ASIC Realization Lifecycle

 

Custom ASIC

ORTENGA has ASIC design and development capabilities now, in addition to Antenna and Algorithm design and development.

A radio communications or radar system has four major functional blocks, namely Antenna System Module, ASM, Front End Module, FEM, Transceiver Module, TRM, and Baseband Module, BBM.

Some of the mentioned blocks could be integrated into adjacent block or completely eliminated by choosing alternative architecture.  Nevertheless, a large number of legacy systems follow the above architecture.  ORTENGA tailors the above architecture to the client’s requirements for their application.

Historically, ORTENGA started with system architecture and definitions.

Then, ORTENGA enhanced its Algorithm development portfolio.

Typically, algorithms reside in FPGA.

ASM, FEM, and TRM functions are signal conversion and maintain signal integrity, whereas BBM function is to generate outgoing signals or detect and decipher the incoming signals within the MODEM.

Now, ORTENGA provides ASIC services for clients, either as a particular IP which can be integrated by the client into an IC or design and developing complete ASIC.

Over the past decade has grown and has end to end system design and development capability which can be tailored to many applications, such as; Autonomous Automotive, Radar, Smart City.

ORTENGA provides structured engineering leadership across antenna architecture, realization planning, integration, and deployment validation to reduce downstream realization risk and improve alignment between engineering execution and business objectives.

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ASIC Design & Development Expertise for Diverse Applications

From translating business requirements into clear technical specifications to delivering full custom ASIC solutions, ORTENGA provides end-to-end semiconductor design support.

Our team of seasoned engineers brings deep experience across  Autonomous Automotive, SATCOM, Radar, Smart City, WiFi, and Mobile Terrestrial Radio Communications Systems.

ORTENGA provides structured engineering leadership across antenna architecture, realization planning, integration, and deployment validation to reduce downstream realization risk and improve alignment between engineering execution and business objectives.

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ASIC Design Flow

For any radio or radar system to perform as expected, there has to be a clear use cases and expectations under which the system to operate.

The use cases define what the system is designed for.

The use cases are to fulfill the business goals or requirements and return of investment, ROI.

Therefore, the use cases are the intersection of business goals and system definition.

The radio or radar systems are composed of 3 distinct engineering disciplines, namely; Antenna, ASIC/HW, Algorithms /FW/SW.

The following ASIC design flow diagram illustrates the step in defining, designing, simulating, fabricating, and measuring ASIC performance in hierarchical manner to fulfill the system requirements and business goals.

ORTENGA provides structured engineering leadership across antenna architecture, realization planning, integration, and deployment validation to reduce downstream realization risk and improve alignment between engineering execution and business objectives.

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What are the differences between HW Prototype and Reference Design? 

There are two types of HW projects; first Prototype, second Reference Design.

They are both similar yet with somewhat different objectives.

In case of HW Prototype, although there is some analysis and simulation, but the functionality and performance of the HW has never been verified.

This typically applies to out of box and innovative ideas and design validation which is required. HW Prototype is also used to characterize the design/device over Process, Voltage, and Temperature, aka PVT.

On the other hand HW reference design implies that there is confidence and supporting PVT data on the performance of the design, via HW Prototype.

The HW reference design is final product that external customer can acquire and validate them on their own.

The HW reference design is sometimes called the Evaluation Kit, aka Eval Kit.

Customer gets Gerber and Schematic files as well as design guidelines for duplicating the reference design.

ORTENGA helps businesses to identify required technical features to realize their business goals.

ORTENGA provides structured engineering leadership across antenna architecture, realization planning, integration, and deployment validation to reduce downstream realization risk and improve alignment between engineering execution and business objectives.

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Startup Challenge Series — Foundation

Designing ASICs from Business Goals to Measured Silicon

A Silicon-to-System Execution Framework

Why This Is Foundational

Before startups struggle with first-silicon failures, integration surprises, or schedule slips, they encounter a more fundamental problem:

They design ASICs without a system-level, business-anchored execution model.

