Ranking of input cubes based on their lingering synchronisation effects and their use in random sequential test generation

• Published in: IET computers & digital techniques Vol. 5; no. 5; pp. 415 - 423
• Main Authors: POMERANZ, I, REDDY, S. M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Stevenage Institution of Engineering and Technology 01.09.2011; John Wiley & Sons, Inc
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Benchmarking; Circuits; Cubes; Digital techniques; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; Faults; Ranking; Testing, measurement, noise and reliability; Test method; Stochastic process; Synchronization; Circuit testing; Test generation
• ISSN: 1751-8601; 1751-861X
• DOI: 10.1049/iet-cdt.2010.0014

The authors define the notion of a lingering synchronisation effect. Such an effect occurs when a primary input cube determines the state of a circuit for several time units after it is applied. A primary input cube with a lingering synchronisation effect may prevent certain faults from being detected when it appears repeatedly in a test sequence. It should therefore be avoided when the goal is to achieve a high fault coverage. The authors demonstrate that benchmark circuits have primary input cubes with small numbers of specified values, which have lingering synchronisation effects. In some cases, the synchronisation effects linger for large numbers of time units. The authors define a ranking of primary input cubes based on the severity of their lingering synchronisation effects. They describe a random test generation process that avoids primary input cubes with lingering synchronisation effects, and achieves high fault coverage for benchmark circuits.