Circuit Parameter Independent Test Pattern Generation for Interconnect Open Defects

Open defects such as interconnect opens are known to be one of the predominant defects in nanoscale technologies. Yet, test pattern generation for open defects is challenging because of the high number of parameters which need to be considered. Additionally, the assumed values of these parameters may vary due to process variations reducing fault coverage of a test set generated under this assumption. This paper presents a new ATPG approach for circuit Parameter independent (CPI) tests. In addition a definition of oscillation free CPI tests is given. The generated tests are robust against process variations affecting the influence of neighboring interconnects as well as trapped charge and prohibit oscillating behavior. Experimental results show the high efficiency of the new approach, generating CPI tests for circuits with over 500k nonequivalent faults and several thousand aggressors.