Functional Broadside Tests for Multistep Defect Diagnosis

In a two-step defect diagnosis process, a fault detection test set is used for initial diagnosis to compute an initial set of candidate faults. When the initial set is large, diagnostic tests are generated based on the candidate faults in the set, and the set is refined based on the extended test set. This paper investigates the ability of functional broadside tests to serve as diagnostic tests for refining initial sets of candidate faults. The paper discusses the advantages of using functional broadside tests for this purpose. These advantages are related to the fact that the tests create functional operation conditions, and thus avoid nonfunctional effects that may make diagnosis less accurate. It also describes a multistep defect diagnosis process that uses functional broadside tests. Experimental results are presented to show the extent to which functional broadside tests can reduce initial sets of candidate faults.