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Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs
Publication Date
2-8-2011
Abstract
This thesis concentrates on the development of a new testing procedure for the radio used in Broadcom\u201fs WLAN and cellular chips. Verification and hardware testing for the radio is completed at the end of the development cycle by the fabrication of test chips which contain only radio specific hardware. Utilizing test chips allow for component specific design verification, performance analysis and debugging of the Integrated Circuit (IC) radio before large scale production. In this thesis we present a new testing method that is intended to improve the development time, lower costs, and provide more agility within the IC radio testing process. This thesis takes an in depth look at the development and deployment of these new testing methods. It provides an examination of the hardware requirements for testing IC radios and the software developed to automate test development and control testing procedures. The main components developed for this project are the Chip Communications and Control Module and the Phase-Locked Loop controller. Respectively, these components were designed to control the operation of a test chip and configure the mechanism that locks the chip\u201fs RF signal to a desired frequency. Previous testing methods include the use of Automated Testing Equipment (ATE) and small scale test platforms built around LabVIEW. These testing methods can be costly, impractical, require longer development cycles, and are not contusive to agile methodologies. The new procedures attempt to provide a better test platform for WLAN radios by addressing these issues and matching or exceeding the requirements of the previous test platforms.
Keywords
Integrated Circuits, Hardware Testing, System Automation, IC Testing, Python
Document Type
Thesis
Language
English
Degree Name
Computer Engineering
Level of Degree
Masters
Department Name
Electrical and Computer Engineering
First Committee Member (Chair)
Heileman, Gregory
Second Committee Member
Pattichis, Marios
Recommended Citation
Martinez, Luis. "Agile Testing Methods for IC Radios." (2011). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/ece_etds/173