LFSROM an algorithm for automatic design synthesis of hardware test pattern generator

The characteristic of the on-chip test pattern generator (TPG) is of prime importance for the overall quality of the test of a circuit with built-in self-test (BIST). The authors describe in this paper a new TPG architecture which is basically composed of a shift register (SR), an OR gate network and a set of multiplexers. It is called a LFSROM and it can be easily designed in a relatively short time for even large test sets. The design synthesis algorithm is described in a step-by-step way by use of a real example so as to show clearly the key parameters to be considered in the design of such an architecture. Furthermore, the silicon area of the LFSROM has been found to be smaller than that of a ROM for the example considered.<>