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TurboTester EWDTC03
TurboTester EWDTC03
1 2
Tallinn Technical University Technical University Ilmenau
Raja 15, 12618 Tallinn, Estonia Helmholtzplatz 1, 98693 Ilmenau, Germany
tt@pld.ttu.ee Dieter.Wuttke@tu-ilmenau.de
Abstract– This paper describes a diagnostic editors, simulators, and place and route tools.
software package called Turbo Tester. It contains a However, low-cost systems for solving a large class
variety of tools related to the area of testing and of tasks from the dependability and diagnostics area:
diagnosis of integrated circuits. The range of tools test synthesis and analysis, fault diagnosis,
includes test generators, logic and fault simulators, testability analysis, built-in self-test (BIST),
a test optimizer, a module for hazard analysis, built- especially for research and educational purposes, are
in self-test simulators, design verification and design still missing. For this reason, a diagnostic software
error diagnosis tools. The range of compatible Turbo Tester (TT) is being developed in Tallinn
diagnostic tools forms, via their interaction and Technical University.
complementary operation, a homogeneous research In this paper we briefly describe the main
environment, which provides good possibilities for functionality of the Turbo Tester package and
experimental research. Due to this fact, there are a suggest possible areas of experimental research
number of scientific papers became possible. These where TT can be used. Compared to previous paper
papers have been presented at international [6] the reader will find new aspects of application of
conferences and published in reviewed journals. We related tools as well as description of new
give a couple of examples of such experiments in this functionality added to the package since that time.
paper. We also describe some laboratory work Another possible application field of the TT
scenarios for students. package is the education. Entering the SoC era
means that the test must become now an integral part
of the VLSI and system design courses. The next
1. Introduction generation of engineers involved with System-on-
Chip (SoC) technology should be made aware of the
The increasing complexity of VLSI circuits and importance of test, and trained in test technology to
transition to Systems-on-Chip (SoC) or even enable them to produce high quality and defect-free
Networks-on-Chip (NoC) paradigm has made test products. Therefore, we have developed a set of
generation one of the most complicated and time- scenarios of laboratory works, which makes use of
consuming problems in the domain of digital design. different aspects of the TT package. In this paper we
The more complex are getting electronics systems, give a short overview of these scenarios, while their
the more important become problems of test and full version is available in the Web [14].
design for testability, as costs of verification and The TT software consists of the following test
testing are getting the major component of design related tools: test generation by different algorithms
and manufacturing costs of a new product. This fact (deterministic, random and genetic), test program
makes the research in the area of testing and optimization, fault simulation for combinational and
diagnosis of integrated circuits (IC) a very important sequential circuits, testability analysis and fault
topic for both the industry and the academy. diagnosis. TT can read the schematic entries of
Commercial CAD systems for VLSI design and various contemporary VLSI CAD tools, e.g.
test are both costly and do not provide a good Cadence, Synopsys, Mentor Graphics, Viewlogic,
variety of competing or complementary approaches Compass, OrCAD, etc. which makes TT
to a given particular problem. They usually have a independent of the existing design environment.
stiff workflow of standard integrated tools bound There are Turbo Tester versions available for MS
together and should be executed accordingly to a Windows, Linux, and Solaris operating systems. The
certain scenario. It is good for a designer but not for software is free of charge and it can be downloaded
a researcher whose main goal is the search for new from the Web [13].
efficient solutions. In the next section we give a short overview of
During the last decade, many different low-cost the whole TT package and its main tools. It is
tools running on PCs have been developed to fill this followed by Section 3, which describes some
gap. They usually include the major basic tools research experiments made with TT. The overview
needed for IC design: schematics capture, layout of laboratory work scenarios is given in Section 4.
Section 5 is dedicated for conclusions.
2. Overview of Turbo Tester Package DDs and binary DDs is also possible. This allows
migration of methods developed for logical level
The main set of functional modules of the Turbo also to higher (behavioral and register-transfer)
Tester diagnostic software package includes test levels, where tools for hierarchical test generation
generators, logic and fault simulators, a test and simulation have already been implemented [3].
optimizer, a module for hazard analysis, linear Test Generation. For automatic test pattern
feedback shift register (LFSR) emulators for BIST, generation (ATPG), random, deterministic and
design verification and design error diagnosis tools genetic test pattern generators (TPG) are
(see Fig. 1). implemented [4]. Mixed TPG strategies based on
The main advantage of the system lies in the different methods can also be investigated. Tests can
fact that different methods and algorithms for be generated for both, combinational and sequential
various test problems are implemented and can be circuits. Stuck-at faults and transition faults can be
investigated as separately of each other as working considered. The number of faults to be processed at
together in different combinations. The latter the macro level will be less than the number of faults
provides a variety of different approaches to solution at the gate level (each macro-level fault represents,
optimization for a particular problem. in general, a subset of gate-level faults). This causes
Model Synthesis. The component library of the increase in productivity of test generation at the
Turbo Tester consists of Binary Decision Diagram macro level compared to that of the gate-level. The
(BDD) representations for the library components of best test generation efficiency for complex systems
the circuits to be processed. The library is open and can be achieved by using the hierarchical DD
can be updated for new components. The model representation [3].
