What is RF ATE (Automated Test Equipment)?

Automated Test Equipment (ATE) are automated systems designed to perform electrical, thermal, and physical testing without the direct interference of a person. Usually ATE systems are employed to speed up testing, perform repetitive tasks, or to enhance the repeatability and consistency of a testing system. Often, an ATE system is designed to do all of the above, as the cost of performance, quality, functionality, and even stress testing over a range of environmental variables, can add significantly to the cost of an end part if these tests are all performed manually. Moreover, ATE systems are usually deployed in or near where parts are manufactured to ease remanufacturing and prevent any issues with shipping and handling from degrading initial quality testing.

RF ATE in specific, involves the use of vector network analyzers, spectrum/signal analyzers, power meters, and/or possibly other RF test equipment, including custom equipment, mounted on a machine that is able to perform automated tests with a fixture and some type of probing or interconnect system. Often an RF ATE system will also integrate computer systems, power supplies, module interfaces, embedded controllers, analog/digital inputs, and analog-to-digital converter (ADC)/digital-to-analog (DAC) converters in order to interface with the device-under-test (DUT). Software and control systems are also key in the operation of an ATE system.

As these machine systems are designed to perform many repetitive tasks as precisely and quickly as possible, some of the interconnect for these systems undergoes many motion or flexure cycles. Generally, ATE applications are a rather hard wearing set of use cases for RF coaxial cable assemblies or waveguide (more often coaxial cable assemblies are used with ATE unless the frequency is high enough and other requirements necessitate waveguide accessories, such as flexible waveguides). Hence, in some ATE systems, RF interconnects are actually considered expendables, and must be routinely replaced. This includes RF adapters, which are routinely used at the ports of test equipment and RF probes, which are generally more expensive to replace than RF adapters suitable for RF testing applications.

RF ATE systems themselves also require a substantial amount of interconnect between all of the systems. Often switch matrices are employed to switch between the ports of RF test equipment to the probes or other DUT interfaces. This way the ATE system can perform multiple tests with the same interface in a short period of time without the need to individually setup each RF instrument test.

Some RF ATE systems are also equipped with over-the-air (OTA) testing technologies, which instead of making a direct electrical connection at the interface use antennas and the air channel to transmit/receive test signals. OTA test methods, of course, require the DUT to be setup for OTA testing, which is increasingly the case with the latest wireless communication standards, such as 5G, WiFi6e, etc.