This framework establishes the reference architecture that all subsequent Startup Challenges build upon. Every challenge that follows—whether technical, organizational, or financial—can be traced back to a breakdown in one or more stages of this flow.

The Core Insight

Use cases are not technical artifacts.
They are the translation layer between business goals and system behavior.

When that translation is weak, ASICs may meet block-level specifications, pass simulations, and fabricate successfully—yet still fail to deliver system value or ROI.

Figure 1 — Silicon-to-System Execution Framework
(Full-width visual showing traceability from Business Goals → System Use Cases → System Requirements → ASIC Execution → Measurement & Correlation, with closed-loop feedback)

The Silicon-to-System Execution Flow

This framework enforces continuous traceability across five layers:

1. Business Goals & ROI
   Market, cost, schedule, deployment constraints
2. System Use Cases
   Quantified operational scenarios and success conditions
3. System Requirements
   Antenna, ASIC / Hardware, Algorithms / Firmware / Software
4. ASIC Execution
   Design → Simulation → Fabrication
5. Measurement & Correlation
   Measured silicon mapped back to system KPIs and business intent

Each layer exists to prevent early assumptions from becoming late-stage failures.

Why This Matters

Most first-silicon failures are not caused by transistor-level mistakes.
They originate from misalignment between business goals, system requirements, and ASIC execution.

When that misalignment is discovered after fabrication, correction is slow, expensive, and often market-fatal.

ORTENGA’s Role

ORTENGA is not a staffing firm and not a design house.

We operate as an execution partner at the highest-risk transition points—from business intent to system definition to silicon reality. By enforcing traceability across business goals, system use cases, and ASIC implementation, ORTENGA reduces execution risk before it becomes expensive and irreversible.

ORTENGA provides structured engineering leadership across antenna architecture, realization planning, integration, and deployment validation to reduce downstream realization risk and improve alignment between engineering execution and business objectives.

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3 Reasons Why ASIC does not Sell?

ASIC design and development take many months and the manufacturing process is lengthy and expensive.  Yet many start-ups which are venturing in ASIC business fail to realize the challenges and burn valuable resources before coming to terms with these challenges.

1. About 2/3 of ASIC or any other product failure is lack of appropriate features in its market. This failure is typically due to not following proper ASIC Design Flow.  ASIC with missing feature does not meet the customer needs to begin with and therefore won’t sell.
2. About 1/3 of ASIC failure in the market is due to its cost. Electronic integration is supposed to be cost effective by definition.  If the cost of making the final product without that particular ASIC is less, then the ASIC won’t sell.
3. After the above, any ASIC failure in the market is due to its obsoleteness and irrelevant. If the ASIC has missed the market and is trying to compete with more mature ASIC or competitors which manufacture more elegant ASIC, then the ASIC won’t sell.

Here is how you could differentiate the issue with not selling ASIC.

1. If the ASIC gets customer traction yet, it falls through during the business arrangement, then it is the cost, therefore the number 2 above is the reason.
2. If the ASIC gets customer traction yet does not even make it to customer evaluation, then it is the lack of missing features, therefore the number 1 above is the reason.
3. If there is no customer traction, then the ASIC has missed its market.
4. If customers request for evaluation without asking for detailed evaluation data available from ASIC vendor, then the ASIC is first to the market without any known competitors to the customer. This is ideal situation for high margin ROI.

ORTENGA provides structured engineering leadership across antenna architecture, realization planning, integration, and deployment validation to reduce downstream realization risk and improve alignment between engineering execution and business objectives.

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When first silicon is not successful?

ASIC design and development is lengthy process and expensive.

Most companies without the experience of silicon design and development, if not all, underestimate the challenges.

Therefore, they fail to have the first silicon meet the market needs, which in turn not only increase the development cost but also the slipping away from the window of opportunity.

Here are the main reasons for not being successful at the first silicon article.

