Application of circuit fault simulation in reliability disign

Circuit fault simulation based on software tools provides a practicable approach to complete integrated design of reliability and performance. Basic principles for circuit fault simulation are introduced in this paper. Crucial techniques including interfaces with EDA software, fault modeling and fault injection, and corresponding solutions are discussed in detail. Firstly, interfaces with EDA software are provided through analyzing and accessing circuit files. Secondly, general failure models as well as special failure models are proposed for fault modeling. Thirdly, two approaches for fault injection based on software are depicted. Moreover, the process of circuit fault simulation and worst case analysis based on CARMES is presented.