Building a Robust Foundation: Developing a Silicon Validation Platform for the Future

Published Date

February 17, 2023

Read

6 minutes

Written By

ACL Digital

The complexity of System on Chip (SoC) technology continues to grow with innovations in computing power, multi-interface support, performance, and functional capabilities. To meet the growing need for efficient and feature-rich devices, SoC manufacturers are continuously pursuing ways to pack in multiple capabilities and as many characteristics as possible while reducing the size of the chip. The rapidly advancing chip design environment, combined with the pressure to bring products to market quickly, poses significant challenges for chip developers. This results in a substantial increase in the effort necessary for SoC verification and validation.

Verification, validation, and testing are crucial stages of chip development. It is vital to have functional test platforms in place to ensure the accurate functioning of the SoC (System on a Chip) before it is released to the market. The validation of the System on Chip (SoC) is often considered the most crucial stage in developing a chip. It authenticates several qualities of an SoC, such as clocking schemes, reset, power sequencing, boot mechanisms, and the SoC functional accuracy. The SoC release also depends on performance and power parameters, electrical and thermal parameters, and physical stress tests in a given ecosystem. The highlights and functionalities aimed to be accomplished by the chip need to be thoroughly verified and validated.

Silicon verification, validation, and testing can take as long or even longer than the chip development. SoC validation is done quickly to meet tight deadlines. Test platform developers are essential during this phase as they deliver working test platforms before the final silicon is available. The test platform development team ensures their platform is ready by working alongside the chip development when the first silicon sample is out. Here’s a sneak peek of the SoC validation platform development and the validation steps in the chip development process.

The Chip Development Process and Its Importance

The usual flow for developing a chip includes several steps, such as creating the design specifications, designing the architecture, developing the RTL design, conducting physical design, and producing the final tapeout before manufacturing.

Verification of the chip design occurs throughout the development process. It is essential to have a well-defined plan for both the chip release and the development of a test and validation platform. The timely release of a new chip depends on its successful validation.

Silicon Validation Platform

A silicon validation platform is essential for chip makers. They usually have a separate team or may partner with an experienced company to create the platform. The difficulty level depends on the chip development stage and the platform’s complexity.

Designing the SoC Validation Platform/Pre-Silicon Phase

The SoC Validation Platform (SVP) design process can begin early in the development phase of the SoC. The test platform is developed in close collaboration with the SoC design team, which offers essential information about the SoC, such as packaging, interfaces, power/clock, intended applications, and more. It allows the SVP developers to validate the different functionalities and characteristics of the SoC with the validation platform.

SoC Validation Platform (SVP) Testing

Testing the SoC Validation Platform (SVP) is of utmost significance due to the increase in the SVP with the complexity of the SoC. To ensure its reliability, the SVP must be comprehensively evaluated for its functional accuracy and performance before the actual SoC becomes available. It allows for early detection and resolution of any issues, reducing the likelihood of failures while testing the actual SoC. There are various methods to test a Validation platform.

The silicon validation procedure is performed using a fully functional and tested test platform. Chip Manufacturers utilize this platform to validate the functionality and performance of the pre-production silicon samples. The process involves verifying all significant interfaces of the SoC and ensuring that all target use cases are correctly working.

The test platform development team plays a critical role in the validation process by providing support for setting up the system and testing various boot modes and peripherals. They also assist in debugging any failures detected during the process. The silicon validation process thoroughly analyzes the SoC’s performance and tests its parameters to ensure the chip is ready for commercial application.

Continuing the Silicon Validation: The Post-Silicon Phase

In the post-silicon phase, the process of testing the silicon samples continues. Any bugs or failures are fixed with the help of the test platform developers. The chip development team provides samples and works with the test platform developers to resolve any issues.
The test platform developers make the process easier by providing test suites and documentation. Once all functional aspects of the chip have been thoroughly tested, the chip manufacturers team can move on to the next phase of the silicon release. The chip development team also tests various interfaces, peripherals, and functionalities at the same time.

Conclusion

Silicon validation is a crucial step in the release of a chip. Developing a test architecture that satisfies all the conditions of a new System on a Chip (SoC) demands significant time and resources. In many cases, chip manufacturers rely on product engineering companies like ACL Digital, with extensive experience in making test and validation platforms. The company’s in-depth knowledge of the critical components of the validation process enables chip manufacturers to validate their SoCs and get their products to market faster. They are a popular choice for silicon companies.
For more information about silicon validation and test platform development services, write to us business@acldigital.com.