Pseudorandom Test of Nonlinear Analog and Mixed-Signal Circuits Based on a Volterra Series Model

Abstract

This paper presents new test methods for nonlinear Analog and Mixed-Signal (AMS) circuits which use a pseudorandom signal to test multiple Devices Under Test (DUTs) accurately. The goal of the studies presented in this paper is to understand the behaviors of nonlinear AMS circuits in a low-cost test environment and to develop the algorithm to extract the performance information of the DUTs using simple test measurements. The extracted information is then used to estimate the various specifications of DUTs. In order to achieve this goal, we analyze the behaviors of AMS circuits using a Volterra series model, and investigate the stochastic properties of the pseudorandom signals to develop the efficient performance characterization algorithms. The mathematical theory and experimental results are presented to validate the presented test methods.