1. Lack of clear use cases definition
   2. Lack of design specifications locked down at the beginning of design phase
   3. Lack of designing to the specifications
   4. Lack of independent design audit

Incidentally, the above reasons apply to other electrical component design, such as Antenna.

ORTENGA provides structured engineering leadership across antenna architecture, realization planning, integration, and deployment validation to reduce downstream realization risk and improve alignment between engineering execution and business objectives.

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Split Semiconductor Wafers

ASIC is fundamental of many high-volume engineering solutions for commercial products.

Any product is either part of a larger system or it is actually a system.

All systems or even subsystems are comprised HW, FW, and SW.

The overall system performance is dependent on these components, HW, FW, and SW.

For a laboratory prototype device to be called an actual commercial product, it has to not only be functional but also meet specifications/system requirements over part-to-part aka process, voltage, temperature wide variations, better known as P.V.T. in the semiconductor industry.

A device that cannot handle cold or hot temperature is just a prototype, or proof of concept, and would not see commercialization daylight to return the investment.

To become commercial product, any device must be functional and meeting performance over P.V.T.

Split semiconductor wafers are intentionally altered during the engineering semiconductor fabrications in a such way that they mimic chemical variations which are typical for ASIC-to-ASIC variations of semiconductor fabrications during production phase.

The split semiconductor wafers are typically designed for at least 3 production speed variations, Slow, Nominal, and Fast.

The speed is associated with gate or transistor electron conductions performance.

Regarding RFIC, the semiconductor speed impacts gain which in turn the noise figure and non-linearity in the receiver chain.  The speed impacts output power and non-linearity in the transmitter chain.

Regarding SoC, the semiconductor speed impacts the switching speed which in turn the data throughput handling of the SoC.

ORTENGA  helps businesses to identify required technical features to realize their business goals.

ORTENGA provides structured engineering leadership across antenna architecture, realization planning, integration, and deployment validation to reduce downstream realization risk and improve alignment between engineering execution and business objectives.

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From Prototype to Product: The Role of Split Wafers in Commercial ASICs

Designing for P.V.T. Corners to Ensure First-Silicon and Market Success

1. ASICs as the Foundation of Commercial Systems

ASICs are the backbone of many high-volume commercial products. Every product is either a complete system or part of a larger system, and every system is composed of hardware (HW), firmware (FW), and software (SW).

The performance, reliability, and commercial success of a product depend on how well these elements function together—not only in the lab, but in real-world conditions.

2. Why Functional Prototypes Rarely Equal Commercial Products

A laboratory prototype that works under nominal conditions is only a proof of concept.

To qualify as a commercial product, an ASIC must:

• Meet specifications across process variations
• Operate reliably over voltage tolerances
• Perform across temperature extremes

This is known as P.V.T. (Process, Voltage, Temperature) variation. Devices that fail under cold, hot, or voltage-stressed conditions never reach production and never return investment.

3. Understanding P.V.T. Reality in Semiconductor Manufacturing

No two ASICs coming off a production line are identical. Natural manufacturing variations cause each die to behave slightly differently.

Ignoring these variations leads to:

• First-silicon failures
• Costly re-spins
• Missed market windows
• Long-term reliability issues in the field

Engineering for P.V.T. is not optional—it is a prerequisite for commercialization.

4. What Are Split Semiconductor Wafers?

Split semiconductor wafers are intentional engineering fabrication variants used to emulate real production variability.

During an engineering run, wafers are processed with controlled changes in:

• Transistor dimensions
• Doping concentrations
• Threshold voltages
• Gate performance

These splits allow engineers to observe how silicon behaves before volume production begins.

5. Silicon Speed Corners: Slow, Nominal, and Fast

Split wafers are typically designed to represent three fundamental silicon performance corners:

• Slow silicon – reduced carrier mobility and lower switching speed
• Nominal silicon – expected typical performance
• Fast silicon – higher carrier mobility and faster switching speed

These speed variations directly correlate to transistor and gate electron conduction performance.

