ABSTRACT

In the past, designers have invented self-testing mechanisms that are tailored toward specific (critical) mixed-signal/radio frequency (RF) performance metrics of specific circuit architectures (transmitter, receiver, etc.). What is desired, however, is the ability to test for multiple performance metrics concurrently and trade them off against one another in an optimal manner, through performance tuning mechanisms, to satisfy system-level quality of service (QoS) guarantees. A key goal is to design the built-in-testing and tuning mechanisms in such a way that they can be exercised without the need to access external test instrumentation. Further, the methods employed must be scalable across different device types/circuit architectures and supported by CAD tools that enable automation of self-tuning design procedures (see Figure 12.1).