Integrated circuit testing is vital to the functionality of most electronic devices. Microchips, as integrated circuits are also known, can be found in computers, cell phones, automobiles, and virtually anything that contains electronic components. Without testing both prior to final installation and once installed onto a circuit board, many devices would arrive non-functional or cease functioning earlier than their expected life spans. There are two main categories of integrated circuit testing, wafer testing and board level testing. In addition, the tests may be structural based or functional based.
Wafer testing, or wafer probing, is performed at the production level, prior to the chip's installation in its final destination. This test is done using automated testing equipment (ATE) on the complete silicon wafer from which the square die of the chips will be cut. Prior to packaging, final testing is done at board level, utilizing the same or similar ATE as the wafer testing.
