Hierarchical Delay Test Generation

Delay testing is used to detect timing errors in a digital circuit.In this paper, we report a tool called MODET forautomatic test generation for path delay faults in modular combinational circuits. Our technique usesprecomputed robust delay tests for individual modules to computerobust delay tests for the module-level circuit. We present alongest path theorem at the module level ofabstraction which specifies the requirements for path selectionduring delay testing. Based on this theorem, we propose a pathselection procedure in module-level circuits and report efficientalgorithms for delay test generation. MODET hasbeen tested against a number of hierarchical circuits with impressivespeedups in relation to gate-level test generation.     

Logic Design Validation via Simulation and Automatic Test Pattern Generation

We investigate an automated design validation scheme for gate-level combinational and sequential circuits that borrows methods from simulation and test generation for physical faults, and verifies a circuit with respect to a modeled set of design errors. The error models used in prior research are examined and reduced to five types: gate substitution errors (GSEs), gate count errors (GCEs), input count errors (ICEs), wrong input errors (WIEs), and latch count errors (LCEs). Conditions are derived for a gate to be testable for GSEs, which lead to small, complete test sets for GSEs; near-minimal test sets are also derived for GCEs. We analyze undetectability in design errors and relate it to single stuck-line (SSL) redundancy. We show how to map all the foregoing error types into SSL faults, and describe an extensive set of experiments to evaluate the proposed method. These experiments demonstrate that high coverage of the modeled errors can be achieved with small test sets obtained with standard test generation and simulation tools for physical faults.     

A knowledge-based test generator for standard cell and iterative array logic circuits

The use of Prolog for test generation is discussed and an implementation in Prolog of an automatic test generator, Protean, for stuck-at faults in scan-designed standard cell VLSI circuits and iterative logic arrays is described. Protean comprises a cell test generator, which generates test knowledge and propagation characteristics for cells, and a hierarchical test generator, which uses this high-level test knowledge in conjunction with low-level structural information to generate tests for the circuit.<>     

Fault Models for Quantum Mechanical Switching Networks

In classical test and verification one develops a test set separating a correct circuit from a circuit containing any considered fault. Classical faults are modelled at the logical level by fault models that act on classical states. The stuck fault model, thought of as a lead connected to a power rail or to a ground, is most typically considered. A classical test set complete for the stuck fault model propagates both binary basis states, 0 and 1, through all nodes in a network and is known to detect many physical faults. A classical test set complete for the stuck fault model allows all circuit nodes to be completely tested and verifies the function of many gates. It is natural to ask if one may adapt any of the known classical methods to test quantum circuits. Of course, classical fault models do not capture all the logical failures found in quantum circuits. The first obstacle faced when using methods from classical test is developing a set of realistic quantum-logical fault models (a question which we address, but will likely remain largely open until the advent of the first quantum computer). Developing fault models to abstract the test problem away from the device level motivated our study. Several results are established. First, we describe typical modes of failure present in the physical design of quantum circuits. From this we develop fault models for quantum binary quantum circuits that enable testing at the logical level. The application of these fault models is shown by adapting the classical test set generation technique known as constructing a fault table to generate quantum test sets. A test set developed using this method will detect each of the considered faults.     

Transistor-level to gate-level comprehensive fault synthesis for n-input primitive gates

In order to have a high level of confidence in system testing, more accurate fault models are needed. An accurate fault model cannot be attained unless all faults in the transistor-level (low level) are considered. However, these transistor-level faults must be mapped onto gate-level (higher level) so that the efficiency of fault simulation, fault emulation and test pattern generation at the gate-level is not sacrificed. This paper covers the static and dynamic single physical failures at transistor-level for static CMOS primitive gates and shows their effects in the output behavior in terms of gate-level faults. A specific fault pattern is proposed and a general formula to calculate the total number of static faults is concluded from these patterns for each type of gate regardless of its number of inputs. The dynamic nature of the physical faults included in the static fault list is evaluated and their cumulative effect on the timing at the circuit output is examined. A general formula for calculating propagation delay at the output due to resistive shorts and opens is derived and a delay fault pattern with variable defect resistance is provided.     

Fast Test Pattern Generation for Sequential Circuits Using Decision Diagram Representations

The paper presents a novel hierarchical approach to test pattern generation for sequential circuits based on an input model of mixed-level decision diagrams. A method that handles, both, data and control parts of the design in a uniform manner is proposed. The method combines deterministic and simulation-based techniques. On the register-transfer level, deterministic path activation is combined with simulation based-techniques used for constraints solving. The gate-level local test patterns for components are randomly generated driven by high-level constraints and partial path activation solutions. Experiments show that high fault coverages for circuits with complex sequential structures can be achieved in a very short time by using this approach.     

