IEEE transactions on computer-aided design of integrated circuits and systems : a publication of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society

VLSI Test Principles and Architectures: Design for Testability (Systems on Silicon)

Test data compression consists of test vector compression on the input side and response, compaction on the output side This vector compression has been an active area of research This article summarizes and categories these techniques The focus is on hardware-based test vector compression techniques for scan architectures Test vector compression schemes fall broadly into three categories: code-based schemes use data compression codes to encode test cubes; linear-decompression-based schemes decompress the data using only linear operations (that is LFSRs and XOR networks) and broadcast-scan-based schemes rely on broadcasting the same values to multiple scan chains

https://users.ece.utexas.edu/~touba/research/dt06.pdf

Survey of Test Vector Compression Techniques

This book is a comprehensive guide to new DFT methods that will show the readers how to design a testable and quality product, drive down test cost, improve product quality and yield, and speed up time-to-market and time-to-volume.

· Most up-to-date coverage of design for testability. 
· Coverage of industry practices commonly found in commercial DFT tools but not discussed in other books. 
· Numerous, practical examples in each chapter illustrating basic VLSI test principles and DFT architectures.
· Lecture slides and exercise solutions for all chapters are now available.
· Instructors are also eligible for downloading PPT slide files and MSWORD solutions files from the manual website.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Introduction
Chapter 2 - Design for Testability
Chapter 3 - Logic and Fault Simulation 
Chapter 4 - Test Generation 
Chapter 5 - Logic Built-In Self-Test
Chapter 6 - Test Compression
Chapter 7 - Logic Diagnosis
Chapter 8 - Memory Testing and Built-In Self-Test
Chapter 9 - Memory Diagnosis and Built-In Self-Repair
Chapter 10 - Boundary Scan and Core-Based Testing
Chapter 11 - Analog and Mixed-Signal Testing
Chapter 12 - Test Technology Trends in the Nanometer Age

VLSI Test Principles and Architectures: Design for Testability

This book provides broad and comprehensive coverage of the entire EDA flow. EDA/VLSI practitioners and researchers in need of fluency in an "adjacent" field will find this an invaluable reference to the basic EDA concepts, principles, data structures, algorithms, and architectures for the design, verification, and test of VLSI circuits. Anyone who needs to learn the concepts, principles, data structures, algorithms, and architectures of the EDA flow will benefit from this book.


Covers complete spectrum of the EDA flow, from ESL design modeling to logic/test synthesis, verification, physical design, and test - helps EDA newcomers to get "up-and-running" quickly 
Includes comprehensive coverage of EDA concepts, principles, data structures, algorithms, and architectures - helps all readers improve their VLSI design competence 
Contains latest advancements not yet available in other books, including Test compression, ESL design modeling, large-scale floorplanning, placement, routing, synthesis of clock and power/ground networks - helps readers to design/develop testable chips or products 
Includes industry best-practices wherever appropriate in most chapters - helps readers avoid costly mistakes



Table of Contents


Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Fundamentals of CMOS Design Chapter 3: Design for Testability Chapter 4: Fundamentals of Algorithms Chapter 5: Electronic System-Level Design and High-Level Synthesis Chapter 6: Logic Synthesis in a Nutshell Chapter 7: Test Synthesis Chapter 8: Logic and Circuit Simulation Chapter 9:?Functional Verification Chapter 10: Floorplanning Chapter 11: Placement Chapter 12: Global and Detailed Routing Chapter 13: Synthesis of Clock and Power/Ground Networks Chapter 14: Fault Simulation and Test Generation.

Electronic Design Automation: Synthesis, Verification, and Test

We present a dictionary-based test data compression approach for reducing test data volume in SOCs. The proposed method is based on the use of a small number of ATE channels to deliver compressed test patterns from the tester to the chip and to drive a large number of internal scan chains in the circuit under test. Therefore, it is especially suitable for a reduced pin-count and low-cost DFT test environment, where a narrow interface between the tester and the SOC is desirable. The dictionary-based approach not only reduces test data volume but it also eliminates the need for additional synchronization and handshaking between the SOC and the ATE. The dictionary entries are determined during the compression procedure by solving a variant of the well-known clique partitioning problem from graph theory. Experimental results for the ISCAS-89 benchmarks and representative test data from IBM show that the proposed method outperforms a number of recently-proposed test data compression techniques. Compared to the previously proposed test data compression approach based on selective Huffman coding with variable-length indices, the proposed approach generally provides higher compression for the same amount of hardware overhead.

