Automotive Microcontroller Characterization Hardware – Challenges and Solutions

The growing demand for advanced infotainment systems, convenience features, and safety measures in automobiles has led to an increase in the semiconductor content in automobiles. At the heart of these electronic systems lies the microcontroller, which requires thorough verification to guarantee proper functioning over the lifetime. Post-silicon characterization plays a vital role in guaranteeing that the microcontroller meets the specifications outlined in its datasheet. There are several challenges in completing the characterization of an automotive product on time. This paper summarizes the top four challenges encountered specifically in the hardware used for microcontroller characterization and the innovative solutions for these challenges. The main challenges are reliability of the hardware and the cost. The reliability of the characterization hardware is affected by connector quality, frost formation during cold temperature test and bow & sag of the boards. Ensuring reliability is important to avoid re-work which will delay the customer samples eventually impacting the product’s commercial success. The hardware cost is critical because it accounts for roughly 30% of the total characterization work package cost. The solutions explored are usage of spring pin interposers, integration of purge systems to stiffener and a reusable board concept. It is shown that the solutions help reduce 90% of the hardware cost and reduce the instances of board down-time by more than five times.