Test Time Minimization for Hybrid BIST of Core-Based Systems

This paper presents a solution to the test time minimizationproblem for core-based systems. We assume a hybrid BIST approach, wherea test set is assembled, for each core, from pseudorandom test patternsthat are generated online, and deterministic test patterns that aregenerated off-line and stored in the system. In this paper we proposean iterative algorithm to find the optimal combination of pseudorandomand deterministic test sets of the whole system, consisting of multiplecores, under given memory constraints, so that the total test time isminimized. Our approach employs a fast estimation methodology in orderto avoid exhaustive search and to speed-up the calculation process.Experimental results have shown the efficiency of the algorithm to findnear optimal solutions.