DFT Digest

As many of you out there did, I checked out the DAC program when it was released last week.   It’s in San Francisco this year:  a 7-8hr. drive from the home-base.

As an engineer with a day job that has less to do with design automation or tool support, and more to do with nut-and-bolts DFT planning and implementation, there’s a slim chance that I will be traveling to this show as a representative of my employer.   On the other hand, as an EDA Blogger, I like to go to DAC to check out what’s happening in EDA, talk to DFT vendors, blog whatever fascinating things I see, and maybe meet up with some other bloggers.  I met JL Gray two years ago, and a few others last year in San Diego.

But here’s the thing:  I scanned through the DAC program, got to the end and said, “wait, what? No DFT?” [this is not unusual for DAC] I scanned again, and found a couple of talks that are test-related.  But then again, many times when someone from the “greater EDA community” says “test”, they mean “verification testcase”.  Hmmm… what about exhibitors?  Well, yeah, the bigger EDA companies are there,  and 3-4 DFT or test-related folks like SynTest, WinterLogic and TSSI.  But with no technical content at all, I think I’ll bypass DAC and stay in Carmel for my vacation instead (this pleases my wife, for sure! ).

All this reminds me of something that Lou Covey keeps saying to me: DFT EDA should probably be shown at SemiCon, not DAC.  Well, SemiCon is more testy than DAC, but DAC is so much more designy than SemiCon.  What’s a poor DESIGN-for-TEST guy to do?  Well, go over to the Semicon website and have a gander at the exhibitors, the program – I don’t think DFT really fits in.

I like reading Lou Covey – I think he shoots straight – calls it the way he see’s it.  But I just don’t agree with him on this.  As much as I carry on about how DFT stands on its own, the “greater Test community” is huge - much bigger than DAC.   Seriously, design automation is software, and at its very worst, math.  But Semicon runs the gamut from software to mechanical and chemical engineering, robotics, construction – I could go on.  It’s hardcore.

So no, in my opinion, DFT is not for Semicon – maybe, just maybe, only as it ties into DFM – Semicon is a manufacturing showcase.  In fact, many of the ATE vendors pulled out of ITC years ago in favor of Semicon – it makes sense.

But before anyone starts to think that I lament for a place for DFT – stop – there are plenty: ITC, VTS, ITSW, SWDFT… those are just some of the ones in the US – the truth is there are many places in the world where the subject of design-for-test is a key topic.  The venues are smaller, because compared to other disciplines in the industry, the number of practitioners is small.

This is a niche blog – no, really!