment and in-kind donations: Semiconductor Research Corporation, 8 years; Texas Instruments, 3 years; LSI Logic, 7 years; National Science Foundation, 3 years; IBM Corporation, 2 years; Octavian Scientific (Oregon startup), 5 years; Tektronix, Intel, Sharp Microelectronics, Oregon Metals Initiative, and Credence Systems
Octavian Scientific Corporation co-located with ICDT Laboratory as first partner of the Portland State University High-technology Startup Incubation Project: Ground-breaking Joint Intellectual Property agreement for Joint IP; Collaborative use of laboratory and company R&D facility
Interested?
Students may find the TestSelfStudy as a first place to explore. The TestSelfStudy is a series on introductory and advanced topics in integrated circuit testing.
One of the distinguishing characteristics of the ICDT Laboratory is its close working relationship with leading companies in the semiconductor industry.
ICDT Laboratory includes a QuartetOne ATE. Access to the tester is limited.
ICDT Laboratory includes a ElectroglasProber 4/200e
These companies have provide invaluable support in one or more of the following; training, equipment, personnel or research funding. When companies and universities collaborate a key concern for both parties is the management of JointIntellectualProperty. Joint IP as it relates to public private research collaborations is a world-wide topic.
ICDT Laboratory Teaming Agreement
The foundation of the Integrated Circuits Design and Test Laboratory at Portland State University is collaborative research with its sponsors. By any definition if the outcome of a collaboration results in technology transfer to the sponsor, the effort is termed applied research. The issue of IP ownership and rights to the IP is central to initiating the research, making progress during the sponsorship and most importantly continuing a productive collaborative relationship over many years. At Portland State the ICDT Laboratory JointIntellectualProperty/ICDT Teaming Agreement is a local example of what works.
Dr. Rob Daasch and Dr. Branimir Pejcinovic direct the Laboratory.
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