A New Approach for Built‐in Self‐Test of 4.5 to 5.5 GHz Low‐Noise Amplifiers

This paper presents a low‐cost RF parameter estimation technique using a new RF built‐in self‐test (BIST) circuit and efficient DC measurement for 4.5 to 5.5 GHz low noise amplifiers (LNAs). The BIST circuit measures gain, noise figure, input impedance, and input return loss for an LNA. The BIST circuit is designed using 0.18 μm SiGe technology. The test technique utilizes input impedance matching and output DC voltage measurements. The technique is simple and inexpensive.     

A Built-in Self-Test Scheme with Diagnostics Support for Embedded SRAM

In this paper we propose a novel built-in self-test (BIST) design for embedded SRAM cores. Our contribution includes a compact and efficient BIST circuit with diagnosis support and an automatic diagnostic system. The diagnosis module of our BIST circuit can capture the error syndromes as well as fault locations for the purposes of repair and fault/failure analysis. In addition, our design provides programmability for custom March algorithms with lower hardware cost. The combination of the on-line programming mode and diagnostic system dramatically reduces the effort in design debugging and yield enhancement. We have designed and implemented test chips with our BIST design. Experimental results show that the area overhead of the proposed BIST design is only 2.4% for a 128 KB SRAM, and 0.65% for a 2 MB one.     

SoC中低峰值功耗的BIST调度算法

本文提出了一种系统芯片(SoC)中用于降低内建自测试(Built-in Self-test，BIST)峰值功耗的调度算法。首先本文提出了基于扫描BIST的精简功耗模型，在此模型的基础上，提出了通过调整扫描周期和扫描起动时间的办法来避免过高的SoC测试峰值功耗。实验结果表明，该算法可以有效地避免BIST并行执行可能带来的过高峰值功耗。     

Trade-offs in scan path and BIST implementations for RAMs

In this article we propose efficient scan path and BIST schemes for RAMs. Tools for automatic generation of these schemes have been implemented. They reduce the design effort and thus allow the designer to select the more appropriate scheme with respect to various constraints.     

Zero aliasing ROM BIST

Signature analyzers are very efficient output response compactors for BIST design. The only limitation of signature analysis is the fault coverage reduction (aliasing) due to the information loss inherent to any data compaction. In this article, in order to increase the effectiveness of ROM BIST, we take advantage from the simplicity of the error patterns generated by ROMs and we show that aliasing free signature analysis can be achieved in ROM BIST.This work was performed when the author was on leave from Minsk Radio Engineering Institute, Computer Department, Belorus.     

HIST: A hierarchical self test methodology for chips,boards, and systems

This article presents the HIST approach, which allows the automated insertion of self test hardware into hierarchically designed circuits and systems to implement the RUNBIST instruction of the IEEE 1149.1 standard. To achieve an optimal and throughout self testable system, the inherent design hierarchy is fully exploited. All chips and boards are provided with appropriate test controllers at each hierarchy level. The approach is able to detect all those faults, which are in the scope of the underlying self test algorithms. In this paper the hierarchical test architecture, the test controllers as well as all necessary synthesis procedures are presented. Finally a successful application of the HIST approach to a cryptography processor is described.     

Diagnostic Data Compression Techniques for Embedded Memories with Built-In Self-Test

A system-on-chip (SOC) usually consists of many memory cores with different sizes and functionality, and they typically represent a significant portion of the SOC and therefore dominate its yield. Diagnostics for yield enhancement of the memory cores thus is a very important issue. In this paper we present two data compression techniques that can be used to speed up the transmission of diagnostic data from the embedded RAM built-in self-test (BIST) circuit that has diagnostic support to the external tester. The proposed syndrome-accumulation approach compresses the faulty-cell address and March syndrome to about 28% of the original size on average under the March-17N diagnostic test algorithm. The key component of the compressor is a novel syndrome-accumulation circuit, which can be realized by a content-addressable memory. Experimental results show that the area overhead is about 0.9% for a 1Mb SRAM with 164 faults. A tree-based compression technique for word-oriented memories is also presented. By using a simplified Huffman coding scheme and partitioning each 256-bit Hamming syndrome into fixed-size symbols, the average compression ratio (size of original data to that of compressed data) is about 10, assuming 16-bit symbols. Also, the additional hardware to implement the tree-based compressor is very small. The proposed compression techniques effectively reduce the memory diagnosis time as well as the tester storage requirement.     

基于BIST的动态可重构FPGA的时延故障测试方法

FPGA市场已经进入极速发展时代,不同的销售商已向市场投入更多更快的FPGA器件。随着FPGA器件的迅速发展,FP-GA的密度和复杂程度也越来越高,使大量的故障难以使用传统方法进行测试,因此,对FPGA器件的故障测试和故障诊断方法进行更全面的研究具有重要意义。为此重点研究了动态重构FPGA及其基本结构、特点;在此基础上探讨了基于BIST技术的FPGA时延故障测试方法,并成功应用于Lattice ORCA 2C系列FPGA中。实验证明,该BIST方法是可行且有效的,并且不需要昂贵的ATE设备。     

Avoiding linear dependencies in LFSR test pattern generators

Linear Feedback Shift Registers (LFSRs) constitute a very efficient mechanism for generating pseudoexhaustive or pseudo-random test sets for the built-in self-testing of digital circuits. However, a well-known problem with the use of LFSRs is the occurrence of linear dependencies in the generated patterns. In this paper, we show for the first time that the amount of linear dependencies can be controlled by selecting appropriate characteristic polynomials and reordering the LFSR cells. We identify two classes of such polynomials which, by appropriate LFSR cell ordering, guarantee that a large ratio of linear dependencies cannot occur. Experimental results show significant enhancements on the fault coverage for pseudo-random testing and support the theoretical relation between minimization of linear dependencies and effective fault coverage.This work was partially supported by NSF grant MIP-9409905, a 1993–94 ACM/IEEE Design Automation Scholarship and a grant from Nissan Corporation. A preliminary version of this work appeared in A Class of Good Characteristic Polynomials for LFSR Test Pattern Generators, in Proc. of IEEE International Conference on Computer Design, Oct. 1994, pp. 292–295, where it received the ICCD'94 Best Paper Award.     

基于树形解压缩器的低测试数据量方法

提出一种由异或门按照完全二叉树形状排列而成的树形向量解压缩器。该解压缩器的少数输出端需要由大部分的输入端来确定,而且该结构对其输出值的确定关系类似于扫描链中确定位的分布概率,可有效降低测试数据量。实验结果表明,对于ISCAS’89基准电路,该结构最高将测试数据量压缩了77倍。