Description
Test generation algorithms are traditionally evaluated in terms of attained fault coverage and CPU time required for test pattern generation, power considerations mostly being considered of secondary importance. A radical shift toward low power test is today required to keep pace with the VLSI technology, which leads to circuits every day denser, faster and, without the adequate prevention, hotter.The task of a test pattern generation algorithm is to produce a sequence of inputs able to excite and propagate a target fault towards the circuit outputs. A pattern generated in this way by a classical ATPG usually produces a high circuit switching activity, which is the major cause of heat dissipation in a CMOS circuit. Both average and peak switching activity can produce critical side effects on the circuit under test:
- high average switching activity corresponds to an average power consumption able to reduce the circuit reliability: high power consumption corresponds to higher temperatures, which is one of the major factors that determine electro-migration rate;
- switching activity much higher than that during circuit normal operation can cause a peak power consumption higher than a given threshold that can permanently damage the circuit under test.
When dealing with high performance power hungry chips, heat dissipation during test application becomes thus a problem that requires close attention.
As a first step towards a low power test generation tool, we have proposed a methodology to reduce the energy consumed during test by optimally selecting the test sequences coming from a conventional ATPG when a given degree of redundancy is provided.
Current work is on the reduction of peak power consumption by exploiting symbolic methods to modify the test pattern produced by a conventional ATPG with a negligible impact on the attained fault coverage.
Papers
You may browse all the papers related to Low Power Test.Researchers
- Matteo Sonza Reorda
- Fulvio Corno
- Maurizio Rebaudengo
- Massimo Violante
Contact information
| Matteo Sonza Reorda |
| Politecnico di Torino Dipartimento di Automatica e Informatica Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24 I-10129 Torino ITALY |
| Tel: +39-011564.7055 Fax: +39-011564.7099 |
E-mail: matteo . sonzareorda Personal web page: http://www.cad.polito.it/staff/sonza/ Politecnico info page: http://www.dauin.polito.it/en/personale/scheda/(matricola)/001894 |
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