Wireless SOC testing: Can RF testing costs be reduced?

Emerging wireless SOCs and SiPs are highly integrated devices containing logic, analog, RF, and even memory blocks. From a pure "can it be tested?" point of view, engineers are faced with a number of testing challenges. Add to that the economic challenges and the test community must find ways to test increasingly complex devices AND reduce cost of test. When approaching test, it is important to determine acceptable methodologies. For the purpose of this discussion, I propose three possible scenarios: 1) fault testing to verify that manufacturing processes produce a defect-free product; 2) functional testing to verify the SOC functions as intended; and 3) performance-based testing to verify the SOC meets published specs.