New capabilities accelerate time to automotive test goals

Automotive semiconductor suppliers are deploying the latest IC test solution from Synopsys for higher levels of quality, reliability and functional safety. The Synopsys test solution is enabling semiconductor suppliers, including Elmos Semiconductor, MegaChips, Micronas, Renesas Electronics, Toshiba and others to meet automotive test goals in less time and at lower cost for millions of shipped ICs. Furthermore, many of these companies are successfully certifying their ICs according to the ISO 26262 functional safety standard, which requires additional design and management efforts to minimize the risk of automotive safety-related failures.

To meet increasing quality requirements from car manufacturers (OEMs) and Tier 1 system suppliers, automotive semiconductor suppliers are challenged to achieve manufacturing test quality levels for their ICs of less than one defective part per million (DPPM). In addition, for the most safety-critical applications, ICs may be designed with in-system test and monitoring circuits to ensure safety and reliability during on-the-road operation. New Synopsys test solution capabilities that assist with these requirements include:

Physically-aware test points – The DFTMAX design-for-test solution, in conjunction with SpyGlass DFT ADV RTL testability analysis, inserts test points into IC designs to increase fault coverage while decreasing pattern count required for manufacturing and in-system self-test. Savings in pattern count can be used to reduce test costs or increase capacity for additional testing to further improve quality. Synthesis-based physically-aware implementation meets design timing goals while minimizing the area impact of test points.

Pattern reduction – ISO 26262–certified TetraMAX II ATPG employs state-of-the-art technology to quickly produce test programs with higher defect coverage using fewer patterns compared to existing solutions, enabling design teams to achieve the highest test quality. TetraMAX II ATPG is ISO 26262–certified for the most stringent requirements for automotive safety integrity level ASIL D.

High-performance fault simulation – The Z01X fault simulation solution employs breakthrough multithreading technology to accelerate fault simulation of functional test patterns, allowing designers of automotive ICs to increase test coverage by supplementing standard manufacturing tests with user-created functional patterns.

On-chip test monitoring – The DesignWare STAR Hierarchical System incorporates new process and clock monitoring functionality to enhance IC reliability. The ability to measure internal clock frequency and duty cycle without the need for an additional, higher-frequency clock provides insight into wafer-level process variations.

“Automotive semiconductor companies are successfully deploying Synopsys’ ISO 26262–certified test solution to meet their functional safety and quality goals,” said Bijan Kiani, Vice President of marketing for Synopsys’ Design Group. “Synopsys has now expanded the solution to provide our customers even faster and more cost-effective means to attain the higher quality, reliability and safety requirements demanded by their customers.”