Connect - ASSET InterTech

ASSET new DFT Analyzer, the test industry’s first design-for-test tool for boundary scan, has been honored with a “Best In Test” award from Test & Measurement World, one of the electronic test industry’s leading trade publication. This marks the third consecutive year that ASSET has earned Best In Test recognition.

The previous two years, the company’s ScanWorks® system earned Best In Test honors. Last year, for being the first boundary scan system to support the testing of high-speed AC-coupled buses under the IEEE 1149.6 standard and for its support of Intel’s next-generation embedded test technology (Intel IBST), ScanWorks was named Best in Test in the “Printed Circuit Board and System Test” category. And in 2004 ScanWorks’ TopCAT™ technology was awarded an honorable mention for significantly accelerating the automatic generation of JTAG tests. This year, DFT Analyzer was one of only 18 test products introduced during 2005 to earn a Best in Test honorable mention.

“For ScanWorks to win a Best In Test for two years running and now for DFT Analyzer to win again for the third year – we’re just very excited that all of the hard work has paid off with industry recognition,” said Alan Sguigna, vice president of sales and marketing for ASSET InterTech. “It is particularly heartening this year because DFT Analyzer is the first in its class as a boundary scan DFT tool. We expect that DFT Analyzer will drive sound boundary-scan DFT practices deeper into the design process and, by doing so, it will generate significant benefits for manufacturers.”

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DFT Analyzer reduces manufacturing and test costs by validating the boundary-scan DFT features in a circuit board design before any prototypes are assembled. This can reduce expensive design re-spins and schedule disruptions that often result from the discovery of inadequate test coverage when a design moves from development into manufacturing. DFT Analyzer also determines the extent of boundary-scan’s test coverage and recommends changes in the design that would increase coverage.

DFT Analyzer is made up of three tools which are employed at different stages in product development. First, as schematics are being developed, an automated Checklist queries a designer about the testability features in the design. Next, a Design Validation tool is launched after computer aided design (CAD) information has been compiled. Based on the CAD data, the Design Validation tool determines whether established DFT rules have been broken. Lastly, Test Coverage Analysis is engaged during the final stages of design before prototypes are manufactured. This tool determines the extent of boundary-scan test coverage and reports on where physical test points may be eliminated.