generator creates a BDD-representation of the Test Pattern Analysis. There are single-fault
design from the netlist of the design, produced by simulation, parallel fault simulation, and critical path
e.g. schematic editor. The special kind of BBDs is tracing fault analysis methods implemented in the
used in Turbo Tester. They are called Structurally system. These competing approaches can be
Synthesized BDDs (SSBDD) and provide a uniform investigated and compared for circuits of different
approach to solving a wide scale of test design tasks, complexities and structures. As the result of using
based on a uniform model and a restricted set of these tools, fault tables are calculated and test
standard procedures. Unlike traditional BDDs, quality is evaluated for given test sequences. In a
SSBDDs support test synthesis for gate-level defect-oriented simulation mode the fault simulator
structural faults. Moreover, the design can be uses a special defect library [1]. The physical defect
represented either at the gate-level or at the macro- model includes short (or bridging) faults and will be
level. The latter one is a somewhat higher soon extended by open faults.
representation level, where the basic elements are Test Set Optimization. The tool minimizes the
macros consisting of several gates at once. On the number of test patterns in the test set by means of
macro-level, a BDD is to be created for each macro, static compaction. The technique implements
where one-to-one correspondence between signal effective representation of fault matrices by
paths in the macro and nodes in the BDD will be weighted bipartite graphs. The approach contains a
established. For some tasks, such representation preprocessing step for determining the set of
gives faster runtimes at the same accuracy [8]. A essential vectors. Subsequently, implications and a
hierarchical DD model, which combines RT-level greedy search algorithm are applied. The proposed
Algorithms:
Levels: Deterministic Circuits:
Formats: Gate Random Combinational
Hazard
EDIF Macro Genetic Sequential Multivalued
AGM RTL Simulation
Analysis
Data
Test Logic
Generation Simulation
Specifi- Design Test
cation Set Fault Defect
BIST
Emulation Simulation Library
method offers significantly fast performance in enhancing the testability through adding redundant
terms of run times [10]. hardware elements or test-points (additional outputs
Multi-valued Simulation. In Turbo Tester, for observing; inputs for controlling; additional flip-
multi-valued simulation is applied to model the flops in scan-path etc.) to the circuit. The testability
possible hazards that can occur in logic circuits. The analysis tools of the system can be used for
dynamic behavior of a logic network during one enumerating untestable faults, for selecting
single transition period can be describes by a statistically hard-to-test faults, and for estimating the
representative waveform on the output or simply by controllability, observability and testability
a corresponding logic value. In other words, each characteristics for the nodes of the design. The tools
waveform type has a corresponding symbol of some are used for finding out where to alter the design to
given alphabet. Turbo Tester’s multi-valued improve the testability.
simulator implements 5-valued and 8-valued Evaluation of Built-In Self Test (BIST)
alphabets [11]. Quality. The BIST approach is represented by
Design Error Diagnosis. After a digital system applications for Built-In Logic Block Observer
has been designed according to specifications, it (BILBO) and Circular Self-Test Path (CSTP)
might go through a refinement process in order to be emulation. Different BIST architectures can be
consistent with certain design requirements (e.g. simulated and the self-test quality of these
timing specifications). The changes introduced by architectures can be evaluated. There is a tool, which
this process (by a human or a CAD system) may utilizes a genetic search algorithm for automatically
lead to undesired functional inconsistencies finding good BIST architectures. It is possible to use
compared to the original design. Such design errors also the general "store-and-generate" approach,
should be identified via design verification. A design where the whole test sequence will be generated on
error diagnosis technique should be applied the basis of a given set of test vectors (i.e. the stored
afterwards in order to locate and correct the error. In part of the test). All these vectors serve as initial
Turbo Tester we use the same SSBDD model for input test patterns for on-line test generation by
both the specification (the design before BILBO or CSTP (i.e. the generated part of the test).
modifications) and the design to be corrected. An A Hybrid BIST technique represents an opposite
advantage of our particular approach is the fact that approach, which also partially utilizes deterministic
it does not need a special diagnostic test to be patterns but in the very end of the sequence. This
created. It uses a normal test set instead [9]. makes it possible to achieve higher fault coverage by
Testability Analysis. The real cost of a digital shorter test sequence [7]. In Section 3 we discuss the
product is expressed as: Cost(Design + Test) < Hybrid BIST framework in more detail.
Cost(Design) + Cost(Test). It follows from the fact, Design Interface. Turbo Tester has a powerful
that the total product cost can be minimized by design interface from EDIF 2.0.0 netlist format,
regarding the design and test of a product as one which supports both, combinational and sequential
integral activity rather than the two disjoint designs. In this way, TT can read the schematic
unrelated activities. The latter approach is called entries of various contemporary VLSI CAD tools,
design for testability (DFT). Among the most e.g. Cadence, Synopsys, Mentor Graphics,
promising DFT methods are those aimed at
Viewlogic, Compass, OrCAD etc., which makes the most importantly easy of use. Moreover, users will
system open to different design environments. always work with the latest version of TT and does
Graphical User Interface. Turbo Tester not need to download or install the system locally.
Graphical User Interface (GUI) is under
development. The current working version is shown
in Figure 2. It is available for MS Windows OS
only. Similarly to most of the contemporary CAD
systems, TT has a dedicated shell window with a
command prompt. The Turbo Tester tools can be
executed as from this command prompt as by
selecting corresponding entries from corresponding
menus. The process output is displayed on the shell
window. There is a handy visualization utility called
Waveform Viewer (see Fig. 3), which illustrates
properties of test sequences obtained with different
test pattern generators.
Progressive Coverage of Test Patterns Fig. 4 Welcome page fragment of TT Web interface
Fault Coverage (%)