Enhancing transition fault coverage in built-in self-test
Date
1993
Authors
Kadri, Fayaz
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Abstract
A pair of test vectors is required to detect a transition fault, therefore, a high fault coverage for a circuit under test (CUT) depends on the sequence of test vectors (patterns) applied during a test. Linear feedback shift registers (LFSRs) are commonly used as test pattern generators in built-in self-test (BIST) because of their low implementation cost.
The shift dependency problem inherent in an LFSR is a hindrance to achieving a high transition fault coverage. In this thesis, we show that it is possible to achieve a high transition fault coverage by randomly permuting the connections between the outputs of the test pattern generator (LFSR) and the inputs of the CUT. We then present an algorithm that permutes these connections based on the structure of the CUT.
Results are presented to show that the algorithm compares favourably with the published methods. Some preliminary results for the effect of an initializing vector (seed value) for the LFSR are also presented. The thesis concludes with a number of further research direction arising from this work.
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UN SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure