Embedded Deterministic Test Exploiting Care Bit Clustering and Seed Borrowing

Embedded deterministic test is a manufacture test paradigm that combines the compression advantage of built-in self-test with the high fault coverage of deterministic stimuli, inherent to methods based on automatic test pattern generation and external testers. Despite enabling the use of low-cost testers for rapidly achieving high fault coverage, embedded deterministic test must consciously use the available tester channel bandwidth to ensure non-disruptive scaling to future devices of increased complexity. The focus of this paper is to show how exploitation of care bit clustering in a test set combined with a low cost implementation for on-chip decompressors based on seed borrowing, facilitates an increased utilization of the tester channel bandwidth, and hence improved compression of deterministic stimuli.