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Q-Star Test, new IMEC spinoff focuses on test cost reduction
Leuven, December 7, 1999--- IMEC and the associated laboratory of the
higher polytechnical school KHBO (Katholieke Katholieke Hogeschool Brugge-Oostende)
have today announced the establishment of a new spinoff company, Q-Star
Test, to commercialise the development of supply current test systems,
based on IDDX measurement solutions, for the digital, analog and mixed
signal markets.
The shareholders are IMEC, KHBO, Creafund CVBA, Proseed Capital Holdings
Ltd., Quadra Invest NV, MDV Consulting, ADP Vision and some private investors.
The research on this domain was done with the support of Alcatel, IWT
(Institute for the Promotion of Scientific and Technological Research
in the Industry) and EC research projects (ESPRIT-Atsec, ESPRIT-COPERNICUS-Ubista)
Despite the increasing complexity of IC's, there is a need of new test
methods that provide IC quality and reliability improvement in combination
with test cost reduction. Recently we see a growing commercial interest
in IDDX measurement solutions: test equipment builders announce IDDX modules
as option of their new test systems, suppliers of test pattern generation
software bring new products to the market, based on a IDDX test strategy.
Q-Star Test, located in Brugge, offers IDDX measurement solutions, consulting
and training for ATE equipment builders, test and measurement equipment
builders, test houses and end users of ATE equipment.
Q-Star Test's IDDX measurement solutions consist of both discrete and
integrated off-chip monitors and built-in current monitors (IP building
blocks) to be integrated with the circuit to test. Three types of monitors
have been developed or are currently under development: quiescent supply
current monitors (IDDQ monitors), analog supply current monitors and transient
current monitors (IDDT monitors). Its quiescent supply current monitors
(IDDQ) are intended for digital circuits as well as the digital portion
of mixed signal circuits. A range of analogue monitors provides high speed
measurements of the supply current of analogue circuits as well as the
analogue portion of mixed signal circuits. A transient current monitor
(IDDT) range is currently under development.
The company also aims to provide consulting services for designers, to
assist them in making their design IDDX testable and to support the integration
of built-in current monitors.
A series of training courses on IDDX testing, IDDX design for testablility
and IDDX based test strategies is currently under development.
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