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International audienceIn this paper, complex mixed signal circuits such as SiP or SOC including several ADCs and DACs are considered. A new DFT technique is proposed allowing the test of this complete set of embedded ADCs and DACs in a fully digital way such that only a simple low cost tester can be used. Moreover, this technique called "analogue network of converters " (ANC) requires an extremely simple additional circuitry and interconnect

This paper proposes an original Design-For-Test (DFT) technique allowing the test of a complete set of converters embedded in a complex System-in-Package. The fundamental idea consists in implementing an additional circuitry allowing to interconnect the analogue ouputs of DAC's with the analogue inputs of ADC's. This globally results in an Analogue Network of interconnected Converters (ANC) that can be tested in a fully digital way. It is demonstrated that different configurations of the network can be described through a system of linearly independent equations. Solving the system of equations allows to determine the harmonic contribution of every converter in the network.

Developing electronic medical devices is challenging. Simulations or in vivo experiments are not sufficient to obtain pertinent comparisons between potential design options. This paper presents a new artificial tool allowing objective comparisons between electronic device topologies. The main idea is to build a tool which is sensitive to targeted biological parameters only. These tools are generally called phantoms. The phantom presented in this paper is dedicated to IntraOcular Pressure (IOP) Measurement devices used in glaucoma diagnosis and treatment. It is called Biomechanical Eye Emulator (BEE). The BEE emulates the main biomechanical parameters influencing the IOP measurements. Because it is not sensitive to the living context, the BEE is the most efficient tool to investigate the best sensor design. BEE specifications are defined to be as close as possible to chosen models (humans or animals). Its efficiency is shown with a case study on rabbits. The results clearly demonstrate the BEE phantoms efficacy in providing objective assessment metrics during the sensor design process.

Standard production test techniques for ADC require an ATE with an arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) with a resolution at least 2 bits higher than the ADC under test resolution. This requirement is a real issue for the new high-performance ADCs. This paper proposes a test solution that relaxes this constraint. The technique allows the test of ADC harmonic distortions using only low-cost ATE. The method involves two steps. The first step, called the learning phase, consists in extracting the harmonic contributions from the AWG. These characteristics are then used during the second step, called the production test, to discriminate the harmonic distortions induced by the ADC under test from the ones created by the generator. Hardware experimentations are presented to validate the proposed approach.