Semiconductor test management.

National Instruments has announced the release of the TestStand Semiconductor Module, which provides test system engineers with the software tools to quickly develop, deploy and maintain optimised semiconductor test systems.

With the TestStand Semiconductor Module, engineers can now program lab characterisation systems using the same programming paradigm they deploy on the factory floor with the Semiconductor Test System (STS), thus reducing the time required to correlate measurements. Built on TestStand industry standard test management software, which is used by 10,000+ developers worldwide, the TestStand Semiconductor Module also empowers customers to build their own rack-and-stack systems for semiconductor production test using the capability of PXI and TestStand outside of the conventional “test head” architecture of the STS.

“NI continues to lower the cost of semiconductor test through open software and modular hardware,” said Ron Wolfe, NI Vice President of Semiconductor Test. “In 2014 we introduced the STS, which added semiconductor-specific features on top of the open, industry-standard PXI platform. Today, we’re improving the productivity of test development through a TestStand module designed specifically for the needs of semiconductor test from characterisation to production.”

The TestStand Semiconductor Module offers functionality unique to semiconductor test that reduces development costs and increases production throughput. Features include:

• Dynamic, multisite programming for reuse of code across a scalable number of test sites

• Intuitive pin map editor including both PXI and third-party instrumentation

• Standard Test Data Format (STDF) result processor for industry-standard logging of parametric test results

The TestStand Semiconductor Module augments NI’s growing offering for semiconductor test, which already includes the STS, hundreds of high-performance PXI instruments and powerful software including TestStand and LabVIEW system design software. With NI’s smarter platform approach, semiconductor manufacturers are reducing cost and increasing throughput for RF and mixed-signal test.

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