Fast enhancement of validation test sets to improve stuck-at fault coverage for RTL circuits

L. Lingappan, V. Gangaram, Niraj Kumar Jha, S. Chakravarty

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

A digital circuit usually comprises a controller and datapath. The time spent for determining a valid controller behavior to detect a fault usually dominates test generation time. A validation test set is used to verify controller behavior and, hence, it activates various controller behaviors. In this paper, we present a novel methodology wherein the controller behaviors exercised by test sequences in a validation test set are reused for detecting faults in the datapath. A heuristic is used to identify controller behaviors that can justify/propagate pre-computed test vectors/responses of datapath register-transfer level (RTL) modules. Such controller behaviors are said to be compatible with the corresponding precomputed test vectors/responses. The heuristic is fairly accurate, resulting in the detection of a majority of stuck-at faults in the datapath RTL modules. Also, since test generation is performed at the RTL and the controller behavior is predetermined, test generation time is reduced. For microprocessors, if the validation test set consists of instruction sequences then the proposed methodology also generates instruction-level test sequences.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationProceedings - 20th International Conference on VLSI Design held jointly with 6th International Conference on Embedded Systems
Pages504-509
Number of pages6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2007
Event20th International Conference on VLSI Design held jointly with 6th International Conference on Embedded Systems, VLSID'07 - Bangalore, India
Duration: Jan 6 2007Jan 10 2007

Publication series

NameProceedings of the IEEE International Conference on VLSI Design
ISSN (Print)1063-9667

Other

Other20th International Conference on VLSI Design held jointly with 6th International Conference on Embedded Systems, VLSID'07
Country/TerritoryIndia
CityBangalore
Period1/6/071/10/07

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Hardware and Architecture
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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