A 5-channel, variable resolution, 10-GHz sampling rate coherent tester/oscilloscope IC and associated test vehicles

An integrated circuit uses a 0.18 /spl mu/m CMOS process and contains five 10-GHz effective sampling rate analog-tester/oscilloscope cores. Each core consists of a memory, two samplers, and a voltage comparator. It can perform coherent DSP-based testing of mixed-signal macros and transient measurement for signal integrity evaluation. Each such core supports a variable resolution of up to 9-b. Test vehicles, such as a tuned amplifier, on-chip interconnect, and digital noise generators, are measured using the cores.