Analysis and Optimization for Testing Using IEEE P1687

Abstract:  The IEEE P1687 (IJTAG) standard proposal aims at providing a standardized interface between on-chip embedded test, debug and monitoring logic (instruments), such as scan-chains and temperature sensors, and the Test Access Port of IEEE Standard 1149.1 mainly used for board test. A key feature in P1687 is to include Segment Insertion Bits (SIBs) in the scan path. SIBs make it possible to construct a multitude of different P1687 networks for the same set of instruments, and provide flexibility in test scheduling. The work presented in this thesis consists of two parts. In the first part, analysis regarding test application time is given for P1687 networks while making use of two test schedule types, namely concurrent and sequential test scheduling. Furthermore, formulas and novel algorithms are presented to compute the test time for a given P1687 network and a given schedule type. The algorithms are implemented and employed in extensive experiments on realistic industrial designs. In the second part, design of IEEE P1687 networks is studied. Designing the P1687 network that results in the least test application time for a given set of instruments, is a time-consuming task in the absence of automatic design tools. In this thesis work, novel algorithms are presented for automated design of P1687 networks which are optimized with respect to test application time and the required number of SIBs. The algorithms are implemented and demonstrated in experiments on industrial SOCs.