A mixed-signal framework and standard for high-frequency timing measurements

Timing measurements in computer and communication systems operating at gigahertz frequencies demand accuracy and repeatability not currently available from automatic test equipment. This paper describes a framework to model resources of existing tester, test instrument, on-chip mixed-signal measurement circuits, and the device-under-test (DUT). Standardized test methods, together with these test models, permit the inter-operability of various test systems in accurate timing measurements while reducing test cost, enhancing correlation between different test methods, and leading to a better understanding of the high-frequency effects of the entire test set-up from the automatic test equipment to the test interface to the DUT itself.