New solutions added to ScanWorks platform to validate and test DDR3 memory interconnects

DDR3 memory is quickly becoming a dominant memory type in the industry. It can be found across a broad range of systems, from handheld mobile devices to high-availability servers. In fact, many of today’s high-end servers can have hundreds of gigabytes of DDR3 memory.

As a result, a new ScanWorks IBIST (Interconnect Built-In Self Test) action has been added to the ScanWorks platform’s DDR3 validation and test solutions, extending these capabilities to Intel®’s newly announced Xeon Processors 5600 Sequence (codenamed Westmere-EP). At the same time, ScanWorks now supports a hardware module from a third-party supplier, Reach Technologies, Inc., which plugs into a DDR3 DIMM (dual in-line memory module) slot to allow more thorough interconnect testing via boundary scan. And lastly, ScanWorks can also apply its processor-controlled test (PCT) technology to test DDR3 interconnects.

“The new ScanWorks IBIST action resulted from our work with Intel to provide leading test and validation solutions for Intel’s platforms,” said Eric Johnson, technical product manager, high-speed I/O instrumentation. “With this range of validation and test tools at their disposal, ScanWorks users can test to see if the interconnects to DDR3 memory are working and then validate how well the interconnects are working.”

In addition to applying structural continuity tests on DDR3 interconnects, ScanWorks can also validate the signal integrity of the interconnects with tools like bit error rate tests (BERT), margining and pattern generation.

ScanWorks’ PCT technology also offers a functional at-speed test solution for DDR3 testing. The difficulties with DDR3 functional test stem from the fact that the number and type of memory controllers are difficult to configure and test. This is particularly troublesome for Intel board designs which can deploy several bus topologies to connect to DDR3 memory. ScanWorks PCT is able to overcome this difficulty by analyzing information contained in the BIOS for the design to configure the memory controllers. Once the ScanWorks PCT tests have been generated, the BIOS is no longer needed since ScanWorks is able to configure the memory controllers. When applied, ScanWorks PCT tests utilize diagnostics built into the design’s processor to isolate shorts or opens on the DDR3 memory modules. And being a functional test, PCT will detect at-speed defects. Reading and writing memory directly allows ScanWorks PCT to diagnose to a failing memory component on a particular module.

Third-Party DDR3 Test Module

Caption: DDR3 DIMM testing module from Reach Technologies. Click here to enlarge.

Besides the DDR3 test and validation capabilities inherent in ScanWorks, the platform also supports a third-party hardware module from Reach Technologies which facilitates boundary-scan testing of DDR3 interconnects. The Reach module plugs into a DDR3 DIMM slot and increases the boundary-scan test coverage on the slot itself as well as the memory interconnects on the circuit board. With these modules ScanWorks is able to provide in-depth diagnostics which isolates faults to the net level. The Reach DDR3 DIMM modules can be easily integrated into ScanWorks boundary-scan tests and test development is simplified with ScanWorks’ external I/O management option.

For more information on the ScanWorks platform’s IBIST solutions for testing and validation, click here.

For a Fact Sheet on using ScanWorks’ IBIST solutions for DDR3 testing, click here.

Contact your sales representative or send an email to
ai-info@asset-intertech.com for more information about ScanWorks’ PCT functional test capabilities for DDR3 testing or the DDR3 boundary-scan test hardware modules from Reach Technologies.