Test und Diagnose in Nanoscale-Technologien

Laufzeit

2016

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• Matthias Sauer, Jie Jiang, Sven Reimer, Kohei Miyase, Xiaoqing Wen, Bernd Becker, Ilia Polian
  On Optimal Power-aware Path Sensitization
  2016 2016 25nd IEEE Asian Test Symposium (ATS)
• Dominik Erb, Karsten Scheibler, Michael A. Kochte, Matthias Sauer, Hans-Joachim Wunderlich, Bernd Becker
  Mixed 01X-RSL-Encoding for Fast and Accurate ATPG with Unknowns
  2016 21st Asia and South Pacific Design Automation Conference
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  Kurzfassung

  Unknown (X) values in a design introduce pessimism in conventional test generation algorithms, which results in a loss of fault coverage. This pessimism is reduced by a more accurate modeling and analysis. Unfortunately, accurate analysis techniques highly increase runtime and limit scalability. One promising technique to prevent high runtimes while still providing high accuracy is the use of restricted symbolic logic (RSL). However, also pure RSL-based algorithms reach their limits as soon as millon gate circuits need to be processed. In this paper, we propose new ATPG techniques to overcome such limitations. An efficient hybrid encoding combines the accuracy of RSL-based modeling with the compactness of conventional three-valued encoding. A low-cost two-valued SAT-based untestability check is able to classify most untestable faults with low runtime. An incremental and event-based accurate fault simulator is introduced to reduce fault simulation effort. The experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed techniques. On average, over 99.3% of the faults are accurately classified. Both the number of aborts and the total runtime are significantly reduced compared to the state-of-the-art pure RSL-based algorithm. For circuits up to a million gates, the fault coverage could be increased considerably compared to a state-of-the-art commercial tool with very competitive runtimes.

2015

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• Kohei Miyase, Matthias Sauer, Bernd Becker, Xiaoqing Wen, Seiji Kajihara
  Identification of High Power Consuming Areas with Gate Type and Logic Level Information
  2015 IEEE European Test Symposium

2014

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• Dominik Erb, Karsten Scheibler, Matthias Sauer, Sudhakar M. Reddy, Bernd Becker
  Circuit Parameter Independent Test Pattern Generation for Interconnect Open Defects
  2014 23nd IEEE Asian Test Symposium (ATS)
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  Kurzfassung

  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.
• Matthias Sauer, Ilia Polian, Michael E. Imhof, Abdullah Mumtaz, Eric Schneider, Alexander Czutro, Hans-Joachim Wunderlich, Bernd Becker
  Variation-Aware Deterministic ATPG
  2014 IEEE European Test Symposium , Seiten: 1 - 6
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  Kurzfassung

  In technologies affected by variability, the detection status of a small-delay fault may vary among manufactured circuit instances. The same fault may be detected, missed or provably undetectable in different circuit instances. We introduce the first complete flow to accurately evaluate and systematically maximize the test quality under variability. As the number of possible circuit instances is infinite, we employ statistical analysis to obtain a test set that achieves a fault-efficiency target with an user-defined confidence level. The algorithm combines a classical path-oriented test-generation procedure with a novel waveformaccurate engine that can formally prove that a small-delay fault is not detectable and does not count towards fault efficiency. Extensive simulation results demonstrate the performance of the generated test sets for industrial circuits affected by uncorrelated and correlated variations.
• Matthias Sauer, Sven Reimer, Sudhakar M. Reddy, Bernd Becker
  Efficient SAT-based Circuit Initialization for Large Designs
  2014 Int'l Conf. on VLSI Design
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  Kurzfassung

  We present a procedure to determine initialization sequences for a sequential circuit optimizing sequence length and unknown values (Xes) in the flip-flops. Specifically, we consider the following two problems: (1) Determine a sequence that initializes a maximal set of flip-flops starting in a completely unknown state. (2) Determine a minimal subset of flip-flops that need to be controllable such that the circuit can be completely initialized in a limited number of time frames. The underlying principle of our methods is a maximization formalism using formal optimization techniques based on satisfiability solvers (MaxSAT). We introduce several heuristics which increase the scalability of our approach significantly. Experimental results demonstrate the applicability of the method for large academic and industrial benchmark circuits with up to a few hundred thousand gates.
• Dominik Erb, Karsten Scheibler, Matthias Sauer, Bernd Becker
  Efficient SMT-based ATPG for Interconnect Open Defects
  2014 Conf. on Design, Automation and Test in Europe
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  Kurzfassung

  Interconnect opens are known to be one of the predominant defects in nanoscale technologies. However, automatic test pattern generation for open faults is challenging, because of their rather unstable behaviour and the numerous electric parameters which need to be considered. Thus, most approaches try to avoid accurate modeling of all constraints and use simplified fault models in order to detect as many faults as possible or make assumptions which decrease both complexity and accuracy. This paper presents a new SMT-based approach which for the first time supports the Robust Enhanced Aggressor Victim model without restrictions and handles oscillations. It is combined with the first open fault simulator fully supporting the Robust Enhanced Aggressor Victim model and thereby accurately considering unknown values. Experimental results show the high efficiency of the new method outperforming previous approaches by up to two orders of magnitude.
• Dominik Erb, Karsten Scheibler, Michael Kochte, Matthias Sauer, Hans-Joachim Wunderlich, Bernd Becker
  Test Pattern Generation in Presence of Unknown Values Based on Restricted Symbolic Logic
  2014 Int'l Test Conf.
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  Kurzfassung

  Test generation algorithms based on standard n- valued logic algebras are pessimistic in presence of unknown values, overestimate the number of signals with X-values and underestimate fault coverage. Recently, an ATPG algorithm based on quantified Boolean formula (QBF) has been presented, which is accurate in presence of X-values but has limits with respect to runtime, scalability and robustness. In this paper, we consider ATPG based on restricted symbolic logic (RSL) and demonstrate its potential. We introduce a complete RSL ATPG exploiting the full potential of RSL in ATPG. Experimental results demonstrate that RSL ATPG significantly increases fault coverage over classical algorithms and provides results very close to the accurate QBF-based algorithm. An optimized version of RSL ATPG (together with accurate fault simulation) is up to 618x faster than the QBF-based solution, more scalable and more robust.