/pdf/test-data-compression-using-dictionaries-with-selective-35ke5e278g.pdf

Test data compression using dictionaries with selective entries and fixed-length indices

We present a dictionary-based test data compressionapproach for reducing test data volume and testing time in SOCs.The proposed method is based on the use of a small number ofATE channels to deliver compressed test patterns from the testerto the chip and to drive a large number of internal scan chainsin the circuit under test. Therefore, it is especially suitable for areduced pin-count and low-cost DFT test environment, where anarrow interface between the tester and the SOC is desirable. Thedictionary-based approach not only reduces testing time but it alsoeliminates the need for additional synchronization and handshakingbetween the SOC and the ATE. The dictionary entries are determinedduring the compression procedure by solving a variantof the well-known clique partitioning problem from graph theory.Experimental results for the ISCAS-89 benchmarks and representativetest data from IBM show that the proposed method outperformsa number of recently-proposed test data compression techniques.

/pdf/test-data-compression-using-dictionaries-with-fixed-length-255k7b6eiu.pdf

Test Data Compression Using Dictionaries with Fixed-Length Indices

We present a new approach for deterministic built-in self-test (BIST) in which a reconfigurable interconnection network (RIN) is placed between the outputs of a pseudorandom pattern generator and the scan inputs of the circuit under test (CUT). The RIN, which consists only of multiplexer switches, replaces the phase shifter that is typically used in pseudorandom BIST to reduce correlation between the test data bits that are fed into the scan chains. The connections between the linear-feedback shift-register (LFSR) and the scan chains can be dynamically changed (reconfigured) during a test session. In this way, the RIN is used to match the LFSR outputs to the test cubes in a deterministic test set. The control data bits used for reconfiguration ensure that all the deterministic test cubes are embedded in the test patterns applied to the CUT. The proposed approach requires very little hardware overhead, only a modest amount of CPU time, and fewer control bits compared to the storage required for reseeding techniques or for hybrid BIST. Moreover, as a nonintrusive BIST solution, it does not require any circuit redesign and has minimal impact on circuit performance.

/pdf/test-set-embedding-for-deterministic-bist-using-a-1gde8ien3u.pdf

Test set embedding for deterministic BIST using a reconfigurable interconnection network

We present 2D (space/time) compression techniques that reduce test data volume and test application time for scan testing of intellectual property (IP) cores. We start with a set of test cubes and use the well-known concept of scan chain compatibility to determine a small number c of tester channels that are needed to drive m scan chains (c /spl Lt/ m). Next, we exploit logic dependencies between the test data for the scan chains to design a single-level decompression circuit based on two-input gates. We refer to these procedures collectively as width (space) compression. We then determine a small set of test patterns that can provide complete fault coverage when they are applied to the circuit under test using the c tester channels; this procedure is referred to as height (time) compression. In this way, structural information about the IP cores is not necessary for fault simulation, dynamic compaction, or test generation. The hardware overhead of the proposed approach is limited to the fan-out structure and a very small number of gates between the tester-driven external scan pins and the internal scan chains. Results are presented for the ISCAS-89 benchmarks and for four industrial circuits.

/pdf/efficient-space-time-compression-to-reduce-test-data-volume-4aq3u1pw1c.pdf

Efficient space/time compression to reduce test data volume and testing time for IP cores

We present a dictionary-based test data compression approach for reducing test data volume and testing time in SOCs. The proposed method is based on the use of a small number of ATE channels to deliver compressed test patterns from the tester to the chip and to drive a large number of internal scan chains in the circuit under test. Therefore, it is especially suitable for a reduced pin-count and low-cost DFT test environment, where a narrow interface between the tester and the SOC is desirable. The dictionary-based approach not only reduces testing time but it also eliminates the need for additional synchronization and handshaking between the SOC and the ATE. The dictionary entries are determined during the compression procedure by solving a variant of the well-known clique partitioning problem from graph theory. Experimental results for the ISCAS-89 benchmarks and representative test data from IBM show that the proposed method outperforms a number of recently-proposed test data compression techniques.

Lei Li

Papers

Test data compression using dictionaries with selective entries and fixed-length indices

Test Data Compression Using Dictionaries with Fixed-Length Indices

Test set embedding for deterministic BIST using a reconfigurable interconnection network

Efficient space/time compression to reduce test data volume and testing time for IP cores

Test data compression using dictionaries with fixed-length indices [SOC testing]