Design error diagnosis in digital circuits with stuck-at fault model

In this paper we describe in detail a new method for the single gate-level design error diagnosis in combinational circuits. Distinctive features of the method are hierarchical approach (the localizing procedure starts at the macro level and finishes at the gate level), use of stuck-at fault model (it is mapped into design error domain only in the end), and design error diagnostic procedure that uses only test patterns generated by conventional gate-level stuck-at fault test pattern generators (ATPG). No special diagnostic tests are used because they are much more time consuming. Binary decision diagrams (BDD) are exploited for representing and localizing stuck-at faults on the higher signal path level. On the basis of detected faulty signal paths, suspected stuck-at faults at gate inputs are calculated, and then mapped into suspected design error(s). This method is enhanced compared to our previous work. It is applicable to redundant circuits and allows using incomplete tests for error diagnosis. Experimental data on ISCAS benchmark circuits shows the advantage of the proposed method compared to the known algorithms of design error diagnosis.     

An Exact approach for Complete Test Set Generation of Toffoli-Fredkin-Peres based Reversible Circuits

Reversible logic has gained interest of researchers worldwide for its ultra-low power and high speed computing abilities in the future quantum information processing. Testing of these circuits is important for ensuring high reliability of their operation. In this work, we propose an ATPG algorithm for reversible circuits using an exact approach to generate CTS (Complete Test Set) which can detect single stuck-at faults, multiple stuck-at faults, repeated gate fault, partial and complete missing gate faults which are very useful logical fault models for reversible logic to model any physical defect. Proposed algorithm can be used to test a reversible circuit designed with k-CNOT, Peres and Fredkin gates. Through extensive experiments, we have validated our proposed algorithm for several benchmark circuits and other circuits with family of reversible gates. This algorithm produces a minimal and complete test set while reducing test generation time as compared to existing state-of-the-art algorithms. A testing tool is developed satisfying the purpose of generating all possible CTS’s indicating the simulation time, number of levels and gates in the circuit. This paper also contributes to the detection and removal of redundant faults for optimal test set generation.     

New Techniques for Deterministic Test Pattern Generation

This paper presents new techniques for speeding up deterministic test pattern generation for VLSI circuits. These techniques improve the PODEM algorithm by reducing number of backtracks with a low computational cost. This is achieved by finding more necessary signal line assignments, by detecting conflicts earlier, and by avoiding unnecessary work during test generation. We have incorporated these techniques into an advanced ATPG system for combinational circuits, called ATOM. The performance results for the ISCAS85 and full scan version of the ISCAS89 benchmark circuits demonstrated the effectiveness of these techniques on the test generation performance. ATOM detected all the testable faults and proved all the redundant faults to be redundant with a small number of backtracks in a short amount of time.     

A switch-level test generation system for synchronous and asynchronous circuits

A switch-level test generation system for synchronous and asynchronous circuits has been developed in which a new algorithm for fully automatic switch-level test generation and an existing fault simulator have been integrated. For test generation, a switch-level circuit is modeled as a logic network that correctly models the behavior of the switch-level including bidirectionality, dynamic charge storage, and ratioed logic. The algorithm is able to generate tests for combinational and sequential circuits. BothnMOS and CMOS circuits can be modeled. In addition to the classical line stuck-at faults, the algorithm is able to handle stuck-open and stuck-closed faults on the transistors of the circuit.In synchronous circuits, the time-frame based algorithm uses asynchronous processing within each clock phase to achieve stability in the circuit and synchronous processing between clock phases to model the passage of time. In asynchronous circuits, the algorithm uses asynchronous processing to reach stability within and between modules. Unlike earlier time-frame based test generators for general sequential circuits, the test generator presented uses the monotonicity of the logic network to speed up the search for a solution. Results on benchmark circuits show that the test generator outperforms an existing switch-level test generator both in time and space requirements. The algorithm is adaptable to mixed-level test generation.     

