AUTOMATIC TEST EQUIPMENT FOLLOWS THE PC INDUSTRY TREND.

Testing is an essential part of the production of ICs for two reasons: First, bad chips must be kept out of the hands of customers to reserve the manufacturer's reputation as a source of quality products; second, testing is the manufacturer's best monitor of his production processes. Without it, the cost and predictability of semiconductor manufacturing would swing wildly out of control. This article discusses some of the important hardware characteristics that an automatic test system can have.