2013

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• Dominik Erb, Michael A Kochte, Matthias Sauer, Hans-Joachim Wunderlich, Bernd Becker
  Accurate Multi-Cycle ATPG in Presence of X-Values
  2013 22nd IEEE Asian Test Symposium (ATS)
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  Kurzfassung

  Unknown (X) values in a circuit impair test quality and increase test costs. Classical n-valued algorithms for fault simulation and ATPG, which typically use a three- or four-valued logic for the good and faulty circuit, are in principle pessimistic in presence of X-values and cannot accurately compute the achievable fault coverage. In partial scan or pipelined circuits, X-values originate in non-scan flip-flops. These circuits are tested using multi-cycle tests. Here we present multi-cycle test generation techniques for circuits with X-values due to partial scan or other X-sources. The proposed techniques have been integrated into a multi-cycle ATPG framework which employs formal Boolean and quantified Boolean (QBF) satisfiability techniques to compute the possible signal states in the circuit accurately. Efficient encoding of the problem instance ensures reasonable runtimes. We show that in presence of X-values, the detection of stuck-at faults requires not only exact formal reasoning in a single cycle, but especially the consideration of multiple cycles for excitation of the fault site as well as propagation and controlled reconvergence of fault effects. For the first time, accurate deterministic ATPG for multi-cycle test application is supported for stuck-at faults. Experiments on ISCAS'89 and industrial circuits with X-sources show that this new approach increases the fault coverage considerably.

2012

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• Stefan Hillebrecht, Michael Kochte, Hans-Joachim Wunderlich, Bernd Becker
  Exact Stuck-at Fault Classification in Presence of Unknowns
  2012 IEEE European Test Symp.
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  Kurzfassung

  Fault simulation is an essential tool in electronic design automation. The accuracy of the computation of fault coverage in classic n-valued simulation algorithms is compromised by unknown (X) values. This results in a pessimistic underestimation of the coverage, and overestimation of unknown (X) values at the primary and pseudo-primary outputs. This work proposes the first stuck-at fault simulation algorithm free of any simulation pessimism in presence of unknowns. The SAT-based algorithm exactly classifies any fault and distinguishes between definite and possible detects. The pessimism w.r.t. unknowns present in classic algorithms is discussed in the experimental results on ISCAS benchmark and industrial circuits. The applicability of our algorithm to large industrial circuits is demonstrated Fault simulation is an essential tool in electronic design automation. The accuracy of the computation of fault coverage in classic n-valued simulation algorithms is compromised by unknown (X) values. This results in a pessimistic underestimation of the coverage, and overestimation of unknown (X) values at the primary and pseudo-primary outputs. This work proposes the first stuck-at fault simulation algorithm free of any simulation pessimism in presence of unknowns. The SAT-based algorithm exactly classifies any fault and distinguishes between definite and possible detects. The pessimism w.r.t. unknowns present in classic algorithms is discussed in the experimental results on ISCAS benchmark and industrial circuits. The applicability of our algorithm to large industrial circuits is demonstrated.
• Matthias Sauer, Stefan Kupferschmid, Alexander Czutro, Ilia Polian, Sudhakar M. Reddy, Bernd Becker
  Functional Test of Small-Delay Faults using SAT and Craig Interpolation
  2012 Int'l Test Conf., Seiten: 1 - 8
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  Kurzfassung

  We present SATSEQ, a timing-aware ATPG system for small-delay faults in non-scan circuits. The tool identifies the longest paths suitable for functional fault propagation and generates the shortest possible sub-sequences per fault. Based on advanced model-checking techniques, SATSEQ provides detection of small-delay faults through the longest functional paths. All test sequences start at the circuit's initial state; therefore, overtesting is avoided. Moreover, potential invalidation of the fault detection is taken into account. Experimental results show high detection and better performance than scan testing in terms of test application time and overtesting-avoidance.
• Alexander Czutro, Matthias Sauer, Ilia Polian, Bernd Becker
  Multi-Conditional ATPG using SAT with Preferences
  2012 GI/ITG Workshop “Testmethoden und Zuverlässigkeit von Schaltungen und Systemen”
• Alexander Czutro, Matthias Sauer, Ilia Polian, Bernd Becker
  Multi-Conditional SAT-ATPG for Power-Droop Testing
  2012 IEEE European Test Symp.
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  Kurzfassung

  Power droop is a non-trivial signal-integrity-related effect triggered by specific power-supply conditions. High-frequency and low-frequency power droop may lead to failure of an IC during application time, but they usually remain undetected by state-of-the-art manufacturing test methods, as the fault excitation imposes particular conditions on global switching activity over several time frames. Hence, ATPG for power-droop test (PD-ATPG) is an extremely hard problem that has not yet been solved optimally. In this paper, we use a SAT-based ATPG engine that employs a mechanism known as SAT-solving with qualitative preferences to generate a solution guaranteed to be optimal for a given set of optimisation criteria, however at the expense of high SAT-solving times. Therefore, a well-balanced set of criteria has to be chosen for the SAT-formulation in order to get as good solutions as possible without rendering the SAT-instances impracticably hard. We explore several strategies and evaluate them experimentally.