Turnkey Compliance and Turnkey Test Automation of USB Type-C

Accelerating to Market with Turnkey Testing of USB Type-C Interoperability and Compliance

As every industry matures, suppliers who successfully respond to change are more likely to adapt and thrive. This is the overarching scenario facing many semiconductor companies. The global downturn in desktop and laptop PCs has driven many long-standing suppliers to seek growth through new applications that can benefit from similar technologies.

For one US-based device maker, a careful assessment of its situation led to the pursuit of applications in areas such as automotive electronics, artificial intelligence and mobile computing. Common threads include a growing need for computing power, unending demand for faster data rates, and the accelerating lifecycles of the underlying industry standards.

As the company dug into the details, USB Type-C (USB-C) came to the forefront as a new connectivity standard destined for wide application in devices used for mobile computing and mobile communication. To keep pace with these fast-moving product areas, the company wanted to ramp up quickly, build technical proficiency, and establish in-house testing capability.

Company:

• Semiconductor

Key Issues:

• Achieving growth in new areas such as mobile computing
• Gaining proficiency with USB-C connectivity standard
• Deploying a dedicated test bench as quickly as possible

Solutions:

• Keysight Infiniium V-Series oscilloscope
• Keysight N5990A automated compliance & device characterization test software
• Keysight M8020A J-BERT high-performance bit error ratio tester (BERT)

Results:

• Rapidly deployed a dedicated USB-C test bench
• Accelerated debug, characterization & compliance
• Completed first USB-C design on time and within budget 

The Challenge: Verifying Interoperability and Compliance

Since USB-C is a universal, multi-function interface, testing for interoperability and compliance can be complex and time-consuming. For example, the 24-pin connector is orientation-independent: unlike previous generations of USB connectors, the plug is symmetrical and has no “up” or “down.” The cable can handle three major interfaces for high-speed data: USB 3.2, Thunderbolt 3, and DisplayPort. In addition, USB-C cables can switch between “data delivery” and “power delivery” (PD) modes (e.g., USB-PD).

Connected devices can be hosts or peripherals, operating as either a downstream-facing port (DFP) or an upstream-facing port (UFP). For example, a mobile phone can take on either role and therefore has dual-role data (DRP) ports that can switch between data and power modes.

These attributes presented a daunting set of challenges as the semiconductor company embarked on its first USB-C designs. To compound the problem, its designers were up against very short deadlines but lacked the expertise to efficiently test this versatile and complex interface.

The Solution:

Deploying Turnkey Testing The engineers turned to Keysight for help. Our application experts explained the five key aspects of USB-C design and test: simulation, power delivery, transmit and receive, alternate mode, and cable/interconnect. They also demonstrated the use of Keysight’s USB-C solution set—software, instruments, and test fixtures—to achieve complete testing of this universal interface.

The solution included the following key elements:

• Keysight Infiniium V-Series oscilloscope
• Keysight N8805A USB 3.0 Super-Speed protocol triggering and decode application software
• Keysight N5990A automated compliance and device characterization test application software
• Keysight N7081A Type-C test controller
• Keysight N7015A Type-C high-speed test fixture
• Keysight N7016A Type-C low-speed signal access and control fixture
• Keysight M8020A J-BERT high-performance (BERT) 

Going Forward

The semiconductor maker continues to pursue growth opportunities in areas that rely on today’s emerging standards for connectivity—wired and wireless. With every new generation, these standards become more complex and technically challenging. This is true for 5G in mobile communications, for in-vehicle networking in connected cars, and beyond.

As the company’s development engineers move on to these new technologies, they will continue to count on Keysight. Our technologists are actively involved in the creation of many new standards and the associated test requirements. We will continue to apply that firsthand knowledge to new turnkey solutions that ensure accurate, repeatable testing of device interoperability and standards compliance.