Session – 2

Session Name: IC Testing

Author Name: Pragya Kushwaha
Department: Electronics and Communication
Subject/Course: VLSI Design
Session Objectives
At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:

Discuss the need for IC Testing.

List and explain the various IC Faults.
Discuss the steps in testing an IC.
Explain the test pattern generation.

Teaching Learning Material

Board.
Presentation Slides.
LCD Projector.

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Session Plan
Time Typical
Learning Aid and Faculty Learning Outcomes
(in Content Student
Methodology Approach (Blooms + Gardeners)
min) Activity

Remembering
Conducts Participates Understanding
Analogy
15 Need for IC Testing Facilitates Answers Intrapersonal
Chalk and Talk
Debriefs Comprehends Interpersonal
Linguistic

Remembering
Slide Listens
Understanding
15 Types of IC Faults Presentation Explains Observes
Intrapersonal
Chalk and Talk Comprehends
Visual

Video Remembering
Listens
Slide Explains Understanding
10 IC Testing Steps Observes
Presentation Facilitates Intrapersonal
Comprehends
Chalk and Talk Visual

Remembering
Understanding
Slide Listens
Test Pattern Explains Intrapersonal
10 Presentation Observes
Generation Facilitates Logical
Chalk and Talk Comprehends
Mathematical
Visual

Remembering
Understanding
Conducts Discusses
Intrapersonal
10 Conclusion Pictorial Quiz Facilitates Recalls
Interpersonal
Questions Answers
Visual
Linguistic

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Session Inputs
Need for IC Testing

We can begin the session on IC testing by explaining an analogy to

the learners and by comparing the same with the IC Testing.
Through this, we can explain the need for IC Testing to our learners.

Suggested Activity: Analogy

Let us make learners understand the need for an IC testing through the
following analogy.

Ram and Sanjay are good friends. Suppose if a teacher wants to find out who
is intelligent and who is stupid amongst them according to the strategic plan,
then, the easy way to solve this problem is Exam Test.

Suppose if Ram passes the exam, then it is sure that, Ram knows the strategy
to work.

On the other hand if Sanjay fails in the exam, then it means that, Sanjay has
not worked accordingly.

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 Finally, we can ask the learners to list out their inference from the analogy and
we can conclude the following:

We learnt two things from this example:

Student who works according to strategic plan will PASS in the exam.
Student who does not work according to the strategy will FAIL in the exam.

Similarly, a good IC will PASS the IC Test and on the other hand a faulty IC will
not PASS the IC test.

Good IC is like a brilliant student who passes every exam. Hence

good is an IC which has no fault at any level of its formation.
Faulty IC is like a failed student who is not able to pass the exam.

Types of IC Faults

Having explained the need for an IC testing, let us now discuss the
IC faults by showing some pictures on presentation slides to the
learners.

Here Figure 1 is showing Physical Defects developed in IC during the

time of fabrication.

Types of physical defects are:

Defects in silicon substrate, Photolithographic defects, Mask

contamination and scratches, Process variations and abnormalities,
Oxide defects.

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 Figure1: Physical Fault

There are many process of IC formation after their completion we

get our fully working IC. But as IC goes through these processes
some kind of unwanted electrical connections occurs that creates
IC failure during IC testing.

These electrical faults are:

Shorts (bridging faults), Opens, Transistors stuck-on, stuck-open,

Resistive shorts and opens, Excessive change in threshold voltage,
Excessive steady-state currents. This is shown in figure 2 below.

Figure2: Electrical Fault

Logical fault occurs when logic of gate stuck at any logic 0 or 1.

Examples of logical faults are: Logical stuck-at-0 or stuck-at-1, Slower
transition (delay faults), AND-bridging, OR-bridging. This is shown in

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 figure 3 below.

Figure3: Logical Faults

Fabrication faults occur during the fabrication time.

Electrical faults are like shorted resistances and open circuited
resistance.
Logical faults are the faults which are logically not correct.

IC Testing Steps

With the help of a video clip, the IC Testing steps can be discussed.

The following link contains a video file that shows a tester used to
test the working condition of an IC.

http://www.mission10x.com/mission-
10x/Documents/IC%20TESTING%20VIDEO_PRAGYA_S2

A tester is the one, on which we can insert the device (IC) under
test. The tester in the video shows some kind of test pattern to check
the programs inside it. When IC passes all those in built test patterns,
we get output: IC PASS, it means that, our IC can be used further for
any kind of circuit formation.
When IC is not able to pass any of those in built test patterns, we get
output: IC FAIL, it means that, our IC is faulty and hence we can’t
use it further for any kind of circuit formation. And in this way we can
save our overall system testing cost.

Auto mode and Manual mode are there in tester for testing our
IC.

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 IC will pass the electrical test when it follows test patterns.

Test Pattern Generation

Let us now proceed with the test pattern generation by explaining

fault models using the slide presentation. We can give various
pattern generation problems to our learners so that they can get
better understanding of IC faults.

As we can see in this flow chart below, first we will have to find
which type of fault our IC has? Further accordingly we can
generate the test pattern to test our IC.

Test Pattern Generation and Fault

Simulation

Output of gate 1 is stuck-at logic zero (s-a-0). The faults are

activated by applying logic 1 at the inputs of gate 1.
Input test pattern for this fault is (A,B,C,D,E,F,G) (1,0,1,0,0,1,0).
Output 1 in the fault-free case, or Output 0 if the fault exists.

Now, we can find type of fault and then generate test pattern for
IC.

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Conclusion

Finally, we can conclude the session by revising the key points

discussed so far, through the following Pictorial Quiz activity.

Suggested Activity: Pictorial Quiz

To begin with this activity, the learners can be divided into two groups
(columns wise). We can select one representative from each group. The
group members can collectively help their team representative to identify the
keyword written on the power point slide by giving clues in the form of its
definition, function, etc. If he/she identifies the keyword correctly, one point
can be given to the group. The group with highest point can be declared as
winners.

The following are some sample questions based on pictures:

1. Why IC Testing is important?

The possible answer:

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 Debugging cost will become high if whole system will fail, so we have to test
our IC at each level.

2. See the figure and tell four major level of IC testing.

The possible answer:

Component Test, Package Test, Board Electrical Test, System Reliability Test

3. See the figure and tell? How much factor of cost will IC testing take in
comparison to IC Designing?

The possible answer:

45% of the total cost.

Click the below link to view the PPT for some more sample questions.

http://www.mission10x.com/mission-
10x/Documents/IC%20Testing_Pictorial%20Quiz_Pragya_KIT.ppt

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 Click the following link to view the PPT on IC testing for more
detailed explanation of the concepts covered so far.

http://www.mission10x.com/mission-
10x/Documents/IC%20Testing%20PPT_Pragya_KIT.ppt

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Summary
In this session, we learnt to:

Discuss the need for IC Testing.

List and explain the various IC Faults.
Discuss the steps in testing an IC.
Explain the test pattern generation.

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Assignment
Find some more videos on IC testing and present them in group.
Do some numerical on test pattern generation by finding fault type in IC.

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References
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1sRk5PYLCw
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrF99bQ44Wc

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