A Multivalued Algebra For Modeling Physical Failures in MOS VLSI Circuits

This paper proposes a new logical model for nMOS and CMOS circuits. Existing gate-level and switch-level models are limited in their ability to simulate MOS circuit behavior accurately when modeling physical failures. The model proposed in this paper is in the form of a multivalued algebra defined on a set of node states. The state of a node is represented as a pair <a,b> where "a" specifies the condition of a node and "b" specifies the logic level: There are five conditions and five logic levels. The assignment of node states is done dynamically during the process of logic simulation. The rules of the algebra are used to derive state tables that model the behavior of transistors. Our general model of a transistor allows for strong interactions between all three terminals of a transistor. This enables us to model the effects of physical failures such as a short between the gate and drain of a transistor. A simulation algorithm based on the algebra is discussed, and techniques for simulating physical failures in MOS circuits using the algebra are indicated.