Report Number: CSL-TR-94-637
Institution: Stanford University, Computer Systems Laboratory
Title: Testing Digital Circuits for Timing Failures by Output Waveform Analysis
Author: Franco, Piero
Date: September 1994
Abstract: Delay testing is done to ensure that a digital circuit functions at the designed speed. Delay testing is complicated by test invalidation and fault detection size. Furthermore, we show that simple delay models are not sufficient to provoke the longest delay through a circuit. Even if all paths are robustly tested, path delay testing cannot guarantee that the circuit functions at the desired speed. Output Waveform Analysis is a new approach for detecting timing failures in digital circuits. Unlike conventional testing where the circuit outputs are sampled, the waveform between samples is analyzed. The motivation is that delay changes affect the shape of the output waveform, and information can be extracted from the waveform to detect timing failures. This is especially useful as a Design-for-Testability technique for Built-In Self-Test or pseudo-random testing environments, where delay tests are difficult to apply and test invalidation is a problem. Stability Checking is a simple form of Output Waveform Analysis. In a fault-free circuit, the outputs are expected to have reached the desired logic values by the time they are sampled, so delay faults can be detected by observing the outputs for any changes after the sampling time. Apart from traditional delay testing, Stability Checking is also useful for on-line or concurrent testing under certain timing restrictions. A padding algorithm was implemented to show that circuits can be efficiently modified to meet the required timing constraints. By analyzing the output waveform before the sampling time, circuits with timing flaws can be detected even before the circuit fails. This is useful in high reliability applications as a screening technique that does not stress the circuit, and for wear-out prediction. A symbolic waveform simulator has been implemented to show the benefits of the proposed Output Waveform Analysis techniques. Practical test architectures have been designed, and various waveform analyzers have been manufactured and tested. These include circuits implemented using the Stanford BiCMOS process, and a design implemented in a 25k gate Test Evaluation Chip Experiment.
http://i.stanford.edu/pub/cstr/reports/csl/tr/94/637/CSL-TR-94-637.pdf