A DFT method for core-based systems-on-a-chip based on consecutive testability

This paper introduces a new concept of testability of core-based systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) called consecutive testability and proposes a design-for-testability (DFT) method for making a given SoC consecutively testable based on an integer programming problem. For a consecutively testable SoC, testing can be performed as follows. Test patterns of a core are propagated to the core inputs from the SoC inputs consecutively at the speed of the system clock. Similarly the test responses are propagated to the SoC outputs from the core outputs consecutively at the speed of the system clock. The propagation of test patterns and responses is achieved by using the consecutive transparency properties of surrounding cores and interconnects between cores. All interconnects can be tested in a similar fashion. Therefore, the method can test not only logic faults such as stuck-at faults, but also timing faults such as delay faults that require consecutive application of test patterns at system clock speed