Apparatus and method for testing integrated circuits
AssigneeIntel Corporation
InventorSiegfried Fleischer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for testing the operability of a signal source formed on a die are described. A pair of modulators are formed on the die and coupled to the signal source. An optical unit is optically coupled to the pair of modulators, which are capable of modulating an optical beam in response to a signal provided by the signal source. The optical unit is capable of detecting modulation of the optical beam. To test the signal source, the signal source is set to generate a signal. If modulation of the optical beam is detected at the optical unit, then the signal source is operable. If modulation of the optical beam is not detected at the optical unit, then the signal source is not operable.
Claims29
A method for testing a signal source, the method comprising:
- providing a first signal and a second signal to a pair of modulators, the first signal being generated by the signal source and the second signal being a complement of the first signal;
- providing a optical beam to the pair of modulators to generate a modulated optical signal;
- processing the modulated optical signal to form an electrical signal having an amplitude;
- and
- processing the electrical signal to determine whether the signal source is defective, wherein processing the electrical signal to determine whether the signal source is defective comprises:
- measuring the amplitude of the electrical signal;
- and
- comparing the amplitude of the electrical signal to a predetermined threshold level, wherein if the amplitude is less than the predetermined threshold level, the signal source is defective.
Apparatus comprising:
- a pair of modulators formed on a die and capable of being coupled to a signal source formed on the die;
- and
- an optical unit capable of being optically coupled to the pair of modulators, the optical unit and the pair of modulators being capable of generating a signal suitable for monitoring the signal source.
A method for testing a signal source, the method comprising:
- providing a first signal and a second signal to a pair of modulators, the first signal being generated by the signal source and the second signal being a complement of the first signal;
- providing a optical beam to the pair of modulators to generate a modulated optical signal;
- processing the modulated optical signal to form an electrical signal having an amplitude;
- and
- processing the electrical signal to determine whether the signal source is defective.
Apparatus comprising:
- a pair of optical modulators formed on a die, the pair of optical modulators capable of receiving a first signal from a signal source formed on the die and a second signal, the second signal being a complement of the first signal;
- an optical beam coupled by a first optical path to the pair of optical modulators;
- a detector optically coupled by a second optical path to the pair of modulators, the detector being capable of receiving and processing one or more optical signals from the pair of modulators;
- and
- a computerized unit coupled to the detector, the computerized unit for processing an electrical signal produced by the detector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.