Test Settings Relationships (TSM)

TSM uses collections of settings to provide information about a test lot or test station. Lot settings and test conditions provide information about a test lot, and station settings provide information about the test station.

A semiconductor test program can provide values for some settings and can use configurations to create new settings specific to the test program. The test program can then use the Get Test Information step to access those values in a sequence.

You can use the Configure Lot Settings dialog box and the Configure Station Settings dialog box to assign values for these settings. You can also use the GetLotSettings and GetStationSettings callback sequences to programmatically assign the values. You can customize both methods by modifying the ConfigureLotSettings, GetLotSettings, ConfigureStationSettings, or GetStationSettings callback sequences to provide routines for obtaining these values.

The following figure shows the relationship among the test program, test settings, and the methods of initialization.



Component Description
1. Standard Test Conditions Specifies lot information that is standard for all test programs for the current test program configuration. These properties map to a subset of standard lot settings that correspond to some fields of the Master Information Record (MIR) of the Standard Test Data Format (STDF) version 4 specification. The standard test conditions also include other properties specific to TSM. Standard test conditions defined in the test program overwrite the value of the corresponding standard lot setting at run time. Use the Configuration Definition panel in the Test Program Editor to add standard and custom test conditions to a test program.
2. Custom Test Conditions Specifies lot information that is specific to the test program for the current test program configuration. Test engineers define these properties, which are loaded into the lot settings at run time. Use the Configuration Definition panel in the Test Program Editor to add standard and custom test conditions to a test program.
3. Get Test Information Step Use the Get Test Information step to obtain the values for lot settings, station settings, STS state, execution data, and custom test conditions. Store the value of the items in Get Test Information so that any step in the sequence can access the values.
4. Standard Lot Settings Specifies lot information for the current test lot. These properties correspond to some fields of the Master Information Record (MIR) of the Standard Test Data Format (STDF) version 4 specification. The standard lot settings also include other properties specific to TSM. TSM exposes the lot settings to the test program by attaching a copy of the lot settings to the execution run-time variables (RunState.Execution.RunTimeVariables.NI.SemiconductorModule.LotSettings). Use the ConfigureLotSettings callback sequence to prompt an operator to manually enter lot information in a dialog box or to use another mechanism that requires user input. A subset of these properties are also available to test engineers as standard test conditions.
5. Custom Lot Settings Specifies lot information for the current test lot. Test architects define these properties, which are available to all test programs on the station. TSM exposes the lot settings to the test program by attaching a copy of the lot settings to the execution run-time variables (RunState.Execution.RunTimeVariables.NI.SemiconductorModule.LotSettings).
6. Custom Test Conditions TSM copies custom test conditions, as described in Item 2, into lot settings when execution begins.
7. Standard Station Settings Specifies configuration options for the tester that apply to all test lots and that persist during restart and shutdown operations, such as handler or prober configuration or data logging preferences. These properties correspond to some fields of the Master Information Record (MIR) of the Standard Test Data Format (STDF) version 4 specification. The standard station settings also include other properties specific to TSM. Use the ConfigureStationSettings callback sequence to prompt a test engineer or technician to manually configure station settings in a dialog box or to use another mechanism that requires user input.
8. Custom Station Settings Specifies custom configuration options for the tester that apply to all test lots and that persist during restart and shutdown operations. The test architect defines these properties, which are available to all test programs on the station. Use the ConfigureStationSettings callback sequence to prompt a test engineer or technician to manually configure station settings in a dialog box or to use another mechanism that requires user input.
9. ConfigureLotSettings Callback The Semiconductor Module » Configure Lot menu item, the Configure Lot button on the TSM toolbar in the TestStand Sequence Editor, and the Configure Lot button in the default TSM operator interface call the ConfigureLotSettings callback sequence to obtain the settings for the current test lot. Use the ConfigureLotSettings callback sequence to prompt an operator to manually enter lot information in a dialog box or to use another mechanism that requires user input.
10. GetLotSettings Callback TSM calls the GetLotSettings callback sequence to programmatically obtain lot settings without requiring much, if any, operator interaction when execution begins. You can override this callback sequence to customize the behavior when TSM attempts to determine lot settings values at run time.
11. ConfigureStationSettings Callback The Semiconductor Module » Configure Station menu item, the Configure Station button on the TSM toolbar in the TestStand Sequence Editor, and the Configure Station button in the default TSM operator interface call the ConfigureStationSettings callback sequence to obtain the settings for the current test station. Use the ConfigureStationSettings callback sequence to prompt a test engineer or technician to manually configure station settings in a dialog box or to use another mechanism that requires user input.
12. GetStationSettings Callback TSM calls the GetStationSettings callback sequence to programmatically obtain station settings without requiring much, if any, test engineer or technician interaction when execution begins. You can override this callback sequence to customize the behavior when TSM attempts to determine station settings values at run time.