Reconfigurable Modular RF Interface

Replacement of aging legacy ATE systems provides many challenges of meeting original equipment performance and capabilities. In the case of the RF instrumentation the issues can be extremely challenging due to the complexity of the RF equipment and also the system implementation. Most of these legacy ATE systems were very large and had a mix of commercial and custom RF capabilities. Normally, a large, specialized RF interface system was used to provide the needed RF switching along with components or functional elements that provided very specific functions. These functions were normally not available in the commercial instrumentation. The RF interface units had a variety of TPS interface methods ranging from N connectors to waveguides. This paper will discuss the development process for a common RF interface that can be adapted and reconfigured to emulate legacy ATE functions. The RF Interface design is based on RF blindmate technology being used on military aircraft platforms for precision high density multi-port RF interconnection. This paper will discuss how this technology was adapted to ATE applications providing dual-use technology. This paper also discusses the challenges that were encountered during the requirements development process and tabulates the large differences between the legacy ATE system interfaces.