High-level test synthesis based on controller redefinition

A novel approach is proposed for the high-level synthesis of data-dominated circuits. The functionality of the controller is redefined in order to improve the testability of the final circuit. The data path is left untouched. Test results are obtained at gate-level, after the RT synthesis process, with a sequential test generation package, HITEC     

微处理器系统功能测试

针对微处理器系统测试问题，提出了一种全新的功能测试方法。详细介绍了该方法的硬件组成和测试生成。该方法以结构故障模型为基础，将数字电路故障分为3大类6种故障，分另4为固定型故障、开路型故障和短路型故障3种，其中固定型故障又可分为固定0和固定1两种，开路故障分为开路为0、开路为1以及开路为Z三种。为了验证该方法的有效性，本文针对一块以MC6800为微处理器的电路板进行了测试程序开发。实验结果表明，故障覆盖率取得了满意的结果。     

Applying mutual information theory to behavioural analogue fault modelling

To assess the effectiveness of a testing strategy for an integrated circuit, the potential structural faults in a circuit must be modelled. Analogue fault simulation is conventionally done at the transistor level. Behavioural fault models are desirable to speed up the simulations. Behavioural fault modelling needs faults to be grouped. However, it is not easy to group faults using a Euclidean measurement of the distance between faults, if the populations of the circuit faults have distributions with differing variances. Mutual information theory is suggested here as a robust method for clustering circuit faults. The bootstrap technique is proposed to speed up the process of generating statistical data. Statistical data on the performance of circuits under fault conditions is generated using HSPICE. A software program has been written to implement clustering of responses using mutual information theory and to generate statistical data using bootstrap. The technique is shown to generate a suitable set of parameters for a regression function. The simulation results for the behavioural models are close to those of the full circuit model. Mutual information theory is a useful technique for clustering responses of circuits under fault conditions.     

Test‐Generation‐Based Fault Detection in Analog VLSI Circuits Using Neural Networks

In this paper, we propose a novel test methodology for the detection of catastrophic and parametric faults present in analog very large scale integration circuits. An automatic test pattern generation algorithm is proposed to generate piece‐wise linear (PWL) stimulus using wavelets and a genetic algorithm. The PWL stimulus generated by the test algorithm is used as a test stimulus to the circuit under test. Faults are injected to the circuit under test and the wavelet coefficients obtained from the output response of the circuit. These coefficients are used to train the neural network for fault detection. The proposed method is validated with two IEEE benchmark circuits, namely, an operational amplifier and a state variable filter. This method gives 100% fault coverage for both catastrophic and parametric faults in these circuits.     

Test Generation for Mixed-Signal Devices Using Signal Flow Graphs

We describe a new reverse simulation approach to analog and mixed-signal circuit test generation that parallels digital test generation. We invert the analog circuit signal flow graph, reverse simulate it with good and bad machine outputs, and obtain test waveforms and component tolerances, given circuit output tolerances specified by the functional test needs of the designer. The inverted graph allows backtracing to justify analog outputs with analog input sinusoids. Mixed-signal circuits can be tested using this approach, and we present test generation results for two mixed-signal circuits and four analog circuits, one being a multiple-input, multiple-output circuit. This analog backtrace method can generate tests for second-order analog circuits and certain non-linear circuits. These cannot be handled by existing methods, which lack a fault model and a backtrace method. Our proposed method also defines the necessary tolerances on circuit structural components, in order to keep the output circuit signal within the envelope specified by the designer. This avoids the problem of overspecifying analog circuit component tolerances, and reduces cost. We prove that our parametric fault tests also detect all catastrophic faults. Unlike prior methods, ours is a structural, rather than functional, analog test generation method.     

Test Generation and Fault Simulation for Cell Fault Model using Stuck-at Fault Model based Test Tools

Cell Fault Model (CFM) is a well-adopted functional fault model used for cell-based circuits. Despite of the wide adoption of CFM, no test tool is available for the estimation of CFM testability. The vast majority of test tools are based on the single stuck-at fault model.In this paper we introduce a method to calculate the CFM testability of a cell-based circuit using any single stuck-at fault based test tool. Cells are substituted by equivalent cells and Test Generation and Fault Simulation for CFM are emulated by Test Generation and Fault Simulation for a set of single stuck-at faults of the equivalent cells. The equivalent cell is constructed from the original cell with a simple procedure, with no need of knowledge of gate-level implementation, or its function. With the proposed methodology, the maturity and effectiveness of stuck-at fault based tools is used in testing of digital circuits, with respect to Cell Fault Model, without developing new tools.     

Sequential Circuits with Combinational Test Generation Complexity under Single-Fault Assumption

We show that the test generation problem for all single stuck-at faults in sequential circuits with internally balanced structures can be reduced into the test generation problem for single stuck-at faults in combinational circuits. In our previous work, we introduced internally balanced structures as a class of sequential circuits with the combinational test generation complexity. However, single stuck-at faults on some primary inputs, called separable primary inputs, corresponded to multiple stuck-at faults in a transformed combinational circuit. In this paper, we resolve this problem. We show how to generate a test sequence and identify undetectability for single stuck-at faults on separable primary inputs.