Using a test-specification format in automatic test-program generation

The author suggests that if the information necessary for testing a digital IC or printed-circuit board is kept and transferred in a standardized format, testing will be much easier. He describes the concept of a test-specification format (TSF) and reports the results of experiments with two candidate TSFs. The first, Tandem, is a restricted implementation that uses ITF, aPhilips internal language, to specify tests. The practical use of a TSF was studied by evaluating NCF (neutral code format), a well-documented and stable language. Although the two languages investigated were not true TSFs, the author shows that placing a language between CAD and test systems creates a powerful environment that could greatly reduce test-preparation time and test costs.<>