Diagram description:
A circular semiconductor wafer divided into regions labeled Slow, Nominal, and Fast, visually representing intentional process splits used to emulate production variability.

6. Impact of Silicon Speed on RFIC Performance

In RFICs, silicon speed variations have cascading system-level effects:

• Receiver chain
  • Gain variation
  • Noise figure degradation
  • Linearity challenges
• Transmitter chain
  • Output power variation
  • Non-linearity and spectral regrowth
  • Efficiency trade-offs

A design that works only at nominal silicon speed is not production-ready.

Diagram description:
Plots showing gain, noise figure, and linearity trends across Slow–Nominal–Fast silicon corners.

7. Impact of Silicon Speed on SoC Performance

For SoCs, silicon speed directly impacts:

• Logic switching speed
• Timing closure
• Maximum clock frequency
• Data throughput capability

Slow-corner silicon often exposes:

• Setup/hold timing violations
• Marginal interfaces
• Reduced system margins

Designing only for typical conditions guarantees surprises in production.

Diagram description:
A timing margin or throughput envelope illustrating how Slow, Nominal, and Fast silicon affect SoC performance limits.

8. Why Split Wafers De-Risk First Silicon

Split wafer analysis allows teams to:

• Validate margin early
• Tune biasing and control loops
• Adjust architecture before mass production
• Prevent expensive post-silicon redesigns

This directly improves first-silicon success rates and reduces overall program risk.

9. Translating Business Goals into Technical Requirements

Many ASIC failures are not technical—they are misaligned business and engineering decisions.

Commercial success requires:

• Early definition of use cases
• Clear performance margins
• Design targets aligned with deployment environments
• Engineering decisions informed by manufacturing reality

10. How ORTENGA Enables Commercial-Ready ASICs

ORTENGA helps businesses identify the technical features and margins required to achieve business objectives, not just lab success.

By engaging early in concept, architecture, and design phases, ORTENGA helps ensure products are engineered for:

• P.V.T. reality
• Manufacturing scalability
• Market timing
• Investment return

ORTENGA brings seasoned engineering expertise from:

• Autonomous Automotive
• SATCOM
• Radar Systems
• Smart Cities
• Mobile and Terrestrial Radio Communications

with deep capabilities across ASIC, HW, FW, and SW disciplines.

ORTENGA provides structured engineering leadership across antenna architecture, realization planning, integration, and deployment validation to reduce downstream realization risk and improve alignment between engineering execution and business objectives.

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What are Pilot Test Chips and Pizza Masks? 

Application Specific Integrated Circuits, aka ASIC, are high volume electronic circuits which provide functionality of some portion of communications and/or radar systems. One of major cost components of these ASIC, is semiconductor mask.  Semiconductor masks are used for lithographically fabricating the semiconductor devices onto wafer.  Each wafer requires multiple masks for various layers of fabrications and etching. A typical vanilla CMOS process could easily have 200 masks or more and they could easily cost as much ~$3M depending on the geometry and size of the gates.

Each all layer revisions of ASIC require all ~200 masks; therefore it becomes prohibitively expensive for smaller companies or even big corporations to tape out any design for single project/product.

In order to save cost for any trial of ASIC before design is finalized, it is customary to run some pilot test chips to validate the design as well as the process performances.  For test chips run, it should only be enough number of them to be validated and characterized for desired performances, KPI.

Therefore, many semiconductor fabrications offer Pizza Mask, where number of companies can share the cost for the masks, ~$3M, and get only small portion of wafer area, “pizza”.  Very large corporations typically have their own pizza masks for multiple internal projects, test chips.  Or tandem with another project masks for couple hundred devices.

Each wafer lot is typically 25 wafers, and small portion of pizza/wafer, can produce few hundred devices per lot, enough to validate design topology and performance metrics.

ORTENGA provides structured engineering leadership across antenna architecture, realization planning, integration, and deployment validation to reduce downstream realization risk and improve alignment between engineering execution and business objectives.

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ASIC or Silicon Bring up

Design and development of ASIC from concept to actual product goes through many phases.

