Testing System-On-Chip by Window Comparator of Cores' Test Output Voltages

摘要

The effective testing of embedded cores is always a challenging issue. The growing trend of mixed-signal cores embedded in a single System-On-Chip (SOC) further makes the testing complicated. In this paper, a novel Built-in Self-Test (BIST) technique based on Window Comparator of Cores' Test Output Voltages (WCCTOV) is proposed for the effective testing of SOC. The resultant test response is a binary bit stream, by reading which, the faulty core(s) of the SOC and even the unique faults or equivalent fault set within the faulty core(s) can be identified. It can be easily incorporated into the existing testing architecture for the digital portion of the mixed-signal SOC, such that a single digital Auto Test Equipment (ATE) is all that required. Besides, only one extra testing output pin is required in addition to the two reference voltage pins.