Abstract
Production testing of Bluetooth (BT) devices is challenging due to the complex nature of the RF tests that have to be performed to verify functionality. In this paper we detail Built-in Self Tests (BiSTs) that can be used to replace these complex and expensive functional tests. We also present the data from our analysis of over 1 million production units. With sufficient margin to specification, we can eliminate functional tests and implement BiSTs that are faster, cheaper and provide better coverage while guaranteeing acceptable Defective Parts Per Million (DPPM) numbers. These BiSTs along with traditional digital tests can completely replace traditional Bluetooth RF tests like Bit Error Rate (BER) and Transmitted (TX) Power.
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Acknowledgment
The authors would like to thank Paul Patchen of Texas Instruments Inc., Dallas, TX, USA for guidance with the understanding of the Digital DFT fails.
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Mannath, D., Cohen, D., Montaño-Martinez, V. et al. Methodology to Replace Sensitivity BER and Transmit Power Production Tests in Bluetooth Devices with BiSTs. J Electron Test 27, 253–266 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10836-011-5215-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10836-011-5215-x