Each phase requires specialized engineering skills that are challenging and takes considerable time to master.

Silicon or ASIC bring up phase to verify the design’s goal is no different.

Having silicon is not equivalent to having a prototype yet alone a product that can be manufactured in high volume for commercial applications.

ORTENGA provides structured engineering leadership across antenna architecture, realization planning, integration, and deployment validation to reduce downstream realization risk and improve alignment between engineering execution and business objectives.

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ASIC FIB

ASIC design and development go through multiple design reviews from early stage until tapeout.

During tapeout schematic vs. layout should be compared and any discrepancy should be carefully resolved.

Still, there are miscommunications and simple overlook occur.

These errors cause functionality at most and sometime performance issues only.

Functionality issues are the one where the circuit does not function at all.

Whereas performance issues are the one where the circuit functions yet do not meet all some performance metrics.

Functionality issues prevent any evaluation of the circuit.

Given ASIC tapeout expenses and timeline to fix any functional issue, there could be alternative option, FIB.

Focused Ion Beam, FIB allows to alter some changes to top layer of silicon for debugging and testing.

The easiest changes are to the metal layer connectivity.

ORTENGA  helps businesses to identify required technical features to realize their business goals.

ORTENGA provides structured engineering leadership across antenna architecture, realization planning, integration, and deployment validation to reduce downstream realization risk and improve alignment between engineering execution and business objectives.

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Managing Post-Tapeout Risk: The Role of FIB in ASIC Programs

ASIC design and development progress through multiple design reviews—from early architecture through final tapeout. One of the most critical checkpoints is schematic-versus-layout (SVS) verification, where any discrepancy must be identified and resolved before masks are released.

Despite rigorous flows, miscommunication, integration gaps, or simple oversights can still occur.

These post-tapeout issues generally fall into two categories:

• Functionality issues – The circuit does not operate at all. These failures prevent any meaningful evaluation or characterization.
• Performance issues – The circuit functions correctly but fails to meet one or more performance metrics (e.g., gain, noise, speed, power).

Functionality issues are the most severe. Given ASIC tapeout costs and the long turnaround time for a full re-spin, alternative debug paths become critical.

Focused Ion Beam (FIB) as a Debug and Recovery Tool

Focused Ion Beam (FIB) techniques enable localized, post-silicon modifications—primarily at the top metal layers—to support debugging, validation, and limited functional recovery.

Typical FIB use cases include:

• Metal layer cuts or reconnects
• Signal rerouting for debug visibility
• Temporary fixes to validate hypotheses before re-tapeout

While FIB is not a substitute for proper design closure, it can significantly reduce risk, cost, and schedule impact when unexpected functional issues surface.

Where ORTENGA Fits

ORTENGA works with teams before and after tapeout to reduce execution risk across complex silicon programs.

We help clients:

• Identify which technical features truly map to business goals
• Distinguish between recoverable post-silicon issues and full re-spin conditions
• Align Antenna, ASIC, HW, FW, and SW decisions at the system level

Our engineering network brings hands-on experience from Autonomous Automotive, SATCOM, radar, Smart City, Wi-Fi, and mobile terrestrial radio systems, enabling faster root-cause isolation and more informed recovery paths.

Before committing to a re-spin, get clarity.

ORTENGA provides structured engineering leadership across antenna architecture, realization planning, integration, and deployment validation to reduce downstream realization risk and improve alignment between engineering execution and business objectives.

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Wafer Maps Don’t Lie: How Yield Decisions Are Really Made

From Wafer Probe Data to Cost and Margin Outcomes

Wafer probe doesn’t just tell you which dies passed or failed—it quietly determines yield, cost, and margin long before packaging begins, if you know how to read it.

Wafer Probe, Binning, and Wafer Maps

Semiconductor wafers go through a long, complex, and expensive manufacturing cycle before fabrication is complete. The turnaround time for a wafer lot typically ranges from 30 to 60 days, depending on process technology and the foundry.

