astronomy

Universal Test Specification Language

Universal Test Specification Language is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Universal Test Specification Language rather than just read about it. In short: Universal Test Specification Language (UTSL) is a programming language used to describe ASIC tests in a format that leads to an automated translation of the test specification into an executable test code. UTSL is platform independent and provided a code generation interface for a specific platform is available, UTSL code can be translated into the programming language of a specific Automatic Test Equipment (ATE).

Key takeaways

Universal Test Specification Language belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Universal Test Specification Language to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Universal Test Specification Language from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Universal Test Specification Language (UTSL) is a programming language used to describe ASIC tests in a format that leads to an automated translation of the test specification into an executable test code. UTSL is platform independent and provided a code generation interface for a specific platform is available, UTSL code can be translated into the programming language of a specific Automatic Test Equipment (ATE).

History Increased complexity of ASICs leads to requirements of more complex test programs with longer development times. An automated test program generation could simplify and speed up this process. Teradyne Inc. together with Robert Bosch GmbH agreed to develop a concept and a tool chain for automated test-program generation. To achieve this a tester independent programming language was required. Hence, UTSL, a programming language that enables detailed description of tests that can be translated into the ATE specific programming language was developed. The ATE manufacturers need to provide a Test Program Generator that uses the UTSL test description as inputs and generates the ATE-specific test code with optimal resource mapping and better practice program code. As long as the ATE manufacturer provides with the test program generator that can use UTSL as an input the cumbersome task of translating a test program from one platform to another can be significantly simplified. In other words, the task of rewriting of the test programs for a specific platform can be replaced by automatically generating the code from the UTSL based test specification. Prerequisite for this is that the UTSL description of tests is sufficiently detailed with definition of the test technique as well as the description of all the necessary inputs and outputs. Being a platform independent programming language, UTSL allows the engineers to read, analyse and modify the tests in the test specification regardless of the ATE at which the testing of the ASIC will be done. UTSL is based on C# and allows procedural programming and is class oriented. The classes contain sub-classes which in term have their sub-classes.

UTSL contains high amount of commands and test-functions. It also allows the usage of commonly known high level programming language syntax elements such as "if/then/else" , etc.

Design UTSL is a C# like language where the test are defined as blocks of code. Simple tests such a forcing current and measuring voltage or vice versa can be written in UTSL and with the means of the ATE (Automatic Test Equipment) specific code generator translated into testable code (see the picture1). UTSL allows the user to set the instruments ranges and clamps in order to guarantee the measurement precision and to prevent the measurements from exceeding the instrument clamp values. The current UTSL capabilities can cover c.a. 70% of the required test specification for ASIC testing. For the remaining 30% one could use the option of writing comments in an informal form as it was done in the past. UTSL supports language features such as:

Flow control - "if/then/else, select/case" Loops - "for, while, for each" Data types - "int, double, bool, string" Numerical operators - "=, +, -, *, /, %, **, --, &, |, <<, >>" Logical operators - "==, <, >, >=, <=, !=, ^" Arrays - "declare, resize, and [] operator"

Furthermore, specialized classes for testing were added:

Pin and PinList classes - "for the test board specifics" TestEnvironment class - "wafer level vs final testing" SerialPort and SerialDataFrame classes - "for device serial communications" Evaluate class - "data-logs the results and compares the results to the defined limits"

UTSL also supports the units and scales wherever floating point numbers are used. This is essential for a language that describes a test program where the values can be returned as "V, mV, uV, A, mA, uA" , etc.

Also more complex tests such as serial communications with ASIC that require write and/or read to and from register can be implemented using UTSL. The example below shows a test where a certain trim code is written to a register and based on the trim code the internal regulator steps in voltage which is read back (see the picture2).

Additionally, UTSL allows the user to define the state of the instrument i.e. connected to the pin, or disconnected from the pin.

References

Illustrations

Universal Test Specification Language illustration

Universal Test Specification Language: picture1 — picture1

Universal Test Specification Language: picture2 — picture2

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Universal Test Specification Language

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Universal Test Specification Language claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Universal Test Specification Language before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Universal Test Specification Language ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Universal Test Specification Language

In research: Universal Test Specification Language appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Universal Test Specification Language in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Universal Test Specification Language is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Automatic test equipment, Integrated circuits, Programming languages, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Universal Test Specification Language outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Universal Test Specification Language in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Universal Test Specification Language means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Universal Test Specification Language out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Universal Test Specification Language in simple terms?

Why does Universal Test Specification Language matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Universal Test Specification Language?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Universal Test Specification Language.