Testability alternatives exploration through functional testing

The aim of this paper is to show the effectiveness of a high-level approach to testability analysis and test pattern generation, when analyzing different classes of architectures implementing the same specification. A unique test set is derived on the behavioral specification, based on a functional error model, which shows a high correlation with the single stuck-at-gate-level fault model. Such a test set is then tailored to the particular gate-level implementation by transforming it into a specific test sequence, based on the scheduling adopted by the high-level synthesis. Experimental results show that the application of such test sequences allows one to accurately evaluate the testability of the architecture in terms of gate-level fault coverage, in a fraction of the time required by a gate-level test pattern generator