Once fabrication is finished, wafers enter wafer probe, where the electrical behavior of every individual die is measured for the first time. This step provides the earliest visibility into how the silicon actually behaves, not how it was expected to behave.

Wafer probing is performed using Automatic Test Equipment (ATE)—robotic systems capable of executing thousands of test vectors across every die. A single wafer may contain thousands of ASIC dies, each tested individually.

Binning: Organizing Silicon Reality

Each die is assigned a bin number based on its test results:

• Bin 1: Dies that pass all functional and parametric tests
• Other bins: Dies that fail specific criteria
  • Some fail a single marginal parameter
  • Others fail fundamental conditions such as excessive current draw

Each bin represents a distinct failure mode, not simply “good” versus “bad.”

Wafer Maps: The Missing Context

The results of wafer probing are stored electronically as a wafer map—a spatial representation of bin distribution across the wafer.

Wafer maps reveal:

• Systematic versus random failures
• Edge-related, center-related, or layout-correlated effects
• Process drift and design margin weaknesses

This information is passed downstream to guide dicing, sorting, packaging, and yield analysis. However, its real value lies earlier—in how decisions are made once the data is available.

The Post-Silicon Yield Decision Loop

Once silicon exists, success is no longer driven by design intent alone. It is driven by decisions made under schedule, cost, and uncertainty constraints.

Measure → Interpret → Decide

This is the framework that governs real yield outcomes.

Measure: What the Silicon Tells You

Measurement captures the objective behavior of the silicon:

• Wafer probe results
• Parametric limits and margins
• Bin classifications per die
• Full-wafer spatial data

Silicon does not speculate or explain—it reports exactly how it behaves.

Silicon tells the truth—but without context.

Early Silicon Access: Speed Before Perfection

In early design validation for commercial products, time-to-market is often the dominant metric. In these programs, even a few days of delay can materially impact competitiveness, revenue, or customer commitments.

To accelerate learning, teams may intentionally include a subset of dies that are “blind built” or only partially screened. These dies are not intended to represent production yield.

They are used to:

• Enable early engineering access to new silicon
• Validate architectural assumptions
• Bring up firmware, software, and system integration
• Identify catastrophic or systemic design issues as early as possible

In this context, a blind die is not a defect—it is a deliberate engineering strategy.

The tradeoff is explicit:

• Faster insight in exchange for incomplete test coverage
• Directional learning before full test collateral matures

This approach is common in commercial programs where schedule risk outweighs short-term yield optimization.

Speed is a decision—not an accident.

Interpret: Turning Data Into Insight

Interpretation converts raw measurements into understanding:

• Wafer maps and heat maps
• Spatial clustering analysis
• Correlation to layout, process, and power distribution
• Separation of design limits from process variation

Blind-die data must be interpreted carefully. It provides early signal, not yield truth.

This step distinguishes:

• Recoverable yield loss
• Structural design limitations
• Test coverage gaps versus real silicon behavior

Patterns reveal root causes.

Decide: Where Economics Are Set

Decisions determine whether yield becomes a cost problem—or a competitive advantage:

• Bin reclassification strategies
• Yield versus performance tradeoffs
• Process tuning versus redesign
• Scrap, rework, hold, or ship decisions

Every decision made here compounds across volume and time.

Decisions set economics.

Dicing, Sorting, and Yield Economics

After wafer probe, wafers are diced and dies are physically sorted by bin:

• Bin 1 dies proceed to packaging
• Other bins are analyzed for recovery, reuse, or root cause

Yield directly determines cost per die. Small improvements at wafer probe scale into significant margin impact in production.

Yield is not a manufacturing outcome—it is a decision outcome.

Teams that measure accurately, interpret correctly, and decide deliberately protect margin and schedule. Teams that don’t pay for it later.

ORTENGA  helps companies operate after wafer probe and before costs harden, translating wafer-level data into informed decisions across ASIC, antenna, algorithms, hardware, firmware, and software domains.

