Why every 3D IC needs a test vehicle before it hits production

How do you ensure that cutting-edge 3D IC designs can actually be manufactured before investing millions in production?

In this episode of the Siemens 3D IC Podcast, host John McMillan talks with Kendall Hiles, Senior 3D IC product specialist at Siemens EDA, about the critical role of test vehicles and daisy chain design tests in semiconductor innovation.

Unlike a final product, a test vehicle isn’t built to sell, it’s built to learn. Kendall Hiles explains how test vehicles act as manufacturing “test beds,” enabling engineers to validate new processes and technologies before scaling up to costly production runs.

The conversation dives into daisy chain design tests, a clever way of stringing together bumps and balls to measure connectivity and identify failure points with precision. Kendall also highlights when OSATs, foundries, or customers should take ownership of creating test vehicles, and how they factor into collaboration between OEMs and manufacturers.

Listeners will also hear why test vehicles are especially vital for automotive reliability and regulatory compliance, and why manual spreadsheet-driven daisy chain design is a risky practice in today’s complex 3D IC world.

For anyone working in semiconductor packaging, 3D IC design, or advanced manufacturing, this episode offers practical insight into improving yield, reducing risk, and accelerating innovation.

What you’ll learn…

What a test vehicle is and when it’s needed (02:00)
Real-world example: testing embedded chips before mass production (03:20)
Who’s responsible for creating test vehicles? (06:00)
How do test vehicles factor into the relationship between the OSATs and the OEMs? (07:20)
The link between test vehicles and PCB design practices (09:25)
Beyond connectivity: heaters, capacitive structures, and stacked vias (11:12)
Automotive and regulatory requirements for reliability testing (15:25)
Why engineers shouldn’t design daisy chains by hand (17:15)

Kendall Hiles

Kendall Hiles is a Senior Product Specialist for 3DIC Packaging at Siemens Digital Industries Software. With more than 35 years of experience in electronics design and test engineering, Kendall brings deep expertise in developing and customizing EDA tools and design flows to meet the rapidly evolving demands of the semiconductor industry. His recent work focuses on automation techniques for building test vehicle daisy chains in chiplet-based architectures—tackling the complex interconnect challenges that come with advanced 3D integration.

Kendall Hiles