We don’t just read wafer maps.
We help leadership decide what to do next.

ORTENGA provides structured engineering leadership across antenna architecture, realization planning, integration, and deployment validation to reduce downstream realization risk and improve alignment between engineering execution and business objectives.

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Shmoo Plot

Digital ASIC can be characterized at early stages for their performances, wafer probe via ATE.

The metrics of interest are functionality of logic gates over clock speed and Vcc.

The Shmoo plot is a quick health metric of digital ASIC.

ASIC performance can be done at various location on the silicon wafer or over various wafers to gain confidence on the measured data and statistical yield.

By tweaking some of the parameters, additional performance may be achieved.

The test stimuli for driving the digital ASIC are typically known as the test vector.

Test vector generation requires understanding not only the ASIC functionality but also designing appropriate vector and validating them before ASIC becomes available.

Time is of essence for commercial ASIC market to return the investment at an appropriate margin, therefore the sooner the ASIC is characterized and ready for production, the wider the margin.

ORTENGA helps businesses to identify required technical features to realize their business goals.

ORTENGA provides structured engineering leadership across antenna architecture, realization planning, integration, and deployment validation to reduce downstream realization risk and improve alignment between engineering execution and business objectives.

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Design for Manufacturability, DoM

In general, any electronic circuit performance varies across Process, Voltage, and Temperature, PVT.

Process being circuit to circuit variations due to components’ tolerances, another words, part to part variations.

Applied voltage variations can impact the circuit performance.

Needless to say, temperature impacts the outcome of everything in the nature.

Furthermore, for RF circuits have frequency dependence.

Any manufacturable product must meet the product requirements over PVT.

Any device or product which does not meet the requirements, is technically not reproducible and failing devices would be returned by its customers.

That’s what differentiate a product from a prototype.

Prototype is not necessarily reproducible in volume, but demonstrates the concept behind its design.

Many companies fall into prototype which are not reproducible and cannot return the investment.

ORTENGA provides structured engineering leadership across antenna architecture, realization planning, integration, and deployment validation to reduce downstream realization risk and improve alignment between engineering execution and business objectives.

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Design For Testability, DFT

While testing any ASIC product occurs at the end of manufacturing cycle, the test could have far more implications on the return of the investment than originally planned.

A successful ASIC product which returns the investment has to meticulously budgeted for cost of every phase of its life cycle.

ASIC life cycle can be comprised of, product concept, ASIC requirements, design, manufacturing, and test.

Testing ASIC is the very last step in manufacturing before ASIC is shipped out the door, yet if testing methodology and requirements are not considered during the product concept, it could cost more or triggers many returns by the customers.

ASIC test cost is significant portion of overall budget and has to be carefully monitored.

To reduce the AISC cost and increase margin, the testing capability has to be studied and designed in such a way that it minimizes the testing time.

Minimizing ASIC test time is a challenging task which puts technical requirements on the ASIC design.

Design For Testability, DFT applies to highly complex ASIC which return the investment by taking into account testing methodology right up front in the design phase.

Many companies which did not integrate for DFT in their product life cycle, have fallen short in returning the investment.

ORTENGA helps businesses to identify required technical features to realize their business goals.

ORTENGA provides structured engineering leadership across antenna architecture, realization planning, integration, and deployment validation to reduce downstream realization risk and improve alignment between engineering execution and business objectives.

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Built In Self-Test, BIST

As integration level increases, not only testing methodology becomes more challenging, but also the cost of testing vs. scrapping components becomes prohibitive for volume production.

Built in self-test, BIST allows each major block to be designed for self-test and validation during manufacturing or even operations.

BIST is proactive methodology which takes into account the production cost as well as smooth operations.

BIST is applicable to PLL, Tx chain, Rx Chain, ADC, DAC, Antenna installation versification, Fault isolation, etc.

ORTENGA provides structured engineering leadership across antenna architecture, realization planning, integration, and deployment validation to reduce downstream realization risk and improve alignment between engineering execution and business objectives.

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